During the time of Alexander the Great, China was in the Warring States period. The Warring States Period, also known as the Warring States Period, was an important period in Chinese history, following the Spring and Autumn Period. There are various theories about the beginning year of the Warring States period, and generally the 44th year of King Jing of Zhou (476 BC), the 16th year of King Ding of Zhou (453 BC), or the 23rd year of King Weilie of Zhou (403 BC) are more acceptable. The Warring States period ended in 221 BC, when Qin unified the six kingdoms.
Alexander the Great, whose full name is Alexander III of Macedon, was the king of the Kingdom of Macedonia in ancient Greece, and his name Alexander means "guardian of mankind". He was born in Pella in 356 BC, the son of King Philip II of Macedon and his mother Olympias, the daughter of King Neoptolemos I of Molohya in the Epirus region of Greece.
When he was 13 years old, his father hired the philosopher Aristotle as his mentor. After the assassination of Philip II in 336 BC, Alexander succeeded his father to the throne and a powerful kingdom with a sophisticated army.
Alexander the Great's reign was almost always marked by major military conquests. By the time he was thirty years old, he had built one of the largest empires in Greece, Asia Minor, Egypt, Persia, the Two Rivers Valley, Afghanistan, and northwestern India.
He was never defeated on the battlefield and is considered one of the greatest generals in history. He is often listed as one of the most influential figures in world history, alongside his mentor Aristotle.
In 323 BCE, Alexander the Great died in Babylon, the capital of his intended empire, before he could fulfill his plans to invade Arabia. After his death, with no suitable heir, his generals rebelled against each other and began to fight over his empire, which eventually led to the War of the Diadochi, and Alexander's empire quickly collapsed.
Alexander the Great's legacy includes the cultural fusion that resulted from his expansion, such as Greek Buddhism. He built at least twenty cities named after him, most notably Alexandria in Egypt. Alexander's placement of many Greek colonies in the East led to the spread of Greek civilization all the way east, leading to the advent of the Hellenistic era.
During the Warring States period, the vassal states were in their own countries and fought each other, and the society was extremely unstable. In the early Warring States period, there were still more than a dozen vassal states in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, and the five states of Qi, Jin, Chu, Qin, and Song were elected as overlords, known as the Spring and Autumn Five Hegemons in history. At the end of the Spring and Autumn Period, there were more Wu Wangfucha and Yue Wang Goujian, who once dominated the country. After a long period of struggle in the Spring and Autumn Period, the monarch of the Jin State had been reduced to a puppet monarch in the late Spring and Autumn Period, and the real power was held by a few families of Qing Dafu.
During the Warring States period, iron tools began to appear and were used, replacing stone tools and using them at the same time as bronze tools, and the prosperity of commerce promoted the development of money, and the Ida system in the Spring and Autumn period was abolished. Agriculture has further developed and the population of various countries has increased. The production level of iron smelting, bronze casting, lacquerware, and silk weaving in the handicraft industry has been significantly improved, and commerce between countries has been vigorously developed.
The historical events of the Warring States period include the destruction of Wu by Goujian, the king of Yue in 473 BC, and the division of the three families in 403 BC. The major historical events that occurred before 403 BC include the destruction of Wu by Goujian, the king of Yue in 473 BC, and the division of the three families into Jin in 403 BC. The view of the Records of the Historians has been adopted by the majority because it includes the above important historical events.
In general, the Warring States period was an important historical period in Chinese history, and the Qing Dynasty's Wang Fuzhi called it "a meeting of great changes in ancient and modern times". In the process of unifying China, it is experiencing an epoch-making change in the monarchical society replacing the feudal society.
The historical figures and events of these two periods, both in Greece and in China, have had a profound impact on world history. Alexander the Great's imperial expansion and the struggle for hegemony among the princes during the Warring States Period are both important chapters in human history that deserve our in-depth study and understanding.