In ancient Chinese history, the country of Yu was highly well known. Today, Sanmenxia has built a thematic site museum on the site of the Yuguo Cemetery, covering an area of 100,000 square meters, exhibiting a large number of historically valuable cultural relics excavated from the tombs of the Yuguo tombs for decades. In the hearts of today's Chinese people, the country of Yu is in the area of today's Sanmenxia.
Investigate in Yima
The state of Yu was a vassal state during the Zhou Dynasty of China, with four states: Eastern Qi, Western Qi, Southern Qi, and Northern Qi. In fact, they are added with the words East, West, South and North depending on the location in order to distinguish them. So, how did the East and West flies evolve into the South and North Flies? After the destruction of the southern and northern kingdoms, where did their descendants go? During the inspection in Yima City, a surprising news is that in 2017-2019, there are amazing discoveries here, after the demise of the Southern And Northern Qi, their descendants may eventually disappear in the Yima Stone River! Buried here is an untold story that has disappeared for 2,500 years!
Location of the Stone River ruins on the Yima Horse
Historically, Yu Zhong and Yu Shu were the two younger brothers of King Wen of Zhou. In 1046 BC, King Wu of Zhou destroyed the Shang and divided the seals. King Wen of Zhou's two younger brothers, Yu Zhong (虢仲) and Uncle Yu (虢叔), were respectively created kings of the State of Yu. Among them: Yu Zhongfeng was enfeoffed in Zhiyi and established the State of Dongyu (東虢国, in present-day Xingyang, Zhengzhou, Henan). Uncle Yu was enfeoffed at Yongyi and established the State of Xiyu (西虢国; present-day Baoji Chencang, Shaanxi). The economy and culture of the country are developed, and the clan can fight good wars. Most of the monarchs held important official positions in the Zhou Dynasty, were greatly appreciated and valued by Zhou Tianzi, and participated in many major historical events from the Western Zhou Dynasty to the early Spring and Autumn Period, which had a major impact on the rise, development and decline of the Zhou Dynasty.
Around the time of King Li and King Xuan of Western Zhou, Xi Yu was oppressed by Xi Rong and moved east to the area around Sanmenxia in Henan Province, which was known in history as the State of Nanyu and had its capital at Shangyang. After the Western Yu moved east, there was still a small State of Qi in the same place, and in 687 BC the State of Xiao Yu was destroyed by the Duke of Qin Wu ("History of Qin Benji"), and the descendants are not recorded.
In the Western Zhou Dynasty, there were many changes in the royal family. In 773 BC, Zheng Boyou, who was then serving as the zhou royal court in the middle of the dynasty, saw that disaster was coming, so he moved his people between the eastern and western states. Zheng Boyou was the younger son of Ji Hu (姬胡少子) the Prince of Zhou, and the half-brother of Ji Jing (姬静), the Prince of Zhou Xuan (who was formerly known as Prince You), was the first monarch of the State of Zheng and was enfeoffed with Zheng Di in present-day eastern Hua County, Shaanxi. In the eleventh year of King You of Zhou (771 BC), Shen Hou, the ruler of the State of Shen, joined forces with the State of Jing and Inu Rong to attack King You of Zhou, killing King You of Zhou under Mount Li and killing Zheng Boyou at the same time. Zheng Boyou: "Huan". The history is called "Zheng Huangong".
After the death of Duke Huan of Zheng, the Zheng people supported the establishment of the Tutu to succeed to the throne, for the Duke of ZhengWu. Zheng Wugong was the son of Duke Huan of Zheng and the cousin of King You of Zhou. In 770 BC, Zheng Wugong escorted King Zhou Ping, the son of King You of Zhou, to move east, which was the beginning of Eastern Zhou. King Ping of Zhou, because of his merits in escorting Zheng Wugong to the east, appointed Zheng Wugong to succeed his father Zheng Huan as a secretary of the Zhou royal family. After Zheng Wugong succeeded to the throne, he adhered to the eastward expansion strategy formulated by his father, on the one hand escorting the King of Zhou Ping to move east to Luoyi (present-day Luoyang, Henan), and on the other hand, further carrying out specific actions to attack the eastern and hao states and annex the surrounding Yan, Hidden, Supplementary, Dan, Yi, Han, Li, and Xinbayi.
