Benevolent and wise king Zhou Wenwang (1152 – 1056 BC, original name Ji Chang) was discreet and sincere, using kindness and virtue to govern the country and was thus well respected by the people. His benevolence and kindness set a great example for later generations.
 
Use Virtue to Influence People to Gain Respect from All Walks of Life
 
In the latter period of the Shang Dynasty, Ji Chang was the Duke of Xibo, the leader of all the western dukes. Later he was given the respectful title of Zhou Wenwang. When Zhou Wenwang governed the Zhou Country, he pursued virtue as his governing principle and proposed "using virtue to harmonize with heaven, respecting virtue and protecting the people, pursuing virtue and being cautious of using punishment." He promoted education and pointed out, "The king should act in accordance with kindness and virtue. Officials should act based on discreetness. Children should act based on filial piety. Parents should act based on kindness and caring. People should interact with one another based on sincerity and trust." He taught the people to rectify their thoughts, respect heaven, and respect virtue.
 
Zhou Wenwang set a good example himself, working diligently and conscientiously. He lived thriftily, wearing everyday people's clothes. He went to the farmlands and did farm work with the farmers. In addition, he established many policies to benefit the citizens. For example, one policy was aimed at reducing the farmers' taxes to allow them to build up savings. Another one was to permit farmers to work on public land and only have to pay 1/9 of the usual tax. Furthermore, a policy was established to not collect customs duties on imported and exported goods. He had the legal system set up so that when someone committed a crime, the spouse or children would not be implicated. He also promptly gave help to the poor and helpless. Many good and talented people such as San Yisheng, Nangong Shi, Tai Dian, Hong Yao and Xin Jia, who had spoken frankly to the ruling Emperor Zhou of Shang and incurred his wrath turned to Zhou Wenwang for protection. Zhou Wenwang always treated these people politely and assigned them positions based on their abilities.
 
Yu and Rui were both western countries affiliated with the Shang Dynasty. One time, the dukes of both countries were in conflict over the border between them. They were unwilling to ask Emperor Zhou to settle the matter. Instead, they both admired Zhou Wenwang's prestige and asked him to settle the matter. Based on Shi Jing (or the Book of Poems), the two dukes went to Zhou Country and saw that "Upon entering the borders of Zhou country, the farmers all voluntarily gave the edge of their fields to their neighbors and the travelers all allowed others to pass through first. Upon entering a city, the men and women travelled on opposite sides of the road, and the elderly people did not need to carry heavy loads because the young people always helped them. Upon entering the court, lower-ranking officials conceded promotions to others and higher-ranking officials recommended their colleagues to ministerial positions." Everyone in Zhou Country behaved in a noble manner. The two dukes compared Zhou country with their own countries and both felt very ashamed. They said to each other, "Petty people like us really don't have the courage to face this nobleman and have him settle the matter for us." Even before they saw Zhou Wenwang, they both voluntarily gave the disputed land to the other country. In the end, both sides refused to accept the donated land, and the land was abandoned. People later called this land "the unoccupied land." All the nearby dukes soon learned of this matter, and thus all took Zhou Wenwang as a role model. Many of them became affiliated with Zhou Country, which eventually accounted for two thirds of the total territory of the Shang Dynasty.
 
Sincerely Caring for the People, Mercy Even for the Dead
 
The people in Zhou Country enjoyed good and prosperous lives. No one picked up lost items on the roads and nobody needed to lock their doors at night. They all held to high moral standards, which brought good fortune to the entire country.
 
Once, Zhou Wenwang discussed with his ministers about the idea of building a terrace to observe omens of disaster or auspiciousness. However, he was concerned about straining the public on such an endeavor. San Yisheng said, “The terrace is for the benefit of the people, not for tourism or entertainment. The people will be delighted to work. If you do not wish to casually order the people to work on this construction, you could still offer monetary compensation and let the people decide if they’ll join this effort.” Therefore, Zhou Wenwang posted a notice about the terrace. When soldiers and civilians saw the notice, they happily said, “We have been taught by the king to be loyal, filial and righteous. The king would like to build a terrace to observe omens for our benefit. How can we accept the king’s compensation?” The people enthusiastically joined the effort and construction completed in no time.
 
