A Re-Examination of the Inheritance System of the Zhou Dynasty

The system of First Son of the Lineal Descents Inheritance was established at the turn of the Shang Dynasty and the Zhou Dynasty. Though it was very common that a younger brother succeeded his later brother in the early period of the Shang Dynasty, the trend was mainly following the system of the Son Inheritance. We should not take for granted that the inheritance system of the Zhou Dynasty was One-one-succeeding System only because there were some brother-inheritance phenomena in those princely states of the Zhou Dynasty.