| Based on systematic analysis of archaeological relic of Nanyi aborigines and Han immigrants along with the documents, this article shows us a more in-depth exposition of cultural connotations, changes and civilizing process of Nanyi society.1. The aboriginal society and culture of every region in Nanyi had formed their own diversity and independence in the basis of specific commonality.All tombs were shaft pit-type, which relatively concentrated in small areas. The tombs were in small scale and always with poor funerary objects. The basic economic life was "ploughing, living together in cities". The technology systems of bronze smelting and production were same. The types of bronzes were convergence, such as taking dagger-axes, swords, knives, xiaos and spears as the major weapons in survive self-defense; appreciating the buckle ornaments, bracelets, ring, hairpin, bell and other decorations; using copper kettle as the cooking device. These artifacts developed into quite consistent styles. Nanyi society already had many "small states" and some new "big states", but there were no mandatory political hierarchy relation or stable social management system between them. All members of the society did not have obvious differentiation, they were equal. Blood tie was still close. This kind of cultural tradition was essentially a kind of cultural pattern, namely, the production and life styles, ways of thinking, psychological traits and social organizational structure were built on the basis of similar geographical environment. All of the above made the aboriginal communities be roughly in the same level of development. They experienced similar stages of evolution, that was, four consecutive stages of development~the middle and late Warring States period, the early Western Han Dynasty, the middle and late Western Han Dynasty and the period from the late Western Han Dynasty to the early Eastern Han Dynasty. But more importantly, in each small region, the aboriginal cultures had their own diversity and independence in the process of development. Water type, cola type, eight-tower cultural type, Tonggu mountain type were some of the more important and independent regional cultures thereinto. These cultural types had their own evolutions and features on the structures of tombs, funeral-types and funerary objects, no universal consistency was formed. The regional cultural diversity was caused by the diversity of geographical segments as well as the slow development status of culture in shallow level. It was unable and unnecessary to overcome the limitation of physical geography. Therefore, the cultural links between those regions were very weak and the communication and information spreading were very scarce and slow. Since the surrounding Shizhaishan culture and Bashu culture were comparatively advanced and powerful, their cultural factors were existed in various cultural types of Nanyi more or less. The essence of this cultural relation was long-term equal contact fusion-style development between homogeneous cultures under similar background.2. The aboriginal society formed specific mode of civilizing process through its own slow development, which was, opening for survival—the integration mode.The refinement of Bronze technology was for the sake of improving survival mode rather than developing the weapons or the ritual vessels. The hardship of civilian's life and the poor material wealth forced people to improve the technology to meet the basic survival requirement. The unity and diversity represented in economy and technology, the constantly absorption from Bashu culture and Shizhaishan culture in swords, dagger-axes and hoes as well as the lacquerware and ironware of Han culture, the improvement of the shape and decoration style of all kinds of appliances, the adoption of co-production technology of copper and iron and so on, were efforts made by the civil society consciously to improve their living conditions. In the aspects of social structure and customs and beliefs, there was no coercive power in civil society. The customs of "worshiping the wizards and having many taboos", the characters of "less valiancy and more cowardice", the blood ties of "birth and death tightly interdependent", "hair were worn in a bun", in fond of wear (such as hairpins, bracelets, decorative buckles, earrings), none of which was leading by power, system or the upper culture, were resulted by civilian's own communication and agreement. The upper class met the approbation of civil society mainly by means of showing their individual talents and abilities, fabricating gods ("worshipping Zhuwang" or worshipping wizards and ghosts) and obtaining peculiar things from alien culture (such as oversize belt hooks, silk fabrics, timbals, seals of Han, etc.). Under this background, every small region of the aboriginal society communicated and integrated with each other in a shallow level constantly. All regions developed jointly, accompanied with the driving of the strong cultures surrounded. This was the opening for survival of Nanyi civil society—the integration mode. However, neither the route pursued by the civilian or that did by the upper class of Nanyi society achieved remarkable effects. Civil society did not find a suitable survival mode. Poverty, hardship and powerlessness were in anytime and in anywhere. Living space was cramped and life was monotonous. The environment was atrocious. The power of innovation was weak and