It was the first dynasty in Chinese history, which not only inherited the early civilization created by the capitals of various states during the Longshan period, but also laid a good foundation for the continuous development of Chinese civilization as the beginning of the ancient Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties. However, it is also a legendary dynasty. Due to its long history and the lack of mature writing, even the most authoritative ancient documents about its history are recorded by later generations through oral transmission. Doubting the existence of the Xia Dynasty became inevitable and once troubled the historical community, until the results of archaeological work continued to emerge, and the true face of the Xia Dynasty’s Lushan Mountain became increasingly clear to the world.
Yuwang Temple, Yuzhou City, Henan Province
An ancient street located in the urban area of Yuzhou, Henan Province, has been dedicated to a great historical figure for thousands of years. Various legends about him have been passed down in the streets and alleys of Yuzhou, and his spirit has been passed down from generation to generation.
Former Director of the Cultural Bureau of Yuzhou City – Jiao Zhizhong: This building is a mythological and legendary relic passed down from Yuzhou City as an early capital city of the Xia Dynasty, involving the control of floods by the Great Yu.
In the local area of Yuzhou, there has always been a story that in ancient times, floods in the Yuzhou area were caused by a monster dragon in the water. The dragon stirred up winds and waves in the water, stirred up the water, broke through the embankments built by people, flooded the land and villages, and caused countless people’s homes to be destroyed, lost, and displaced. Later, with the help of the gods, the Great Yu subdued nine dragons one by one and imprisoned one of them in this octagonal well. From then on, people called this well the Yuwang Lock Jiaojing, and erected a temple on the well to express gratitude for the kindness of the Yuwang for generations.
Teaching loyalty: Although there are many mythological and legendary things about it, the great one is the heroic act of our Chinese nation to commemorate the flood control of the Great Yu. Therefore, it has evolved into such a mythological legend, which indicates that the lock dragon in this position is a symbol and symbol of the Great Yu’s previous command of flood control here.
That was an ancient era of rampant floods, where rivers flooded and waves surged, causing countless lives to suffer. Even with the collective efforts of all, floods continued to ravage for a long time, and water management became the most important thing, as it was related to the survival of humanity.
According to the Xia Benji in the Records of the Grand Historian, during the reign of Yao, the father of Dayu, Gun, was also a skilled flood control expert. Yao entrusted the task of managing floods to Gun, but unfortunately Gun was unable to complete his mission and was ultimately killed due to dereliction of duty. In the Shun era, the arduous task of managing floods shifted to Yu. Yu learned from his father’s failed experience and lessons, changed the method of flood control, and after more than a decade of difficult efforts, finally managed the floods. Even now, the story of Da Yu passing through his home three times without entering is still widely talked about. In the eyes of the world, Da Yu’s contributions are indispensable and have benefited the world for generations to come.
Professor Li Xueqin from the History Department of Tsinghua University: You can see that there are similar flood legends in many places around the world. However, the flood legends in China are different because our flood legends have two differences. This is because the general foreign saying, like in the Christian Bible, is that God created people, and when people do bad things, God is angry and drops floods to eliminate them. However, in China, this is not the case. Although it is a large-scale natural disaster, it relies on the subjective struggle of humans and the strength of this organization to overcome these disasters. With the control of floods by the Great Yu, will the Great Yu control floods? As a king, Da Yu led the masses and worked so hard for many years to achieve this effect.
Wenchuan County, Aba Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province
Located thousands of kilometers away from Yuzhou, Henan, in Wenchuan County, Sichuan Province, for thousands of years, the local Qiang people have regarded Da Yu as their ancestor.
The Bronze Statue of Dayu in Wenchuan County, Aba Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province
The bronze statue of Dayu standing on the bank of Minshan Mountain, with a hanging gallbladder and a square mouth, wearing a sloping crown on all sides, and a hairband faintly visible, still preserves various cultural customs related to Dayu in the lives of the Qiang people in Wenchuan today, and the spirit of Dayu has deeply integrated into their blood.
