The Eastern Zhou is a period in Chinese history comprising the latter half of the Zhou dynasty, following the Western Zhou era and the royal court's relocation eastward from Fenghao to Chengzhou. The Eastern Zhou was characterised by the weakened authority of the Ji family, the Zhou royal house. It is subdivided into two parts: the Spring and Autumn period, during which the ancient aristocracy still held power in a large number of separate polities, and the Warring States period, which saw the consolidation of territory and escalation of interstate warfare and administrative sophistication.