_SHIFTING SCENES_
Character of the early colonizing Chinese satraps--Revolt of the
western satrap and flight of the Emperor in 842 B.C.--Daughter of
a later satrap marries the Emperor--Tartars mix up with questions
of imperial succession and kill the Emperor--Transfer of the
imperial metropolis from Shen Si to Ho Nan--The Chou dynasty,
dating from 1122 B.C.--Before its conquest, the vassal house of
Chou occupied the same relation to the imperial dynasty of Shang
that the Wardens of the Western Marches, or Princes of Ts'in, did
in turn to the imperial dynasty of Chou--The Shang dynasty had in
1766 B.C., for like reasons, supplanted the Hia dynasty-No events
of great interest recorded in limited area of China before 771
B.C.--Decline of the imperial power until its extinction in 250
B.C.--The Five Tyrant or Protector period--Natural movement to
keep pace with political development--Easier system of writing--
Development of trade and industry--Living interests clash with
extinct aspirations--From 722 B.C. to 480 B.C. is the period of
change covered by Confucius' history