The Origins Of Chinese Civilization And The Generation Of "Zhu Xia" Identity

The origins of Chinese Civilization is one of the ultimate thesis in Chinese archeology and even in the world, which is also the motive power of the birth of modern Chinese Archeology. The agent in civilization is nation and the sign of the beginning of the nation is national identity which should transcend the ethnic identity, emerging culture identity and institution identity. Then, exploring the origins of the civilization should not only generalize and analyses the superficial character of the results of excavations, but also level to collective identities and social thoughts, which is also ideological or concept systems level. This is exactly the value and the sense of this dissertation which I want to realize.The main ideas of this dissertation is that it was the collision of duality disparate cultures that originate the Chinese Civilization, appearing her first center in the south of Shanxi Province and in the west of Henan Province. Xia Culture came into being on the basis of this center. The renaissance of the oriental Culture gave rise to Shang replacing Xia and then Zhou replaced Shang again when they came back to Center China after 600 years. Chinese Civilization is the consequences of the collision between duality eastern and western culture and she has her principal pole or area and her clear developing thread. The alternation of Xia, Shang and Zhou even with the "Rong, Di, Man, Yi" all aroud were a process of going and returning in following a circle, from center to margin, and from margin to center.About 4000 BC, the geography and the flood brought about the relatively independent developing of the Neolithic culture in Central China area and Haidai area in a given period, and then developing two different culture traditions, one is Yangshao, the other is Dawenkou. We can see the difference from the phenomenon that the tripodal ware is infrequent in Yangshao Culture but frequent in Dawenkou Culture. What’s more, some culture characters such as turquoise, lace pot, hoop additional pile pattern and jade can be important signs to discover traces of the developing clues of the two Neolithic traditions after the period of Yangshao Culture and Dawenkou Culture. After mid-Yangshao Period, forced by flood in downstream of Huanghe river, Dawenkou Culture move from east to west again and again. They crossed the Taihang mountain and entered into Jinnan and Yubei area, developing the second phase of Miaodigou Culture, which then becoming a center of radiation to the surrounding, developing into Shaanxi Longshan Culture, Hebei Longshan Culture, Henan Longshan Culture and Shandong Longshan Culture. Dawenkou Culture had crossed Taihang mountain and spread south from Taosi area, leaving early stage of Taosi Miaodigou Second Phase Culture, ahead of similar class culture in south bank of Huanghe river.Miaodigou II Culture returned Taosi in its final stage, which generate Early Taosi Period, bringing about an ancient alliance who can keep balance between the two cultural system besides the Taihang mountain. This is why Early Taosi Period cultural remains almost include all the factors covering the whole Huanghe Valley. The circumstances that Longshan Culture had a great number of city-states in Early Taosi Period aggravated the damage of floods to the cities. The skill of ramming earth wall could not defeat the floods. This is the story about that Gun failed in preventing floods by ramming earth. Coming with Majiayao Cultural character, Xia people were invited from west to Huanghe midstream and downstream to conquer the floods. In this course, Xia people controlled the domination of the Center China, inheriting Yao and Shun’s regalities. The character of Majiayao Culture they brought with them were introduced into Taosi Culture and Henan Longshan Culture, mixed them some Yaoshao cultural character. And because Xia had found a centralized state, Taosi Culture transformed its cultural multiplication into cultural unification. This is middle Taosi Culture. In middle Taosi culture,not only large-sized building foundations, but also the character of the funeral objects share attributes associated with centralized rule or totalitarian state. It looks like primary stage of country, which fits perfectly the chronology and bibliography of Xia in historical literature.Soon after its founding, Xia met with the incident that’Taikang Losing His