This special dance is called Yubu, which is an indispensable ritual in the Qiang ethnic tradition of weddings, funerals, and weddings. According to legend, Yubu evolved from the posture of Dayu’s walking. Legend has it that Dayu suffered from leg disease due to overwork during the process of water control, and was unable to walk like a normal person. In memory of this great ancestor, the Qiang people have evolved Dayu’s limp step into the current Yubu, inheriting the spirit of his ancestor Dayu’s water control for generations.
On the sixth day of the sixth lunar month every year, the Qiang people also hold grand sacrificial activities at the Great Yu Altar to commemorate the birthday of their ancestor, Great Yu. Legend has it that this day is the birthday of Great Yu. At that time, people will step in front of the statue of Great Yu with Yu steps, dance with Sharang, and pay tribute to the unparalleled merits of our ancestor, Great Yu, and worship him for generations. Today, there are still a large number of historical relics about the Great Yu preserved in Wenchuan. The hometown of the Great Yu, which combines cultural and natural landscapes, has become a holy land for Chinese descendants to visit and explore the ancient world.
Former Director of the Wenchuan County Cultural Museum – Wang Youlun: The spirit of the Great Yu, he used selflessness to unite the Chinese nation, and it was this selfless spirit that brought all ethnic groups together. As our ancestors, we should, and even more importantly, make a name for ourselves. Therefore, when we are going to worship him in this place on June 6th, we must not forget to promote the spirit of the Great Yu from generation to generation.
Da Yu Ling, Shaoxing City, Zhejiang Province
The success of water control greatly enhanced the prestige of Yu. He not only became the successor of Shun through the abdication system, but also united the originally scattered states and tribes to establish a state centered on the Xia Hou clan, making the Xia Dynasty the first era in Chinese history in which a king was the ruler of the world. Da Yu was the first emperor of the Xia Dynasty, and according to legend, he was buried on Kuaiji Mountain after his death. In the south of Shaoxing City, Zhejiang Province, today’s Kuaiji Mountain still houses historical relics related to him, such as the Yu Temple, Yu Mausoleum, and Yu Temple. Starting from Emperor Qin Shi Huang, many emperors personally visited him. Yu Ling worships the Great Yu. In the 5000 year long history of China, the culture of the Great Yu is undoubtedly a shining gem in the treasure trove of spiritual civilization of the Chinese nation. As one of the Five Emperors, the Great Yu has been revered by the Chinese people for thousands of years. The spirit of water control, which goes through every household but does not enter, is well-known to future generations. Although the story of the Great Yu’s water control took place in a distant legendary era, there are still many places on the land of China that are believed to be the footprints of the Great Yu, such as the Yu Palace, the Yu Temple, the Yu King Terrace, the Yu King Pavilion, and even the Yu King Cave. People from all over the country commemorate this great ancestor of the Chinese nation in different forms. Zu, every Chinese person is proud of having such an ancestor as Dayu, and the spirit of Dayu has long been deeply ingrained in the hearts of every generation of Chinese people.
Luoyang Museum, Luoyang City, Henan Province
Professor Li Xueqin from the History Department of Tsinghua University: The legend of the Great Yu’s flood control is a core component of Chinese culture, and there are traces of this legend in various ethnic groups in China. This highlights the spirit of the Great Yu, who was the leader of the masses at that time. His spirit is virtue. So, what exactly does this kind of virtue look like, what is the relationship between virtue and the people, and how people’s lives are combined with the virtues of the leaders? There are many opinions on this issue through this legend.
Although the story of the Great Yu’s flood control has been passed down from generation to generation and is well-known to women and children, these events occurred in an era without written texts. Some scholars suspect that they are just myths and legends, and such suspicions are not unfounded. The earliest and most authoritative literature records about the Great Yu and his flood control appear in the Book of Documents. The Book of Documents is the oldest compilation of historical documents in China that has been passed down to this day, and the content is written by historians of the Shang and Zhou dynasties. However, the Book of Documents has been lost multiple times, and once rediscovered, there is a dispute over its authenticity between ancient and modern times. The record of the Great Yu in the Xia Benji of the Records of the Grand Historian is quoted from the Book of Documents, which records the achievements of the Great Yu in delineating the Nine Provinces and managing mountains and rivers, thus raising questions. Whether the records of the Great Yu in the Records of the Grand Historian, Xia Benji, are reliable, whether the flood control by the Great Yu was true, whether the Great Yu really existed, and even people began to doubt whether the Xia Dynasty, which was rumored to have been founded by the Great Yu, truly existed.
