ABSTRACT
Scholars of the Han Dynasty attributed the work to Ji Dan 姬旦, Duke of Zhou (d. 1105 BCE), a legendary statesman of the Western Zhou Dynasty (c. eleventh century-771 BCE). Others dated the work to the time of the Warring States (475–221 BCE). Yet others believed that the work was a fabrication by Liu Xin 劉歆 (53 BCE — 23 CE) at the end of the Western Han Dynasty. Today it is generally accepted that the work is about the Western Zhou Dynasty, and that its compilation should be dated to around the last years of the Warring States Period. 35 It gives what is purportedly a detailed description of the structure of government of the Western Zhou Dynasty — credited by legend to be a time of peace and prosperity, with the Duke of Zhou at the helm. The description includes a list of major and minor posts distributed among six minis-tries, and the duties of each official. It discusses government in general under the title “Office of Heaven”; education under “Office of Earth”; social and religious institutions under “Office of Spring”; the army under “Office of Summer”; justice under “Office of Autumn”; and the population, territory, and agriculture under “Office of Winter”. Together with the Yili 儀禮 (the Ceremonials) and Liji 禮記 (literally the Rites Records, more popularly known as the Book of Rites), the Zhouli 周禮 (Zhou Rites) took its place in the canon of Rites texts in the early Western Han Dynasty (206 BCE — 8CE).
