On Regional Environment And Culture Of Ancient Sichuan

The thesis focuses on the relationship between regional environment and culturein ancient Sichuan. A variety of modern technologies have been applied to tentativelyrebuild the environmental elements of ancient Sichuan region(sedimentaryenvironment, climatic environment, bioenvironment, environment of mineralresources). Integrating the pre-historical culture into it (including social organization,tools, techniques), it makes systematical comparison and analysis between the seriesof cultural events and environmental events to elaborate on the relationship betweenthe environment evolution and culture changes. Based on the action principle ofancient culture changes from the environment evolution, it intends to push forwardthe research on the relation between human being and region in ancient Sichuan. Inaddition, it is supposed to offer the support to the archaeological research on theregional environment in ancient Sichuan.Main tasks(A). Collecting and sorting out the researching materials from yingpanshan,Baodun ancient city, Sanxingdui historical site, jingsha heritage site representingancient culture of Sichuan, based on this, giving a new vision to the ancientcivilizations and evolutionary characteristics in Sichuan.(B). Collecting, analyzing and tentatively restoring upper reaches(Yingpanshanof Mao county) and Chengdu Plain(Baodun Ancient City, Sanxingdui Heritage Siteand Jingsha Heritage Site) involving sedimentary environment, climatic environment,bioenvironment and environment of mineral resources as well as summing up thecharacteristics.(C). Sorting out a series of ancient culture events in Sichuan and thecharacteristics of the.(D) Multi-disciplinary approaches have been implemented to map out a series ofancient culture events and analyze their characteristics and evolution at differentstages.(E). Systematically explaining the action principle of various environmentelements and evolution on culture changes in ancient Sichuan as well as analyzingtheir relationship. Initial achievement(A). New tectogenesis controls the natural geology, morphological texture andstratigraphic sediment, which are the in-depth factors on changing culture andpeople's activity space of ancient Sichuan, meanwhile, it affects the morphologicalproperty and drainage. The sedimentary setting of Pleistocene and Holocene inChengdu Plain directly restricts the option of living space and brings about thedevelopment of ancient culture in Sichuan. It is characterizes by the slight elevationand subsidence and river diversion.(B). The ancient cukure development in Sichuan is closely related to the climaticchanges, which displays in ancient culture of Yingpanshan, Baodun, SanxingduiHeritage Site and Shi'er qiao. The period of mild climate is just the period of rapiddevelopment or prosperity of the culture mentioned above. The interruption of thecultural development, however, appears in the cold and dry climate. It sees the closerelation between evolution of climate and culture changes in ancient Sichuan. At thesame time, the climate changes of Holocene at 6000aB.P. is the reflection of theglobal climatic changes. Four climate periods of wave cycle(cool & dry period, warm& damp period, cold & dry period) alternatively change, which show the events oflowering temperature about 5000aB.P.,4000aB.P.,3000aB.P,2400aB.P..(C). The response of environmental variation to the ancient culture: the wave ofliving place and resource drive the ancient culture; namely, the choice on living placein different regions mirrors the variation of environment and resource. The alternatechange of living place means it can't adapt to the best living surroundings. Theancient living surroundings is neither stable nor waving only several times, the waveof environment is not the unique event of clod and dry climate but the sequence ofrepetition including cold and dry climate, warmer and damp climate.(D). The interruption of cultural development in Baodun ancient city, Sanxingduiand Shi'erqiao has been caused by the flood events, frequent fiver diversions, theIitt of New tectogenesis and so on. The original picture of ancient Sichuan can not beshowed by only one or several factors.(E). From Neolithic age to Bronze age, the space division of culture in prehistoricarcheology has good bearing on the natural resource, especially the biodiversity. Theprehistoric economic mode is closely related to the local climate and distribution ofnatural resources at that time. The choice and utilization of artifact has an effect onthe usefulness of artifact tools, then on the adaptation to the environmental deterioration. The right pressure of environment gives rise to the prompt developmentof culture.(F). The integration of culticulture of ancient Sichuan is closely related tothe unique natural environment. The migration of ancient people from themountainous area to the center of plain is due to the relationship between them. About7.0-5.5kaB.E, the plain is located at the center of the basin, covered by marshes ,which is not suitable for living or limited. They have no choice but live in the moredrier place. At that time, they take the highland as their living area. Due to the weakproduction of agriculture, the increasing population is easy to arrive at high level.Although highland can support them, it is difficult to form the civilization in a largescale. About 5.5-5.0kaB.E, the big change on climate takes place, which shows theclimatic zone moves south. It affects the agriculture at the upper reaches of Mingjiangriver and the power of agriculture degraded. On the contrary, the chengdu plain,covered by the marshes in the past, now becomes the place where there is abundantresources and species. Meanwhile, it gets to be their desiring living place.(G). The features of cultural evolution from Neolithic age to Bronze age: themode "flow displacement interrupted evolution" shows the chain developmentbetween the time constancy and space interruption, which is different from theconsistent development mode of Chinese culture proposed by Mr.Zhangguangzhi.Virtually, it is just the blueprint of China's central region and can't cover the wholeChina. That is to say, like the structure of the integration of diversified cultures, themode of interrupted evolution is the basic one of Chinese civilizations. PhD. GAOmenghe believed that the rift evolution plays dominant role on the settlementevolution in the lower reaches of Yangtze river, leap variation mode is auxiliary andcontinuous evolution mode hardly happens, which shows the interrupted evolution ofculture of lower reaches in special environment. However, the flow displacementinterrupted evolution is closely related to the geography of the heritage sites.