Wang Wei, Director of the Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences: In the literature records, the earlier the book was written, the simpler the description of the Xia Dynasty. However, some documents that were written later actually recorded more comprehensively. Therefore, they propose that this kind of history is layered, which means they believe that in simple terms, this record is unreliable.
Erlitou Xiadu Site, Erlitou Village, Eryanshi City, Henan Province
Due to its ancient age and the inability to verify the authenticity of literature records, archaeological discoveries have become an effective way to uncover the mystery of the Xia Dynasty. However, over nearly four thousand years, with the erosion of wind and rain and frequent dynastic changes, the ruins of the Xia Dynasty have long collapsed, making it the most difficult historical puzzle for archaeological research to find.
Zhao Haitao is currently the leader of the Erlitou Archaeological Workstation. He has been working here for nearly ten years since 2006. Erlitou, located in the suburbs of Yanshi City, Henan Province, has attracted the attention of a large number of archaeologists since the 1950s. Archaeologist Xu Xusheng, after on-site investigation, asserted that the site in front of him was indeed a metropolis at that time, thus opening the prelude to exploring Xia Dynasty culture from an archaeological perspective. After generations of archaeologists’ continuous efforts, a mystery of the Xia Dynasty that had been dormant for thousands of years began to slowly emerge before the eyes of the world.
The Wangwei Erlitou Site has a relatively large scale. Since its discovery in 1959, our research institute has immediately formed a team to begin excavation. It should be the 55th anniversary in 2014. Most importantly, it coincides with the central area of Xia ethnic activity recorded in literature, located in the basin of Luoyang. Therefore, our archaeological community basically believes that it should be the capital of the late Xia Dynasty.
Erlitou Xiadu Site, Erlitou Village, Yanshi City, Henan Province
The total area of the Erlitou Site is nearly nine square kilometers. Since the 1990s, the excavation area of the Erlitou Site has further expanded, and achievements have emerged one after another. In 2004, archaeologists excavated an older, larger, and more complex large-scale building foundation under the original No. 2 Palace Site. This also advanced the earliest era of Chinese palace cities by more than a hundred years. The palace base discovered at the Erlitou Site is currently the earliest confirmed palace city building in China. According to measurements, the rammed earth matrix is about 20000 cubic meters of soil, and a total of excavation, transportation, and compaction processes were carried out. Based on the wooden and stone tools used at the time, the total labor required was to construct the site. No less than 80000 yuan, the main construction of the entire palace will take at least three to four years to complete. Who could have built such a grand palace without an emperor, Archaeologists have determined based on the characteristics of the cultural relics unearthed from the site that it should be a capital site of the Xia Dynasty. The square and orderly palace city, as well as the complex of architectural foundations with central axis planning, opened the way for the planning system of ancient Chinese capital cities. Whether it is in the Han and Tang capital palace ruins in Xi’an, or the most well preserved Beijing Forbidden City to date, we can find their palace building mechanisms similar to those in Erlitou. Erlitou Palace is undoubtedly their ancestor, and their genes are inherited in the same lineage, which influences the aesthetic and requirements of every generation of Chinese people for architecture.
Zhao Chunqing, a researcher at the Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences: Why is it said to be a capital city of the Xia Dynasty? It depends on the scale of the site itself, such as its size of four square kilometers, which is very large. Secondly, some important cultural relics have been discovered, such as palace cities and palaces. These important discoveries all indicate that it is definitely not an ordinary site, but a city like site.
Erlitou Xiadu Site, Erlitou Village, Yanshi City, Henan Province
Entering winter, archaeologists in Erlitou are sorting out and filing the cultural relics excavated this year. For archaeologists, each cultural relic here carries the genes and codes of the life and culture of the Xia Dynasty ancestors.
