The Warring States Period

The second half of the Eastern Zhou is known historically as the Warring States Period. In this period, wars were frequently fought between vassal states. To defeat others, every state became actively engaged in economic development, and the iron-casting industry flourished through farming tools production, along with irrigation projects, commerce and trade, and handicraft industry. Philosophical development was evident in the “Hundred Schools of Thought.” The many capital cities were no longer mere local political centers, but gradually became also financial centers. These development trends and the strengthening of financial and cultural ties between different states laid a solid foundation for the birth of a unified country.