Zhou Wenwang once went to survey the outlying areas. He saw some dried bones lying in a meadow. He immediately asked his subordinates to bury the bones properly. They asked, "Your majesty, these are just dried up bones and no one grieves for them. Why should we pity them?" Zhou Wenwang replied, "The person who governs the world is the host of the world. The person who governs the country is the host of the country. I am the one who grieves for those who passed away. How can you say no one grieves for them?" The subordinates were very touched by Zhou Wenwang's words and immediately took great care to bury the corpses. The people all heard that Zhou Wenwang had mercy on the dead bodies and did not want them to be exposed to the rain and sun. They said, "Xibo Duke's mercy even extends to corpses, not to mention how much he cares about the living."
 
Harmonize One's Actions with the Principles of Heaven, Respect Sages and Honor Them Responsibly
 
Emperor Zhou of Shang was the last emperor of the dynasty. He was tyrannical and went against the principles of heaven. Zhou Wenwang admonished him, "If your majesty can understand heaven's mercy toward beings, respect heaven and follow the heavenly principles, and get rid of the sly and cunning people, then it will bring great fortune to all citizens." The emperor was very angry after he heard this. The evil Chong Houhu, the emperor's trusted minister, also secretly slandered Zhou Wenwang, "Ji Chang has proposed kindness and virtue everywhere, and the hearts of all the empire's citizens were dedicated to him. All the dukes admire him. This perhaps does not favor your majesty." Emperor Zhou had Zhou Wenwang arrested and detained at Youli (which is in present-day Tangyin County, Henan Province) for seven years. When Zhou Wenwang was imprisoned, he taught with virtue and influenced the local soldiers and civilians. He instructed them to cultivate themselves and understand virtue. He also concentrated on studying the principles of the heavens and invented Zhouyi (the Book of Changes). He deduced 64 Trigrams from Fu Xi's original 8 Trigrams, which included 384 diagrams. The 64 Trigrams contained the principle of the movement of the universe and the secrets of the interaction between yin and yang.
 
Zhou Wenwang understood deeply the need for talented and virtuous people to govern a country well. The story of how he personally recruited Jiang Ziya at the Pan River has been passed down for generations and continues to be praised. When Wenwang heard about the virtuous and knowledgeable Jiang Ziya, considered a great sage at the time, he chose an auspicious date, fasted and bathed himself carefully, before leading his subordinates to the meeting. Through their dialogue, Zhou Wenwang felt inspired by Jiang’s broadmindedness, abilities to govern a nation and aspiration to obtain peace for the world. He happily said, “My grandfather once told me that there will be a fundamental figure to assist me in flourishing Zhou. You must be that figure.” He then asked Jiang Ziya to ride together in his carriage and discuss a plan to govern the nation. Jiang Ziya helped Zhou Wenwang and later Zhou Wuwang (Wenwang’s son) to defeat Emperor Zhou and unite the nations. Jiang enacted laws to govern and prosper a nation, which have guided future generations.
 
Confucius said, "Zhou Wenwang's management accomplishments are magnificent. He did not intentionally act, but changed people. He did not intentionally do things, yet achieved success. This is because Zhou Wenwang could strictly cultivate and restrain himself, and be kind and generous to others." People always said that a sage's thoughts could shine like the sun and the moon. This is because a sage's virtue is in harmony with heaven. A sage can enlighten to the truth of the universe, save sentient beings, accumulate virtue, and act with benevolence. Zhou Wenwang's morality influenced many people, who, in turn, greatly admired him.
 
以德行仁　王者风范
 
周文王姬昌谨慎真诚、仁政兴国，受到万民敬仰。其宽容仁爱的胸怀垂范后世。
 
盛德化人　四方皆敬
 
商朝末期时，姬昌为西伯侯，即西方诸侯之长，后称周文王。文王治理西周时，奉行德治，提出“以德配天、敬德保民、明德慎罚”的从政理念。他推行教化，指出：“为人君应依仁而行，为人臣应立足于谨慎，为人之子女应立足于孝道，为人之父母应立足于慈爱，与国中之人交往应立足于诚信。”教导人们要心思端正，敬天、敬德等。
 