Country’. The middle Taosi period stopped, and Xia culture collective moved from Taosi to the south Erlitou site after some flitting, and beginning Erlitou Ⅱ. At the same time, Henan Longshan culture had been forced moving to the north, crossing Sanliqiao to Taosi. And then, Henan Longshan culture finished and late Taosi period began. After "Zhongkang Reviving", Xia’s ally, the former Shandong Longshan culture came back to Shandong, bringing with Xia culture, beginning Yueshi culture. Erlitou culture and Yueshi culture became an alliance, containing the Hebei Longshan culture. The eternal triangle balancing relations changed as time went on. The Pre-Shang Culture interacted with Yueshi Culture, and assimilated Yueshi Culture at last. King Tang moved from Hebei Longshan area to Shangqiu, where was the hometown of Shang’s ancestor. Later, he advanced to the south and united Ying and Liu states, which was Gaotao’s descendant in Yingshui river and Rushui river, surrounding Xia Culture. At last, Shang replaced Xia.After the replacement of Shang to Xia, some adherents of Xia escaped to west, trying to go back the place of origin of Xia. Those people were Qiang tribe in Shang dynasty. And some adherents who yield to Shang were dispatched to the north or west, becoming armed tribes. This was the process of the origins of Rong. The essay discusses the origins of Rong especially through Weiyingzi Culture.Shang Culture originates in Longshan Culture in the oriental. The replacement between Shang and Xia can be considered as the replacement between the oriental Longshan Culture and the westernYangshao Culture tradition, which is a renaissance of the Longshan Culture. The name of the Shang comes from its location, Shang means Shangluo, refer to the upstream of Luo River. And then, Shang people were forced to the eastern foot of Taihang Mountain with their name Shang.sprang up over HebeiLongshan Culture. Xie, the ancestors of the Shang had been awarded their fiefdom for helping Yu harness the flood in Shang, where is in Shangqiu today. After replacing Xia, Shang found their vassal state system on the basis of Xia’s Nine Country system, which contributed to the pattern of that vassal states were outside and Nine Country were inside.Losing their position, Zhou’s ancestors had to move to the north. At first, they were forced by the Xia people to cross the river to the north, and then they were forced by Shang to move from the middle of Shanxi to the north of Shaanxi and Hetao in inner Mongolia. Zhou tribe moved from South Shanxi, going through Center Shanxi, North Shaanxi, Hetao, settled down at Bin, where was located in Qingyang, Gansu province. Soon, they were threatened by RongDi, and moved to Qishan. This journey of Zhou tribe has been indirectly proved by the archeological connection among Sanliqiao Type, late Taosi period, Baiyan Culture in Jinzhong, Zhukaigou Culture in Inner Mongolia, Nianzipo Culture in Shaanxi and Pre-Zhou Culture in Qishan.After conquering the Great Heaven State Shang, as a small state from the Northwest, the major theme of Zhou dynasty had transformed into how to construct Zhou’s governance system. And the key of the governance system was that how to metamorphose Shang political and cultural system into an integrated multicultural system, how could Zhou do with Shang’s adherents, and then how to realize the transformation of identity of center China from Shang to Zhou. Zhou built a sophisticated feudal system by building Luoyi city, claimed sovereignty under heaven by various of imperial mandates, declared Zhou’s destiny of rule. In culture, Zhou learned from Yin(Shang),at the same time, paid attention to keep the independence and sense of pride in Zhou’s character. In political regimes, Zhou inherited Xia’s regimes and adopted Shang’s institution, consulting Jizi and formulating Zhouli themselves. In order to prove their legality to inherit Shang’s administration, keep their independence of integrated culture, Zhou’s People kept emphasizing the successive relationship from Xia to Shang and Zhou, especially emphasizing that they were descendant of Xia dynasty.In general, in the name of Xia, Zhou’s people transformed Yi(Shang’s descendants,Yi’ pronunciation is similar with descendant,) into Zhou and they called those who did not obey the name Yi, which is the proper means of Yi indeed. And it’s the process of the generation of "Zhu Xia"(all the Xia).Criticisms and suggestions are sincerely welcome.