Erlitou Archaeological Workstation, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Erlitou Village, Yanshi City, Henan Province
Zhao Haitao: Here are some pottery net pendants, including oval shaped ones with holes in the middle and rectangular ones. This net pendant has been found quite frequently, and at that time, fishing and hunting accounted for a large proportion. There may also be a pottery knife, a pottery sickle, or something like a pottery sickle.
Wang Wei: We can see that during the period of Erlitou, in the late Xia Dynasty, agriculture had significant development. The types of crops included not only millet and millet, but also rice, and there were relatively small quantities of wheat and even soybeans. Therefore, the five grains had already formed in the Xia Dynasty, and its agriculture had already developed to a certain extent. Some people could leave agriculture to engage in handicraft production and then engage in management.
The thousands of Xia Dynasty handicrafts stored in the Erlitou archaeological workstation are important evidence for unraveling the division of labor in Xia Dynasty society. In the eyes of archaeologists, these ancient artifacts seem to be able to tell the life and production situation of the Xia Dynasty. With the emergence of the Xia state mechanism and the establishment of central and local governments, compared with the previous periods of Yao, Shun, and Yu, the social resources and labor force of the Xia Dynasty were more concentrated. With the development of agriculture and the emergence of metal smelting technology, the handicraft industry specialized in tool manufacturing gradually separated from agriculture. Female and male craftsmen with skills, whether in textiles or pottery and metallurgy, these unearthed handicraft products were exquisitely crafted and shaped, which amazed future generations. Under the sunset, Erlitou has a long history. Far and heavy, fully reflected in this unremarkable land, although it has gone through thousands of years of ups and downs, Today we can still feel the scene of skilled craftsmen from all walks of life sweating profusely here.
Among the numerous cultural relics unearthed in Erlitou, the quantity of pottery is the largest, and what surprised archaeologists even more was the discovery of inscriptions on some pottery. They have different forms and frequently appear on various types of pottery, which has led archaeologists to explore new paths in Chinese ancient script. The significance of script to humanity is extraordinary. It is one of the greatest inventions of humanity and a watershed from ignorance to civilization. Whether it is archaeologists, experts in ancient script, or historians, people’s exploration of the origin of script has never stopped. For many years, people have believed that the earliest script in China was oracle bone script from the Shang Dynasty. However, on these pottery vessels, people have never stopped exploring the origin of script. The inscriptions on oracle bones are obviously older than those on oracle bones. Many scholars believe that these inscriptions unearthed from the Erlitou site are, It is very likely that it is an earlier Chinese script than oracle bone script, and has a great connection with the later Shang Dynasty oracle bone script. Due to the fact that pottery script only appears in a single form on Xia pottery, people cannot clearly understand its meaning. Experts only have their own opinions on whether early Chinese script has appeared in the Xia Dynasty and cannot provide a definite answer.
Shuishu Archives Libo County, Qiannan Buyi Autonomous Prefecture, Guizhou Province
There is still a huge controversy about whether the Xia Dynasty script appeared to this day. However, surprisingly, in Libo County, Guizhou Province, thousands of kilometers away from the Erlitou site, a mysterious ethnic minority has been inheriting scripts that are extremely similar to the Xia Dynasty pottery patterns. The Shui ethnic group is one of the oldest ethnic groups in Chinese history and also one of the few ethnic groups with their own scripts. Among the more than 2500 single characters of the Shui ethnic group, most of them are variant characters, passed down from generation to generation by Mr. Shui Shu, and have continued to this day. The Shui script is known as Shui Shu, which has been used to record the astronomy, geography, history, religion, folk customs, and other aspects of the Shui ethnic group. The Shui people also consider Shui Shu as their own script. Advice and blessings are used in daily life, embroidered in various ornaments and costumes of the Shui ethnic group, and in existing Shui Shu texts, Mr. Shuishu has discovered multiple characters that are identical to the symbols of Xia pottery, and they can even roughly interpret the meaning of Erlitou pottery, which also provides another possibility for searching for Xia dynasty characters.
Meng Xilin, President of the Water Family Association in Libo County: Like this, the meaning of “prosperity and development” is translated from our water language into Chinese. It’s like writing a word for “fu” on this gate, “what kind of luck will come?” Good luck and good luck “. I estimate that when I analyze this symbol, it all means this.
