It's a sunny day. Standing on the autumn wind building of Houtu Temple on the east bank of the Yellow River in Miaoqian Village, Wanrong County, looking west, you can clearly see a lush green land on the other side of the foothills. On the other side is Gaomen Village, Jidong Town, Hancheng County, Shaanxi Province, and that green land is the ancestor of Sima Qian, who is known as the Shi Sheng of China.
On the morning of October 14th, nearly 3 people from Beijing and Taiyuan gathered in Houtu Temple. Coming down from Qiufenglou, they set out for the final destination, Erlitou Site in Henan Province. During the five-day tour of "The Earliest China-Discovering China Culture", the team members may be infinitely close to the earliest China.
A questionable beginning of China's civilization history
The Autumn Wind Tower was built on a high platform where the Fenhe River meets the Yellow River, and it is a part of Houtu Temple. Houtu Temple was built because Chinese emperors sacrificed Houtu, the mother of creatures. According to legend, Nu Wa, the Empress Hou, took the mud from this land to make the earliest China man-made, and Nu Wa was also the legendary female ancestor of China people. Another way of saying it, she is the sister and wife of Fuxi, one of san huang, and the earliest China people came into being after the combination of brother and sister. Huangdi Xuanyuan, one of the ancestors of China people, is said to be the first person to come here to worship. The Yellow Emperor regarded this place as a place of ancestral roots. It seems that all China people have to recognize their ancestors here, right? As the origin of Chinese civilization, it seems too much.
But the fact is, from the real history, it is a question whether there is such a person as the Yellow Emperor.
where are our roots in China? Where is the source of Chinese civilization? Where did the earliest China come into being? When should the history of China begin? These are all problems.
The Historical Records written by Sima Qian, a historian buried on the other side of the Yellow River, and many documents that can be regarded as historical works in China seem to have the answer. They talk about the Three Emperors and Five Emperors all the way to Xia, Shang and Zhou, and there is a genealogy to be found. The history of Chinese civilization for 5, years seems to be magnificent and imposing.
However, scholars have studied these classical documents from the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period to the Qin and Han Dynasties, and found that the records are greatly flawed. It is regarded as the earliest history book in China, and the history of China began with Yao and Shun. The book was written in Zhuangzi and Lu Chunqiu in the middle of the Warring States Period, and there were three emperors and five emperors. Who were san huang and the five emperors? There was no specific statement. The Historical Records of the Western Han Dynasty recorded the Yellow Emperor, but Ban Gu of the Eastern Han Dynasty regarded Fu Xishi as the beginning of China's history. In the Three Kingdoms Period, it was believed that Pangu was the ancestor of China. It seems that the later a historian is born, the longer he can trace the history of China.
Obviously, it is obviously unreliable to talk about history just by holding literature and classics. Moreover, the answer of the ancients in China has something in common with that of western religions, that is, God in heaven made a life style problem and gave birth to people. After Darwin's Origin of Species and Huxley's Theory of Evolution were published, this statement was denied.
and in the west, because of the establishment of archaeology, the beginning of China's history is even more questioned: don't talk about the literature where literature, legends and historical facts are intertwined, show evidence! Therefore, some modern China scholars who accepted western theories once suggested that China had no history before the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, and set the beginning of China civilization in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty. Pangu, Nu Wa and even Yao Shun did not exist, which directly cut off the history of China civilization for more than two thousand years. What is even more unacceptable is that for a period of time, the origin of China civilization was even considered by western scholars to have originated in the West.
Of course, these assertions were overthrown at the beginning of the archaeological development in China. Up to now, China's archaeological achievements have been able to prove that the genealogy record of Shang Dynasty in Historical Records written by Sima Qian is conclusive.
There is no problem with Shang. So, are the records about Yao, Shun and Xia in Historical Records conclusive?
Archaeology in China can't answer this question yet, moreover, it adds more question marks to this question.
B Where is the earliest China
Wang Hairong, a native of Shanxi Wanrong, who was born and raised in Qinghai, is now the executive chairman of Singapore RH Energy Group. Three years ago, because his parents returned to Yuncheng to settle down, he himself frequently returned to Yuncheng. From the people he met and the many cultural relics he saw, he found that Jinnan was a fertile ground for the origin of Chinese civilization. However, this view he accepted was challenged by another person, that is, Qu Xiangdong, the former host of CCTV.
Because of his love for history and culture, Wang Hairong took part in a project planned by Qu Xiangdong-retracing the road of Xuanzang. After that, they became friends. During many trips together, Wang Hairong and Qu Xiangdong began to argue: Where is the source of China? Qu Xiangdong once photographed the archaeology of Erlitou cultural site in yanshi city, Henan Province. According to experts' explanation, he thought that it was the earliest China, not Jinnan.
During the argument, they found that not only the two of them, but also the common people in China couldn't make it clear. "I have settled in Singapore, and I often live in Toronto, Canada. I have also traveled to many countries and found that many places and even a small town abroad have decent museums for their own history. But many of us know too little about the history of China. " Wang Hairong said.
