Comprehensive On The Pre-shang Culture

As the research of the Xia culture developed, the Pre梥hang culture entered the academic circle in the 1970s. Due to the significance of the Pre梥hang culture, much research has been carried out in this field in the past 20 years and great achievements have been acccniplished. On the basis of a general introduction of the major achievements made in this field, this article attempts to investigate into the original Nanguanwai type included in the Shang culture in different ages, thus puts forward the follc~ing ideas, which might be insufficient. The article is divided into 3 parts. Part 1: This part reviews the process how the Pre梥hang culture as an academic topic was raised and identified. It also elaborates on the research in the types of the Pre梥hang culture, division of ages and its origins and confirms Mr.ZouHeng?statements that the Zhanghe type, the 1-]uiwei type and Nanguanwai lower條ayer belong to the Pre梥hang culture. Part 2: There are not only the early Shang culture relics but also the Pre? shang culture relics in ZhengZhou. Differentiation of the two calls for the grouping of them respectively according to different stages. In accordance with the data about the original Nanguanwai type published previously, this article divides it into 3 groups chronologically. Nanguanwai lc~er條ayer, Nanguanwai middle條ayer and the Erligang C1H9 are typical cases of the three groups respectively. Zhengzhou Shang City was built in the second group. The earliest shang culture relics in Yanshi Shang city were at about the same age as the third group. The walls of the small city in Yanshi Shang City hadn抰 been built until the third group. From the conclusion above, the author thinks the age when Zhengzhou Shang city was built is earlier than that of Yanshi Shang city. Part 3: As to the definition of the point where the Pre梥hang culture ends, namely the dividing line between the Xia dynasty and the Shang dynasty, much research has been done previously. Based on the research done before and new archaeological discoveries, this article expounds and proves that the third group of the original Nanguanwai type came after the fourth stage of Erlitou culture; that the culture of the late fourth stage of Erlitou is the Xia culture in the late Xia dynasty,not the culture of Xia tribe in the Shang dynasty that the dividing point between the Pre桽hang culture and the early Shang culture falls on the division between the second group and the third group of the original Nanguanwai type, that is the first group and the second group belong to the Nanguanwai type of the Pre梥hang culture and the third group belongs to the early Shang culture.