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The Zhou dynasty rules for about 800 years
The longest-lasting Chinese dynasty
The Zhou dynasty is often called China's longest. It introduced the Mandate of Heaven, the idea that rulers keep power only while they govern well, though real power weakened over its later centuries.
The Zhou overthrew the Shang dynasty, traditionally dated to about 1046 BCE after the Battle of Muye, though some scholars argue for slightly different years. Chinese historical chronology before 841 BCE is reconstructed rather than securely dated, which is why Zhou dates are approximate.
The dynasty is split into Western Zhou, ruled from near modern Xi'an, and Eastern Zhou, after the capital moved east to Luoyi in 770 BCE following an invasion and the death of a king. The Eastern period includes the Spring and Autumn period and the Warring States period, when regional lords held real power and the Zhou kings were mostly symbolic.
To justify the conquest, Zhou writers developed the Mandate of Heaven, holding that Heaven grants the right to rule and may withdraw it from unworthy rulers. The idea shaped later Chinese political thought for millennia. The dynasty is commonly said to have ended in 256 BCE when Qin took the remaining royal domain. Some other dynasties are claimed to have lasted comparably, but Zhou is the usual answer for longest.
Dates for the earliest Zhou kings rely on later texts and bronze inscriptions, which is why estimates for the start differ by several decades in scholarship.