As a result of the debate, Wang Hairong and some entrepreneurs in Shanxi donated money to set up a "Discover China Fund" in the China Women's Development Foundation in September 21, and Qu Xiangdong became the planner of the cultural project of "Discover China", which popularized the history of China to the public in China. The fund project office was set up in Beijing Xingzhi Media Culture Co., Ltd., where Qu Xiangdong was the boss. "At present, the total amount of this fund is more than 4 million yuan. The purpose is to visit the psychological course of the origin and prosperity of Chinese civilization through in-depth knowledge and experience, and deeply understand how the roots of Chinese civilization determine our thinking, behavior and even national character today." Qu Xiangdong said.
after three exploratory visits to Yuncheng, Linfen, Shanxi and Yanshi, Henan province, we determined an investigation route from Wanrong Houtu Temple to Xiangfen Ding Cun Site, Taosi Site, Houma Jinguo Copper Casting Workshop, Yuanqu Zhongtiaoshan Copper Mine Site, Xiaxian Xiyin Village, Jiangxian Zhoujiazhuang Site, Yuncheng Yanchi and Chishi Temple, Pinglu Yuban Ancient Salt Road and Erlitou Site in Yanshi, Henan Province.
in October this year, the project of "the earliest China-the cultural investigation to discover China" began to form a team for the first time. This is a relatively special investigation team. The experts who followed the whole process included Wang Yiren, a researcher and paleolithic expert from Shanxi Institute of Archaeology, Professor Li Yanxiang, a researcher in metallurgical archaeology from Institute of Metallurgical and Material History of University of Science and Technology Beijing, and Li Baiqin, a researcher and deputy director of Yuncheng Cultural Relics Bureau. Chen Daijun, deputy editor-in-chief of Sichuan Political Consultative Conference, a well-known writer and author of Li Jichuan, was invited by Bian Yufang, a social activist, essayist and disciple of Mr. Ji Xianlin, Zhang Weiying, an economist, professor and former dean of Guanghua School of Management of Peking University, as well as journalists from many media, travelers and photographers, as well as teammates who had participated in Xuanzang's road, many of whom were entrepreneurs from Beijing, Shanxi and Henan.
The team of experts who promised to take part in the lectures in various places also attracted people's attention. They are He Yi, the captain of Shanxi Team of Archaeological Institute of China Academy of Social Sciences, Gao Qingshan, the curator of Houma Jinbo Garden and the director of the Copper Ruins Park, Li Zhulin, a salt culture expert and director of Hedong Museum, Tian Jianwen, the second digger of Xiyin Village and a researcher of Shanxi Institute of Archaeology, Dai Xiangming, director of the Archaeological Department of the National Museum, and director of Xia, Shang and Zhou Research Office and Erlitou of the Institute of Archaeology of China Academy of Social Sciences.
As an economist in China, why is Zhang Weiying interested in taking part in such a historical and cultural activity? On the afternoon of 18th, after 8 kilometers of trekking through the Yuban Ancient Road, the reporter asked Professor Zhang Weiying who was walking on the road.
He told reporters that he didn't come for leisure: "I have two purposes. First, as a China person, I should know the history of China; Second, I hope to get out of my professional study and cultivate myself through such activities. " For this activity, he also had to make time in his busy schedule.
C Experience the archaeological work and feel the ancient civilization
After learning and experiencing the ancient man's construction of paleolithic tools in Ding Cun, on the evening of 14th, the team members camped at the Taosi site in Xiangfen, and the content of the activity was to observe the celestial phenomena at night, and watch the sunrise at the restored Taosi ancient observatory site the next morning.
There is a saying in China ancient books that Pingyang is the capital of Yaodu, Puban is the capital of Shundu and Anyi is the capital of Yudu. Pingyang is now Linfen, Puban is in Yongji, Yuncheng, and Anyi is in Xiaxian today. That is to say, the three ancient sages of China all tied their ruling centers in Jinnan today. If this statement is true, it will be difficult for Chinese civilization to start in southern Shanxi, but all these need archaeology to provide evidence. In 1979, Taosi discovered the ruins of the ancient city 4,3 years ago, and the archaeological team of the Institute of Archaeology of China Academy of Social Sciences has been excavating here for more than 3 years. Experts found that Taosi site has many elements of the kingdom. The "early China", which has not been recognized by the West so far, is probably there. In China, there was a saying that "the capital of the emperor was called China, so it was called China". However, after the restoration of the ancient observatory site of Taosi site and Guibiao, it was found that the geographical location of Taosi was "in the middle of heaven and earth", and experts further boldly speculated according to archaeological discoveries and ancient literature records that Taosi site was not only the site of Yaodu, but might even be the capital of Yao and Shun.
On the morning of 15th, the team members greeted the rising sun from the ruins of the ancient observatory. When the sunlight projected from between two of the 13 observation columns and shone on their faces, they felt a sense of excitement and reverence for their ancestors.
After that, the team members personally experienced the excavation at Zhoujiazhuang Archaeological Site, followed the footsteps of Mr. Li Ji, the father of China archaeology, in Xiyin Village, and visited Yuncheng Yanchi, which played an important role in the ancient civilization of China. On the 18th, at Erlitou site in Henan, Dr. Xu Hong introduced the concept and formation of China, the archaeological achievements of Erlitou site so far, and the continuous pursuit of Xia Dynasty by previous archaeologists in Erlitou.
exactly where is the earliest China and where is the origin of Chinese civilization? The team members found that this is still a question to be solved by archaeologists. Before the answer was determined, the tour of "The earliest China-Discovering China Culture" left the team members with an experience of deep pursuit of the ancient civilization of China and the history of China, and a beginning of deep thinking about the history and destiny of our country. Ding Jinlong, a staff member of Yuncheng Cultural Relics Bureau, said in his own testimony: "After discussing where we came from, we can better know where we are going."