The present survey is an attempt to investigate two institutions in Western Chou, namely the Royal investiture ceremony and the practice of subinfeudation, based upon records in bronze inscriptions. Inscriptions on bronzes have the merit of being contemporaneous with the period and the events they record; therefore, investigations based upon such materials can be regarded as appropriate and reliable. According to the bronze inscriptions, the Royal investiture ceremony was conducted by the King

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... ainly to formalize the granting of awards for services rendered, to define the duties required of the investee, and to confirm the investee's tenure of office or his promotion to a new office. The ceremony was usually held in Spring and Winter, in the first half of a month, and generally on the chia-days, the ting-days and the keng-days. Before granting the Royal Decree, the King would reside in a particular place such as Chou, Tsung-Chou, Fang or in a particular palace such as the K'ang Kung, the K'ang Mu Kung, the Chao Kung, etc. On the actual day of the ceremony, the King arrived generally at the Grand Hall of Audience at dawn, facing south. An assistant-on-the-right would then enter the Central Courtyard to supervise the whole course of the ceremony. The investee entered the Courtyard later, facing north to the King and waited for the granting of the decree. The King then passed the document of the decree onto a first historiographer, and called forth a second historiographer to read out the decree to the investee. The decree was usually accompanied by various awards. After this the investee bowed his head low, extolled the King's grace, and received the document containing the decree from the second historiographer, tied it to his girdle and retreated from the Central Courtyard. After a short period of time the investee returned to the Courtyard, and presented a chin-chang-sceptre to the King expressing respect and loyalty to him. The whole course of the Royal investiture ceremony was then complete. Earlier studies on [...]