Did the Zhou people rise in the Loess Plateau or the Guanzhong region?
One view is that the Zhou people originated on the Loess Plateau, while the other view is that the Zhou people originated in the Guanzhong region.
Both of these views have some basis, but neither has been fully substantiated.
First of all, the Loess Plateau is one of the important birthplaces of the ancient Chinese people, and it is also one of the places where the Zhou people arose.
According to the records of historical books such as "Historical Records", the ancestors of the Zhou nationality abandoned the Yao Shun era as a farmer, and was given the surname Ji, and was sealed in Tai (now southwest of Wugong County, Shaanxi), with the name Houji.
After the fall of the Xia Dynasty, the descendants of Houji took the surname Ji of the Xia Dynasty as their surname and the Zhou as their clan, so the Loess Plateau was an important area for the rise of the Zhou people.
However, there are also some scholars who believe that the Zhou people originated in the Guanzhong region.
According to the "Historical Records of the Qin Dynasty", in the tenth year of the reign of Emperor Wen of Qin (756 B.C.), a tribe calling itself "Rongdi" was discovered between Huangshui and Weishui, and they occupied the place west of Qishan.
This "Rongdi" tribe later grew stronger and became one of the main threats during the Zhou Dynasty.
This "Rongdi" tribe has a close relationship with the Zhou people, as they are descendants of the surname Ji.
Therefore, some scholars believe that the Zhou originated from the "Rongdi" tribe in the Guanzhong region.
In addition, some scholars believe that the Zhou people did not originate from the Loess Plateau or the Guanzhong region, but from other regions.
For example, some scholars believe that the Zhou people originated in the Jinnan region of Shanxi, and some scholars believe that the Zhou people originated in the Luoyang region of Henan.
These views have some basis, but none of them have been fully substantiated.
In conclusion, there have always been different views in the academic community on the origin of the Zhou people, and although some views have been widely recognized, further in-depth research and analysis are still needed.
So is the Zhou people really Rong Di?
On the question of whether the Zhou people are Rong Di, the academic community certainly has different views.
Some scholars believe that the Zhou people were descendants of Rong Di, while others believe that the Zhou people were not Rong Di.
First of all, according to the records of historical books such as "Historical Records", the ancestors of the Zhou people abandoned themselves as farmers in the Yaoshun era, and were given the surname Ji and the title Houji.
After the fall of the Xia Dynasty, the descendants of Houji took the surname Ji of the Xia Dynasty as their surname and Zhou as their surname, which shows that the Zhou people have a certain connection with the Xia Dynasty, not Rong Di.
In addition, some scholars have also proved that the Zhou people were not Rongdi by studying history and archaeology.
For example, according to the research of historians, the social system and cultural traditions of the Western Zhou Dynasty were very different from those of Rong Di.
In the Western Zhou Dynasty, the social system was already relatively perfect, with a clear hierarchy and patriarchal system.
On the other hand, Rongdi's social system is relatively simple, without a clear hierarchy and patriarchal system.
Therefore, the etiquette system and cultural traditions of the Western Zhou Dynasty were also very different from those of Rong Di.
In addition, some archaeologists have also proved that the Zhou people were not Rongdi through archaeological excavations, such as the excavation of a large number of cultural relics and sites of the Western Zhou Dynasty at the Fenghao site near Xi'an, Shaanxi.
These cultural relics and sites show that the social system and cultural traditions of the Western Zhou Dynasty had many similarities with other dynasties in the Central Plains, which also proves that the Zhou people were not descendants of Rong Di.
In short, there have always been different views in the academic community on the question of whether the Zhou people are Rong Di.
While there are some perspectives that are widely recognized, further in-depth research and analysis are still needed.
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