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Tradition has it that these rules were promulgated by the first great ruler of the dynasty, the Duke of Zhou. The system of rites and music endured for the following 2,O00 years and more, until it was abolished with the end 0f the Qing Dynasty, China's last feudal dynasty. Each era made its own modifications to the system, but it lasted essentially intact as to its rationale just as it had been formed in Zhou times. lf we say that the Shang Dynasty worshipped deities, then we can say that the Zhou Dynasty worshipped ritual. As far as th supernatural was concerned, the people 0f Zhou held I in awe, but at a distance. There were two basic features of the system of rites and music in Zhou times: one is that it was strictly graded, and the other is that the music and dancing designated to accompany the rites was Ya yue .
Because activities involving the system of rites and music was restricted to the upper echelons of society, in order to understand the system it is first necessary to understand the structure of that upper class. Historical studies show that the phenomenon of dividing the domain up int0 feudal fiefdoms first appeared during the Shang Dynasty, as this was the most convenient stretch of territory. Unlike the Shang, which did not bestow the fiefdoms exclusively on members 0f the ruling clan (Who all had the same surname), the Zhou Dynasty ,
which followed the Shang practice of ruling through fiefdoms, made sure that most of the feudal lords were of the ruling clan. For instance, at the beginning of the Zhou period, the ruler of the State of Wei, which was located in what had been the heartland of Shang, was Kang Shu, the younger brother of the Duke of Zhou, and toward the end of the dynasty, You, the half-brother of Emperor Xuan Dream beauty pro hard sell,
