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It's an interesting question, but in reality, the answer lies in another one:
Do you want history or myth?
According to mythology, the earliest dynasty in China was the Xia Dynasty, which was founded by Dayu. His father, Kun, was ordered to stop the Yellow River from overflowing, and the flood destroyed the village and caused a number of people, but he failed. For this reason, he was killed by Emperor Shun, who in turn ordered Dayu to complete his father's task.
He immediately got to work, meeting with various villages and tribes to get them to work together and work with them to stop the floods by building dikes and canals.
There is a famous story about Dayu who got married four days before receiving the order. He passed by his home three times without entering it – the first time when his wife was in labor. The second time, the son was able to speak and called Dayu home. The third time, the son was more than ten years old. During this period, Dayu never set foot in his home, and did not even stay.
Dayu's efforts to control the water paid off, and 13 years later, flooding is no longer a problem. In fact, this is a benefit, because the canal system built by Dayu actually allows the river to overflow in a controlled manner, providing additional irrigation for the farmland and thus increasing the yield of crops. Emperor Shun was greatly moved and announced that Dayu would succeed to the throne after his death.
This happened when Dayu was 53 years old, and the Xia Dynasty began.
Yu established his capital at a place called Yangcheng (believed to be the modern city of Dengfeng, located in Henan Province. By the way, the city is also home to the Shaolin Temple). The Xia Dynasty lasted for nearly 500 years and ended with the last emperor of the late summer.
He was a brutal leader who indulged in extravagance and the imperial life. There is a famous story about how he ordered the construction of a "meat forest" and a lake full of wine. He and his wife and concubine took a boat around the lake, and the shore was full of large-scale revelry. When he ordered three thousand people to drink the water of the lake, his wife and concubine laughed hysterically and eventually drowned in the wine. Natural and man-made disasters, public grievances grew, the Xia Dynasty collapsed, and the Shang Dynasty rose.
"Han Poems Biography": "It is a wine pond, which can transport boats, and the dregs are enough to look at ten miles, and there are 3,000 cattle drinkers in one drum." ”
The meat forest wine pond depicted by later generationsBut what does it matter?
Well, I'd like to give you a quick overview of the mythology of the Xia Dynasty. Later, I'll explain why I keep saying "myth", but for now, let's not mention it. In this story, notice how I say that the emperor first ordered Yu's father, and then Yu himself went to end the flood?Yao and Shun were the last two of the last three emperors and five emperors.
These rulers were gods (or demigods), the first of which was the Yellow Emperor, who was not only the beginning of Chinese civilization (from clothing, housing, and sports to the invention of mathematics, astronomy, and the calendar), but also the ancestor of the Han Chinese.
Because the Xia Dynasty was the first emperor to "set" pure mortals, the Yellow Emperor is considered to be the first dynasty. Therefore, you can say that the Three Emperors and Five Emperors are the period before the Xia Dynasty, but it is not considered a dynasty in itself.
You say it's a myth. And what about the real history?
You say it's a myth, but what about the real history?I keep saying "myth", "myth" and other similar terms for a very important reason. The earliest confirmed site in China is the Yin Ruins, the fifth and last capital of the Shang Dynasty. It is located in Anyang City, Henan Province. It was in this place that the "oracle bones" were discovered.
Oracle
Oracle bone inscriptionsThese are a series of bones, tortoise shells, and other similar artifacts with the earliest readable Chinese characters on them. Strictly speaking, before that, the names of all cities, dynasties and emperors were nothing more than stories, like Romulo and Remus, Gilgamesh or Noah - some believed it wholeheartedly, some questioned it, and some simply dismissed it as a story.
The difference is that the entire Shang Dynasty remained in the same location until the Yin Ruins were discovered around 1910. So it certainly opens the door to these stories to be grounded in facts, at least a little.
An archaeological site called Erlitou in Henan Province. This site also gives an entire culture its name and is an early Bronze Age site. Bronze tools, ** musical instruments and other handicrafts, as well as a large amount of pottery, have been excavated. On these pottery, there is even evidence of writing, or at least original writing.
Bronze Knight
All of these, as well as descriptions in ancient texts, such as the Han Dynasty historian Sima Qian, seem to point to the site as the last capital of the Xia Dynasty. About six kilometers away, another site was discovered, which seems to have begun to be discovered when Erlitou was abandoned. This site is now considered the first capital of the Shang Dynasty.
That's good, but it's about the Xia dynasty and later the Shang dynasty. What about before the Xia Dynasty?
Let's go back in time again, starting with the earliest identified sites and talk about those that may be mentioned in ancient texts. However, we are entering the ambiguous point of history. Before that, one thing that could come to mind was Yangshao culture.
It was a Neolithic (Late Stone Age) society that stretched along the Yellow River valley and to the west. One of the largest sites discovered is the Banpo site, which is located in modern Xi'an, Shaanxi Province. Many bone and stone tools have been found at this site, as well as a large amount of pottery.
There is evidence that there is a complex society there, with industrial zones (surrounded by pit moats), agriculture and other activities that require specialization outside the city.
It is also worth noting that the remains of symbols on some of the pottery once again prove to be a script or a primitive script. Amazingly, if these symbols can be deciphered, it means that the Banpo culture, in particular, as well as the Yangshao culture, will be the first civilization to develop writing, at least 5,000 years before your (and the Sumerian culture)!
100 Families Help Plan Banpo Ruins Human-faced Fish-patterned Painted Pottery Pots.