文王以身作则，做事一丝不苟，兢兢业业。他生活勤俭，穿普通人衣服，还到田间和大家一起劳动。制定了很多惠民措施：如对农民征收租税有节制，让农民有所积蓄。采用“九一而助”的政策，让农民助耕公田，纳九分之一的税。商人往来不收关税。有人犯罪妻子儿女不连坐。对于穷苦无助的人，及时给予帮助和照顾。对于许多因直谏触怒商纣王而前来投奔的贤士，他都以礼相待，予以任用。如散宜生、南宫适、太颠、闳夭、辛甲等人，都先后归附在其部下称臣。
 
虞、芮两国都是商朝西方属国，两国国君为了田野的界限发生了争执，可是他们不愿找商王裁决，都慕文王的威名，求文王审断。据《诗经•大雅•绵》篇注说：两国君看到周国是“入其境，则耕者让畔，行者让路”；“入其邑，男女异路，斑白不提挈”；“入其朝，士让为大夫，大夫让为卿”，一派君子之风。两相对比，内心羞愧，两国君互相说道：“像我等小人，有何面目上君子之堂，让人家给评理呢？”还没有见到文王本人，他们就都主动把所争之地让给对方，结果双方都推让不受，这块土地便被闲置起来，后人称之为“闲田”或“闲原”。邻近的诸侯闻知此事，都以文王为典范。他们纷纷前来归附，形成了商朝“三分天下，周有其二”的局势。
 
视民如伤　泽及枯骨
 
周国百姓安居乐业，路不拾遗，夜不闭户，一派祥和景象。一次，文王与群臣商议说：“我西岐乃道德之乡，物阜民丰。我想为百姓占验灾祥，建一“灵台”以应灾祥之兆，又恐劳伤百姓。”散宜生说：“大王既为应灾祥而设灵台，乃为西土百姓，非为游观之乐，万民自是乐役。若您不肯轻用民力，仍给工银一钱，任民自便，随其自愿，不去强他，这也无害于事。”文王于是张告军民，军民人等看了告示都高兴的说：“我等蒙大王教诲，皆知忠孝节义，按此去做，百事无亏。今大王又为我们设台占验灾祥，如何反领大王的工钱？”众人踊跃造台，不日而成。
 
文王一次去郊外巡视，见到一些枯骨暴露在荒野，于是立即命左右随从把枯骨掩埋好。随从人员说：“大王，这些都是没有哀主的枯骨，何必怜悯他们呢？”文王说道：“拥有天下的人，就是天下的主人。拥有一国的人，就是一国的主人。我本来就是这些亡者的哀主，怎说他们没有哀主呢！”随从人员听了十分感动，于是仔细的把枯骨埋葬好。天下人听说文王对死者的骨骸都不忍被日曝雨浸，都说：“西伯泽及枯骨，更何况对于活著的人的爱护了。”
 
道合天心　尊贤重贤
 
商纣王暴虐无道，文王上谏纣王“体上天好生之仁，敬修天命，退佞除奸，则万民幸甚”。纣王看后大怒，其亲信谗臣崇侯虎又暗中进言说：“姬昌到处行善，民心归附，诸侯都向往他，恐怕不利于大王。”纣王于是将文王拘于羑里（今河南汤阴县）七年。文王在羑里，善化当地军民，教其修身、明礼，并效法天地之道潜心研究，演算出周易。将伏羲的先天八卦推演为六十四卦，共三百八十四爻，内含天地造化之妙、阴阳不测之机。
 
文王深明要治理好国家就要任用贤德之人。他思贤若渴，亲自到磻溪聘请姜子牙的故事流传至今，令人称颂不已。文王听说姜子牙道德高尚、学识渊博、是当世大贤，就选定吉期，斋戒熏沐，极其精诚的亲自率众去请。谈话中，文王看姜子牙胸怀博大，有经天纬地之才，济世安民之志，便高兴的说：“我祖父在世时曾对我说：‘将来一定会有个栋梁之才帮你将周兴盛起来。’你就是我祖父所盼望的人才。”说罢就请姜子牙与他同车而归，筹划治国安民的宏图大业。姜子牙果然不负众望，辅佐文王，励精图治，后来又辅佐武王伐纣，一统天下，为后世开辟了治国兴邦之正道。
 
孔子说：“文王之道非常伟大，没有任何有意的举动而使人发生了变化，没有有意做任何事情就接近了成功，这是因为文王能够时时严格的修养节制自己和宽以待人。”人们常说圣人之心光照日月，是因为圣人之德与天相配，证悟到宇宙之真理，济天下苍生，积善行仁，德风仰止！