the production technology maintained in a very low level. Though the route pursued by the upper class had made some progress, it was suppressed because the upper class did not lead civilian to break through the existing lifestyle, the foundation of economy was weak, and the wealth was deficient. Such a regional development trend affected the local historical process in many aspects.3. Han immigrants and Han culture played a leading role in promoting the cultural changes and civilizing process of Nanyi society.In the period from Emperor Han Wu explored Xinanyi until the late Eastern Han Dynasty, the Han immigrants generally migrated from Sichuan Basin to the south along with Hengjiang River in the west and Chishui River in the east. So the tombs had a vertically north-south line distribution along with the rivers and the tributaries on both sides of the east and west, but they concentrated in several relatively independent regions. The political settings of the Han Dynasty, in a certain extent, changed the situation that the original aboriginal politics and culture could hardly overcome the environment, and strengthened the bond of different regions and different communities, and promoted the change of Nanyi social pattern. It could be reflected by the high degree of uniformity of cultural features and connotation and the synchronization of changes of the Han immigrant culture. Besides maintaining the unity with the Han culture, the Han immigrants formed new local traditions, such as the way of offering animals as sacrifices in memorial ceremonies, the very complex ways of burying the dead together, the way of using words and ways of living impacted by the aborigines which were wide spreading in the Eastern Han Dynasty.Because of the openness and backwardness of aboriginal society, the Han culture played a leading role in promoting the social development of Nanyi society. After the immigration of Han people, by accommodating with each other, a fusion-style mode of trinity development of politics, culture and ethnic group based on Han immigrant culture was formed between Yi and Han. Han people moved into Nanyi and inputted the Han-style economy, politics and culture directly. The aborigines, with their open minds, absorbed the alien culture and adopted the aliens to live permanently. At the same time, the Han people absorbed the aboriginal culture in a certain extent. The alien culture stimulated, nourished and promoted the aboriginal culture while integrated social structure and behavior patterns. The Han immigrants and aborigines, by complementary integration, found a mechanism to adapt the environment and the original social traditions. In the aboriginal social and cultural basis, Han people, depending on the aborigines, re-built a broader range of social, political, military activity space and complex social structure which was needed by Han Dynasty. Han people were successful in the reconstruction of the upper class of the aborigines by the county system and established a long-term effectual mechanism in dealing with political and ethnic relations, but they did not find a truly effective means to stride over the economic technology of Nanyi society. Largely, they relied on the cultural input from Sichuan Basin, so, in this period, Nanyi society was a society in abnormal development.4. The development in the two stages of Nanyi society had their own features and commonality.The first stage was a stage when openness was based on survival leading by the aborigines-a fusion-style development stage. The basic feature of this stage could be summarized as multi-cultural coexistence and interaction, which was reflected in the shallow level contact fusion-style development and the coordinate development among small regions of aboriginal society, and the development drove by the stronger culture surrounded. The second stage was a stage when the development was leading by Han immigrants and participating by aborigines in the basis of Han immigrant culture. This stage could be concluded as "immigration" and "absorption" fusion-style social and cultural change and trinity development of politics, culture,and ethnic group. It was reflected in the political, cultural and ethnic interaction and complement between the upper class of aborigines and the Han dynasty and between the aborigines and Han immigrants. The social order of Nanyi, which was led by Han people (officials, the common surname and immigrants) and participated by aborigines, was perfected constantly. The upper class of Yi and Han (officials and the common surname of counties) cooperated. The political centrifugal force was strengthened. They maintained a semi-independent status with the central government. Different social members or groups, under the guidance of common Han-style cultural psychology, values and interests, cohered into a new close community.Overall, however, Nanyi society was always dependent and parasitical. In its early stage, the aborigines relied on the bronze technology and artifacts of the surrounding Dianchi region and Sichuan Basin. In its late period, they largely relied on the Han immigrants and Han culture in Sichuan Basin. It could be supposed that Nanyi society could hardly self-sustain, and it could not truly developed without the participation and stimulation of alien culture and immigrants. In conclusion, Nanyi civilization was dependent and parasitical.
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