Did the Xia Dynasty exist?This question has always puzzled historians and archaeologists. In the 20th century, the discovery of the Erlitou culture confirmed the existence of the Xia Dynasty and the Shang Dynasty, and also verified the lineage of the Xia and Shang thrones in the "Historical Records". Erlitou culture is one of the important sources of Chinese civilization, which reveals the origin and development of the Chinese nation.
However, the Erlitou culture was only the culture of the late Xia Dynasty and the early Shang Dynasty, and its age was around the 18th century BC, several centuries later than the time of Yao Shunyu.
Yao Shunyu was the ancestor of the Xia Dynasty, and their era spanned from the 21st century BC to the 17th century BC, which is an ancient era in Chinese history. The culture of this era should be the culture of the early Xia Dynasty and the culture of the earliest urban civilization in China.
So, what about the culture in the early Xia Dynasty?Can we find its ruins?
According to the "Historical Records of Xia Benji", the ancestor of the Xia Dynasty was Yu, Yu was a courtier of Shun, Shun was a courtier of Yao, and Yao was a descendant of the Yellow Emperor. The capitals of the three generations of Yao Shunyu were all in the Central Plains of the Yellow River Valley.
Yao's capital was Pingyang (now Linfen, Shanxi), Shun's capital was Shangqiu (now Shangqiu, Henan), and Yu's capital was Yangcheng (now Yuzhou, Henan). These places are all famous cultural cities in Chinese history, and they are also the focus of archaeologists to explore.
However, archaeological excavations in these places have not found cultural sites consistent with the three generations of Yao Shunyu. The earliest cultural sites in Pingyang, Shangqiu, and Yangcheng are all cultural sites of the Shang Dynasty or Zhou Dynasty, which are much later than the era of Yao Shunyu.
The ancient cities in these places were also built by later dynasties, and have nothing to do with the ancient cities of Yao Shunyu. This shows that the ancient city of Yao Shunyu may not be in these places, but in other places.
Some people believe that the ancient cities of Yao Shunyu do not exist at all, they are just fictional places in myths and legends, and have nothing to do with history. Their reasons are:
The ancient city of Yao Shunyu does not have any physical evidence, only documentary records, and the documentary records are compiled by later generations, which may not be credible.
The geographical location of the ancient city of Yao Shunyu does not match the later historical geography, and some places can not even determine the specific location, and can only be speculated according to the place name, and the place name may change, not necessarily accurate.
The scale and construction of the ancient city of Yao Shunyu did not correspond to the socio-economic conditions of the time, and were too exaggerated and extravagant to conform to the common sense of archaeology.
The historical events of the ancient city of Yao Shunyu are inconsistent with the later historical records, and some events are even contrary to natural science, such as the establishment of the Xia Dynasty, which is related to Dayu's water control, and Dayu's water control is a fabulous flood, which does not conform to geological evidence.
According to these reasons, they believe that the ancient city of Yao Shunyu is just a fictional story made up by later generations in order to beautify their ancestors, or for the sake of the orthodox dynasty, or to promote culture, and there is no real historical value, and there is no need to look for their ruins.
However, some people believe that the ancient cities of Yao Shunyu are not completely fictional, they are the result of historical changes and cultural inheritance, and have a certain historical basis and certain archaeological value. Their reasons are:
Although there is no physical evidence in the ancient city of Yao Shunyu, there are documentary records, and the documentary records are not completely compiled by later generations, but have certain historical materials, such as "Shangshu", "Classic of Mountains and Seas", "Historical Records", etc., although these historical materials have certain legendary elements, but also have a certain historicity, can not be denied.
The geographical location of the ancient city of Yao Shunyu, although it is inconsistent with the later historical geography, is not completely unfounded, but has certain geographical features, such as mountains and rivers, topography, climate and environment, etc., these geographical features can be used as archaeological clues to find possible site locations.
Although the scale and construction of the ancient city of Yao Shunyu did not correspond to the socio-economic conditions at that time, it was not completely impossible, but had a certain level of technology, such as civil engineering, pottery making, bronze smelting, etc., which can be used as an archaeological standard to judge the possible age of the site.
Although the historical events of the ancient city of Yao Shunyu are inconsistent with the later historical records, they are not completely unreasonable, but have a certain historical background, such as clan society, tribal alliances, political changes, cultural exchanges, etc., which can be used as a reference for archaeology to explain the possible site culture.
Based on these reasons, they believe that the ancient cities of Yao Shunyu are not completely fictitious, but have a certain historical authenticity and also have certain archaeological significance, and it is worth looking for their ruins in order to reveal the origin and development of Chinese civilization.
Judging from the archaeological discoveries in Hubei, we can find an interesting phenomenon, that is, the sites of the early Xia Dynasty culture are not in the legendary place where Dayu controls the water, but in Hubei Province in the Yangtze River Basin.
This is somewhat different from our usual understanding, we usually believe that the establishment of the Xia Dynasty has a close relationship with Dayu's water control, and the place where Dayu controls the water is in the Central Plains of the Yellow River Basin.
So, what's going on?Have we been fooled by Dayu's water control?
In fact, this is not a new issue, as early as the Qing Dynasty, some scholars raised this question. Gu Yanwu, a scholar of the Qing Dynasty, once questioned the authenticity of Dayu's water control, he believes that the story of Dayu's water control is a myth and legend made up by later generations in order to beautify the origin of the Xia Dynasty, or in order to explain the fall of the Xia Dynasty, and there is no real historical basis.
Although Gu Yanwu's views caused some controversy at the time, there were also some supporters, such as Qing Dynasty scholars Huang Zongxi and Qian Daxin. They believe that the story of Dayu's water control is speculated and imagined by later generations according to the geographical environment and climate change of the Xia Dynasty, as well as the political system and cultural traditions of the Xia Dynasty, and there is no real historical basis.
Although the views of Gu Yanwu and others have a certain amount of truth, they are not completely correct.
They ignore an important fact, that is, the story of Dayu's control of the water is not completely made up by later generations, but there are certain historical materials, such as "Shangshu", "Classic of Mountains and Seas", "Historical Records", etc., although these historical materials have a certain legendary component, but also have a certain historicity, can not be denied.
The story of Dayu's control of the water, in fact, is a complex historical phenomenon, it contains both myths and legends, but also contains the elements of historical truth, which not only reflects the geographical environment and climate change of the Xia Dynasty, but also reflects the political system and cultural traditions of the Xia Dynasty, which is not only the origin myth of the Xia Dynasty, but also the prophecy of the demise of the Xia Dynasty, which is the national identity of the Xia Dynasty and the cultural heritage of the Xia Dynasty.
The story of Dayu's water control, in fact, is also an archaeological problem, it not only provides clues to find the cultural sites of the early Xia Dynasty, but also puts forward the challenge of finding the cultural sites of the early Xia Dynasty, both may be found in the Central Plains of the Yellow River Basin, and may also be found in Hubei Province in the Yangtze River Basin, both may be a real flood, may also be a symbolic flood, may be a successful water control, may also be a failed water control.