China’s name is zhōngguó. Zhōng means middle or central, and guó means country or nation. Together, they create the term “Middle Kingdom.” The Chinese believed themselves to be the center of the world, the most advanced civilization in existence, and anyone outside their civilization was a barbarian. The great rulers of the Zhou united the vast kingdom under their divine rule granted to them by the Mandate of Heaven. These strong rulers created an ideal of tiānxià, a kingdom united “all under Heaven” that later Confucian scholars would look up towards. But all great things come to an end. Towards the tail end of the Zhou Dynasty, China became fragmented and entered the Warring States period which began around 479 B.C. and ended in 221 B.C
