Research On The Westward Development Of Shang Culture

The westward development of Shang Culture refers to the dynamic process of Shang Culture in combining its own subjectivity and diversity, while maintaining its own culture subjective status, as well as absorbing the local unique cultural factors during the spread to the western regions of Shang Culture.Shang Culture created by shang people which lies in Zhengluo area and Anyang area in Yubei formed the early Erligang Period Shang Culture and the later Yin Ruins Shang Culture. The magnificent Shang Culture had developed the ancient Chinese culture into the most properous extent, especially for Bronze Culture, the one which will never be surpassed. King Tang of Shang dynasty extinguished Xia in the first period of Erligang, the lower layer. Shang Culture entered the west regions accompany with the war against Xia, the typical implements of the first period of Erligang, the lower layer had been found in Laoniupo ruins and Zhaozhuang, Baicun in Dali City. Shang Culture in Central Plain had achieved its greatest properity until the second period of Erligang, the lower layer, the best evidences are the many building bases built in Zhengzhou Shang City and Yanshi Shang City, as well as the large outward walls also built during this period. In addition, social reasons such as the culture inflation of shang people, the sharp rise of population and the great needs for mineral resoures made the Shang Culture pass, the Los Angeles Basin first, then Sanmenxia Basin, through ancient Hanguguan until it entered the central Shaanxi area, wich at last formed the western Shang Culture of Erligang type. From then on, along with the fluctuation of the power of Central Plain Shang Dynasty and the transfer of its management strategy, the influence of Shang Culture in the western regions spread westwards first, then narrowed in the eastern regions as well as infiltrating towards the east of Ganqing Area, southwest and southeast Shaanxi, which had formed the archaeology cultural pattern of "Bei Village—Laoniupo Type" and Jingdang Type Shang Culture. The westward development from the second period of Erligang, the lower layer to the second period of Yin ruins or later took500years or so. We can divide the long period into four stages, and they are "occupation period","stagnation period","expansion period" and "atrophy period". During the four periods, the westward development of Shang Culture respectively showed their own features, which mainly lie in:First, the transmission mode is divided into invasive and embedded transmissions with their different two aims and functions. Secondly, the regional culture is divided into military occupation, cultural invasion and cultural communication region with their own forming modes. However, the above western development of Shang Culture and various differences during its process were caused by there factors:war expansion, resources seizure together with cultural communication.