China began to enfeoffment governors from Shang Dynasty, with titles of Hou and Bo. After the Western Zhou Dynasty destroyed the Shang Dynasty, because its capital was far away in the northwest, it was not conducive to controlling the vast territory and ruling the descendants of the Shang Dynasty, so the royal children and heroes were distributed on a large scale by fiefs and residents.
Governors enjoyed hereditary sovereignty in their feudal countries, and at the same time they had the responsibility to obey the emperor's orders, pay tribute regularly, provide military taxes and forced labor, and safeguard the security of the Zhou Dynasty.
During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the county system adapted to centralization gradually replaced the enfeoffment system. Qin Shihuang unified the whole country, generally implemented the county system and abolished the enfeoffment system. Since then, there have been examples of enfeoffment, but the nature is not exactly the same.
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The function of enfeoffment system:
1, through the enfeoffment system, strengthened the rule of the Zhou emperor to the local area. The Zhou Dynasty developed remote areas, expanded its ruling areas, and gradually built a nationwide transportation network.
It formed the political pattern of Zhou royal family holding the moon, which broke the state of Xia and Shang dynasties. Zhou became a powerful country, which lasted for hundreds of years.
2. Through the enfeoffment system, the sphere of influence of Zhou people has been expanding; Zhou established his dominant position in the world and his ruling effect was strengthened. The enfeoffment system made the Western Zhou aristocratic group form a hierarchical sequence of Zhou kings, princes, Qing doctors and scholars.
3. Through the enfeoffment system, Zhou's cultural form covered the whole middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, strengthened the ties with neighboring ethnic minorities, and promoted the economic and cultural development in remote areas; Zhou Wenhua has amazing stability and continuity.
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