In Ancient East Asia, Chinese hegemony existed during the Spring and Autumn period (c. 770–480 BC), when the weakened rule of the Eastern Zhou dynasty led to the relative autonomy of the Five Hegemons (Ba in Chinese []). The term is translated as lord protector, or lord of the covenants, or chief of the feudal lords and is described as intermediate between king of independent state and Emperor of All under Heaven.Guanzi: Economic Dialogues in Ancient China, ed. Adam K. W. Wen, Connecticut: New Heaven, 1954, p. 60. The hegemons were appointed by feudal lord conferences and were nominally obliged to support the King of Zhou,Encyclopædia Britannica, "Ch'i": "As a result, Ch'i began to dominate most of China proper; in 651 BC it formed the little states of the area into a league, which was successful in staving off invasions from the semi-barbarian regimes to the north and south. Although Ch'i thus gained hegemony over China, its rule was short-lived; after Duke Huan's death, internal disorders caused it to lose the leadership of the new confederation." whose status parallel to that of the Roman Pope in the medieval Europe.
In Ancient East Asia Chinese hegemony existed during the Spring and Autumn period (c. 770–480 BC), when the weakened rule of the Eastern Zhou dynasty led to the relative autonomy of the Five Hegemons (Ba in Chinese []). The term is translated as lord protector, or lord of the covenants, or chief of the feudal lords and is described as intermediate between king of independent state and Emperor of All under Heaven.Guanzi: Economic Dialogues in Ancient China, ed. Adam K. W. Wen, Connecticut: New Heaven, 1954, p. 60. The hegemons were appointed by feudal lord conferences and were nominally obliged to support the King of Zhou,Encyclopædia Britannica, "Ch'i": "As a result, Ch'i began to dominate most of China proper; in 651 BC it formed the little states of the area into a league, which was successful in staving off invasions from the semi-barbarian regimes to the north and south. Although Ch'i thus gained hegemony over China its rule was short-lived; after Duke Huan's death, internal disorders caused it to lose the leadership of the new confederation." whose status parallel to that of the Roman Pope in the medieval Europe.