These textual symbols did not appear in ritual vessels like oracle bone inscriptions, but rather came from pottery used for daily life. However, the pottery unearthed in Erlitou mainly comes from tombs. Does this imply that these symbols are related to the ritual system of the Xia Dynasty?
Zhao Haitao, Deputy Leader of the Erlitou Work Team at the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences: Most of the exquisitely crafted tombs have been unearthed more frequently, and this may also be due to the fact that these tombs have a certain level of social status. This means that a set of ritual systems may have already emerged at that time, but compared to later generations, the concept of ritual systems is not so strict because ritual systems are a gradual process of formation.
Since the discovery of the Erlitou cultural relics, archaeologists have discovered more than 500 tombs. In these tombs, not only have a large number of pottery been unearthed, but through the comparison of tomb size, scale, and differences in burial objects, these tombs have become important clues to unravel the social structure and ritual system of the Xia Dynasty.
Wang Wei: Because tombs are an important indicator for us to judge social differentiation, we can see his burial. For example, there are normal burials, such as this small tomb, as well as abnormal burials. For example, laying a foundation is the foundation in architecture, which means that identity should be equivalent to that of a slave. This can be compared to a society formed at that time, where social differentiation is very obvious.
The different specifications of tombs present the differentiation of the Xia Dynasty’s hierarchy. The Erlitou culture tombs have already formed the use of ritual vessels in an orderly manner according to the level of hierarchy. Ritual vessels are only found in tombs above a certain level, and their orderly rules are an important manifestation of the formation of ritual systems. They are also an important symbol of class differentiation in the Xia Dynasty. The discovery of Erlitou tombs has not only attracted the attention of a large number of archaeologists, but some folk experts have also conducted research on them. In the spring of 2002, a uniquely shaped animal biomimetic ornament in the Erlitou tomb caught the attention of many experts both domestically and internationally. This turquoise ornament, composed of more than 2000 pieces of turquoise, is a rare artifact among animal biomimetic ornaments of the same era. It may contain even greater secrets, and since its excavation, its shape has been recognized by most experts as the image of a dragon. Chinese culture has always been closely related to the dragon, which is a symbol of Chinese power and gods. As a result, the identity of the tomb owner has become even more mysterious.
Professor Ye Shuxian from the Institute of Literature of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences: From ancient books such as the “Classic of Mountains and Seas”, it can be seen that gods or supernatural figures, religious leaders, are often related to snakes. Therefore, the symbolic significance of this snake is mainly to represent the supernatural ability of dragons and snakes to cross the three realms of sea, land, and air. Therefore, its wearer and owner should be the national level great mage and wizard of the Erlitou period.
Another archaeological discovery from Erlitou confirms the existence of the Xia Dynasty mage. Around the palace in Erlitou, these animal bones covered in obvious burn marks are the main divination tools used by the mage. The ancient ancestors lacked sufficient understanding of the development of things, so they used natural signs to indicate actions. However, natural signs were not common, and divination methods emerged accordingly. Mages inferred future good or bad fortune by burning marks on bone tools, providing guidance for counselors to analyze problems. Although these dense burn marks cannot determine the auspiciousness or inauspiciousness they foreshadowed, we can see their ancestors’ understanding of life and gods. The last divination of the Xia Dynasty clearly foreshadowed the impending disaster.
According to literature records, after the middle period of the Xia Dynasty, the rulers of the Xia Dynasty gradually lost their hearts. When Xia Jie was in power, the Xia Dynasty was plagued by internal and external troubles, and the people’s hearts were in turmoil. The tribal states under his rule were scattered one after another. Xia Jie was one of the most famous tyrants in history. When he completely lost his heart, Shang Tang took the opportunity to launch an attack, and Xia Jie was exiled to Nanchao and died, leading to the downfall of the Xia Dynasty.
