Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
The unthinkable eventually did happen, however, and the Shang
dynasty was overthrown. Chinese tradition tells us that the last leader
of the Shang was such a tyrannical megalomaniac that he took to call-
ing himself Di. If we are to believe Chinese tradition and the accounts
written centuries later by Chinese historians who might have had
some knowledge of Shang political history, Di's government was so
harsh that the people of the Shang were left with no option other than
rebellion. They were well aware that this was an enormous step to
take, and how they justified their rebellion is discussed in the next
chapter.