According to the Xia, Shang, and Zhou Dynasty Chronology Project, it is inferred that the rule of the Xia Dynasty lasted from 2070 BC to 1600 BC, with a history of 470 years. According to the Records of the Grand Historian, the first king of the Xia Dynasty was Dayu. From Dayu to the downfall of Jie, there were a total of 17 kings in the Xia Dynasty. However, no direct evidence related to kings has been found at the Erlitou Xia Capital Site, and archaeological excavations at the Erlitou Site have not stopped. Many people believe that the traces of Xia kings such as Xia Jie may have been discovered over time. However, based on the absolute dating of the Erlitou soil layer, the early history of the Xia Dynasty in Erlitou is clearly evident. Unable to provide an answer.
Zhao Chunqing, a researcher at the Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences: Because its age may be 1750 BC, the age determined by carbon-14 is still a certain distance from the earliest stage of the Xia Dynasty recorded in historical documents, more than a hundred years away. Therefore, it is said to be the capital of a Xia Dynasty in the middle and late periods.
Wansuifeng, Dengfeng City, Henan Province
This is Wansui Peak located at the southern foot of Songshan Mountain in Henan Province. The giant stone on this mountain is called Qimu Stone by the local people. It is said that Xia Qizheng, the son of Dayu and the Tushan family, was born here.
Qimu Stone Wansuifeng, Dengfeng City, Henan Province
There are various opinions about the origin of the Qimu Stone. Legend has it that during the reign of Emperor Yu, the Tu Shan family became pregnant with Yu’s son. However, when they arrived at the foot of Mount Song, Emperor Yu used the divine power of heaven to transform themselves into a black bear. As a result, the Tu Shan family was frightened and turned into a giant stone. When Emperor Yu arrived, he shouted, “My Son!” At this time, heaven and earth sensed, and the stone broke through the east and rose to life. Obviously, such early myths were unbelievable, but there are often hidden historical facts in myths.
Qimu Que in the Han Dynasty, Dengfeng City, Henan Province
In the second year of the Yanguang reign of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Zhu Chong, the prefect of Yingchuan, built the Shinto Pagoda in front of the Qimu Stone, which recorded a period of history. Before his death, Yu followed the traditional abdication system of the Yao, Shun, and Yu dynasties and did not pass on the position of leader to his son Qi. Instead, he chose the leader of the Dongyi people – Yi. However, Yi’s prestige and strength were far inferior to Qi. Qi and the Xia Hou clans were not willing to transfer their power. After a fierce game, Qi eventually replaced Yi and replaced the abdication system with a hereditary one. The tradition of family and world began to be established, marking the establishment of the central plains state centered on the Xia Hou clan. The alliance has officially transformed into a true country.
Xinzhai Site, Xinmi City, Henan Province
If we follow this statement, the early ruins of the Xia Dynasty may have been located in the Songshan area where the Qimu Stone is located. In 1979, archaeologists attempted to excavate the Xinmi area of Henan not far from the Qimu Stone and discovered a relic earlier than the Erlitou culture. According to soil layer identification, it was ultimately determined that this place should be from the Xia Dynasty period, where Xia Qi and Shaokang lived.
Wei Jiyin, Director of the Department of Archaeology, Literature and Museum at Henan University: The main relics discovered at the Xinzhai Site have three periods, equivalent to the late Longshan Culture at the bottom. The middle layer is the vast majority of the relics, which belong to the Xinzhai Period. Located on the top layer, it is equivalent to the Erlitou Culture. The first period of the Erlitou Site has a clear chronostratigraphic relationship, so the Xinzhai Period culture may be the predecessor of the Erlitou Culture.
According to literature records and absolute age comparison of the site, an important historical event is highly likely to have occurred at the Xinzhai site. After the Qi dynasty, the Xia dynasty experienced an extremely turbulent era. A mysterious tribe from the East, Dongyi, took control of the Xia dynasty from the hands of Taikang. This was the famous historical event of “Taikang losing his country”. There are few records in historical literature about the leader of this Dongyi tribe, but in mythological legends, he occupies an extremely important position. He is the sun shooting hero – Hou Yi.
In historical legends, there were ten suns in the sky in ancient times, causing rivers, seas, and lakes to dry up, crops to wither, and people to struggle in the scorching sun like fire. At this time, the brave Hou Yi stepped forward and engaged in a deadly battle against the ten suns. He ran among the mountains and chased the sun, and shot down nine suns in the sky one by one with a bow and arrow. In the end, Hou Yi saved the people, and the earth regained its vitality.
Changjing Village, Wuyuan County, Shangrao City, Jiangxi Province
The legend of Hou Yi shooting the sun is well-known in China. In ancient China, where agriculture was the main focus, Hou Yi became the protector of crops in many areas. This is a village located in the suburbs of Wuyuan City, Jiangxi Province. During the spring plowing season, such a Nuo dance performance is performed, which has been passed down for a long time from day to night. The Nuo dance portrays Hou Yi shooting the sun, and people pray that Hou Yi can help them drive away the scorching sun and usher in a good season of good weather.
In Sima Qian’s “Records of the Grand Historian – Xia Benji”, it is not the sun that Hou Yi shot down, but Taikang. Hou Yi was the leader of the poor clan of the Dongyi tribe in the Xia Dynasty. Due to the fact that the summer son Taikang was not lenient in civil affairs, Hou Yi led his troops to seize the Xia Dynasty from Taikang’s hands. This is a famous event in history. “Taikang lost his country” and “Hou Yi replaced Xia”. Hou Yi’s shooting of the sun is undoubtedly a mythological legend. So, did the tribe from Dongyi really gain the ruling position of the Xia Dynasty?
Zhengzhou Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, Zhengzhou City, Henan Province
Archaeologists have been searching for the traces of Hou Yi and the mysterious Dongyi tribe in the site selection of Xinzhai.
In 1999, a fragment of a pottery cover with a unique pattern caught the attention of archaeologists. On this Taotie patterned pottery cover with strong Dongyi cultural characteristics, the theme culture of the animal face pattern came from the late Longshan Culture in Shandong, which was a symbol of the highest level of power of the Dongyi people. The discovery of this totem at the Xinzhai site further proved the strong Dongyi cultural characteristics of the Xinzhai site.
Director of Zhengzhou Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology – Gu Wanfa: So, what about this small vessel cover? If we look at its historical background, there may still be many things worth our attention, because the pattern on this vessel cover belongs to the late stage of Xinzhai Site Phase II, which is what we traditionally refer to as the transition from Longshan Culture to Erlitou Culture. During this stage, there have been important historical events, such as the loss of the country in Taikang and the Han Zhuo period in Houyi, which was the summer. Therefore, this vessel cover is likely to be a barbarian at that time, bringing their faith to the Central Plains and Zhengzhou.
From this perspective, it is highly likely that the real Houyi led his Dongyi tribe to rule the Xia Dynasty. However, according to literature records, after becoming king, Houyi was as desolate as Taikang in national politics. As a result, a bloody incident occurred again, and Houyi was killed by his minister Han Zhuo. When Han Zhuo seized the throne, the power of another person became stronger, and this person was Shaokang.
Luoyang Museum, Luoyang City, Henan Province
Shaokang was the grandson of Zhongkang, the younger brother of Taikang. He grew up in turmoil. As Shaokang grew older, he defected to the powerful Yu tribe and gained trust. With a strong grip on power, Shaokang gathered the remaining members of the Xia tribe when Han Zhuo gradually lost popularity. He rose up and attacked Han Zhuo, recapturing the capital of the Xia dynasty. From “Hou Yi Dai Xia” to “Shaokang Zhongxing”, they all occurred on this land that archaeologists are still exploring.
Zhao Chunqing, a researcher at the Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences: The significance of the Xinzhai Site itself lies in the discovery of relics and artifacts from over a hundred years ago, from 1750 BC to 1850 BC, which was earlier than Erlitou.
Henan Museum, Zhengzhou City, Henan Province
Since the first discovery of the Xia Dynasty site in 1959, after several generations of exploration and excavation, archaeologists have achieved tremendous research results in the history of the Xia Dynasty. However, even so, whether it is the Erlitou site or the Xinzhai site, there is no physical evidence to prove the original origin of the Xia Dynasty, let alone any physical evidence of the founding of the capital by the Great Yu. So, where is the capital of Yu and Yu recorded in the literature? Since 1977, archaeologist Fang Yanming has been conducting archaeological research here in Wangchenggang, Gaocheng Town, Dengfeng, Henan, which is closer to Qimu Stone.
Wangchenggang Site, Gaocheng Town, Dengfeng City, Henan Province
The Wangchenggang Site is an ancient city site slightly earlier than the Xinzhai Culture. Based on the era of the site, it is speculated that it may be related to the original birthplace of the Xia Dynasty, which excited the excavators. However, the excavated castle area was only over 10000 square meters, not as large as the No. 1 Palace in Erlitou. A city was not as big as a palace, so how could it be the capital of the Xia Dynasty? Moreover, the city was later destroyed, leaving only some foundation pits and no palace buildings or other relics, which made the Wangchenggang Site less attention. It was not until 2002, when the Chinese civilization exploration project was launched, that the Wangchenggang Site was excavated again. In the northwest of the original small town, archaeologists were pleasantly surprised to discover a large city with an area of over 300000 square meters. From a chronological perspective, the age of the big city is later than that of the small city. According to carbon-14 dating, the age of the big city coincides with the beginning of the Xia Dynasty. Therefore, archaeologists suggest that this big city should be the location of the capital city of Yu, Yangcheng, and the previously overlooked small city should be the site built by the father of Xia Yu, Gun. The distant Xia Dynasty is slowly unveiling its historical veil to the world, and the river of history is still flowing, ultimately merging into the vast ocean of the future.
Zhao Chunqing, a researcher at the Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences: We are not saying that it is not yet time to fully understand the history of the Xia Dynasty. Therefore, the restoration and revelation of the culture of the Xia Dynasty will be a matter of several generations, more than ten generations, or even dozens of generations. Currently, some work has been carried out, at most in the restoration of the history of the Xia Dynasty, it can only be a beginning, not its end.
The discovery of archaeology gradually brings distant history closer to us, and our journey to find roots will not stop, because in those distant ancient times, there are the most primitive genes of our modern civilization. The Xia Dynasty, which has been shrouded in dust for thousands of years, is no longer considered a hazy legend, but presented to the world in increasingly clear images. When we look back at this period of history, we will find that many origins of Chinese culture can be traced back to the Xia Dynasty. Although we have not found any relics directly related to the Great Yu, whether it is Erlitou, Xinzhai Site, or Wangchenggang Site, he has never disappeared for thousands of years. His achievements and spirit have always been respected by the Chinese people. On a land of 9.6 million square kilometers and over the course of more than 5000 years of history, as a great figure and historical event of the Chinese nation, the Great Yu and his water management are a treasure trove of traditional Chinese culture. Whether it is the methods of guiding the Great Yu’s water management, or the great Yu’s water management, it is a treasure trove of traditional Chinese culture. The personality charm, cultural value, and moral spirit reflected in water have become important components of the excellent traditional concepts of our Chinese nation, Deepen into the spiritual world of Chinese people. As time passes and the stars change, the spirit of the Great Yu will never disappear, and the spiritual source contained in ancient dynasties will never be exhausted.
90 Seconds of History: Pan Geng’s Migration to Yin
The throne of the Shang king was passed down all the way, and the baton of royal power passed to an important figure – Pan Geng. The Shang dynasty that Pan Geng took over was plagued by internal and external troubles, crises, and declining national power, which forced Pan Geng to consider ways to save it. Therefore, he decided to follow the example of the previous king and carry out the sixth capital relocation since the Tang dynasty. After careful examination and careful selection, Pan Geng decided to relocate to Yin, north of the Yellow River and on the banks of the Huan River, but faced opposition from many members of the royal family. After repeated coaxing and intimidation, the nobles dared not object anymore, and the members of the clan could only obey. This was roughly in the Gongyuan period. Between 1320 BC and 1300 BC, Pan Geng led the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty, as well as the people of Yandu, to drive ox carts and herds of sheep, crossing the surging Yellow River and arriving at the Yin region in Anyang, Henan Province. He set up camp and started a new life, This is the last capital relocation of the Shang Dynasty for over 500 years. From the relocation of the capital from Pangeng to the downfall of Emperor Xin, a total of eight generations and twelve kings were passed down, lasting for 273 years.