In the second year of Zheng Wugong (769 BC), Zheng Wugong occupied the capital of the state of Wu (岩邑, in modern Dafanzhuang, Xinmiquliang Township, Zhengzhou, Henan) and destroyed the state of Wu. In the fourth year of Zheng Wugong (767 BC), Zheng Wugong occupied the capital of the Eastern Yu State (present-day Xingyang Guangwu Pingcheng, Zhengzhou, Henan) and destroyed the Eastern Yu State (according to the Year of the Bamboo Secretary). Then it swept around Yan, Cover, Supplement, Dan, Yi, Tao, Li, and Xin Bayi. Zheng Guojiu occupied the magpie's nest, moved the capital to the old capital of the State of Hao, turned the original place of entrustment into his own territory, and moved the old part from Shaanxi to Henan, and built a new city under the name of "Zheng". Zheng Wugong became a small bully in the early Spring and Autumn Period.
It is said that after Dongyu was destroyed by Zheng Wugong, his descendant Yu Xu was restored by King Ping of Zhou to Pinglu Xiayang and established the State of Northern Qi. Beiyu was located on the north bank of the Yellow River on Pinglu, while Nanyu was on the south bank of the Yellow River in the area of Shangcunling in the north of present-day Sanmenxia. Beiyu and Nanyu are separated by the river, but in fact they are just a state of Qi (equivalent to the original Xiyu, but the Northern Xiayangyi is attached to Nanyu), which is a state established after the Ping King moved east.
In 658 BC, The Duke of Jin Xian destroyed the State of Beiyu through the State of Yu (the Jin Dynasty gonggong borrowed the State of Yu twice, the first of which was the first). In 655 BC, Duke Xiangong of Jin used the strategy of false roads to destroy the state of Nanyu, and the Jin army destroyed the State of Yu, which had been lent the road to the State of Jin on its way back.
Why did the Jin Dynasty destroy the State of Yu? In fact, the State of Jin and the State of Jin had a deep grudge, mainly in the early years of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, when King Ping moved east, the State of Yu supported Yu Chen,the brother of King You (with King Hui) yu Yu, while the State of Zheng and the State of Jin supported King You's son Ji Yiusu (King Ping of Zhou). This event is recorded in the newly discovered "Year of the Lineage".
The Chronicle of the Lineage is a complete history book discovered more than 1700 years after the discovery of the Bamboo Book Chronicle in the Western Jin Dynasty. In July 2008, he entered Tsinghua University. It is recorded in the "Year of the Lineage" that The Emperor Zhuzheng of the State was the younger brother of King Liyou, Yu Chenyu, who was the King of Hui. Twenty years later, Marquis Wen of Jin killed King Hui of Yu.
In addition, the monarch of the State of Yu had always pursued the policy of the Zhou royal family, only ordered to follow the Zhou Tianzi, repeatedly interfered in the internal affairs of the Jin Dynasty, and when the Jin State branched the "Quwo Dai Wing", the State of Yu repeatedly sent troops to deal with Xiaozong; when the Duke of Jin eliminated the princes, many of the princes fled into the State of Yu with their supporters, so the State of Jin and the State of Yu were deeply resentful. In 658 BC, the Jin state expanded to the outside world, the Jin Dynasty wanted to unify the Hedong region, adopted the strategy of the Great Master Xun Xi to break through each, the greedy Yu Gong not only borrowed the road to the Jin state, but also assisted the Jin army to capture the Xiayang of the State of Yu, and in one fell swoop controlled the strategic place between Yu and Yu, so that the Jin State could easily find out the deployment of the troops of the two countries; three years later (655 BC), the Duke of Jin Personally led an army to attack the State of Yu, again borrowing the way from the State of Yu, and soon the troops were in Shangyang, and the weak state of Yu was quickly destroyed, and on the way back to the jin army, Jin Xiangong designed to invite Yu Gong to ji (jī) mountain hunting, the Jin army took the opportunity to occupy Yu Du, when Yu Gong returned, the Jin Xiangong army and the Jin army in the city attacked Yu Gong on both sides, Yu Gong surrendered, Yu State perished, Jin Xiangong captured the strategic position of Yu Han. The famous historical allusion "false road cutting" comes from here!
After the destruction of the Northern and Southern Qi, it left a mystery for eternity, where did the royal family and nobles of the Yu Kingdom go? In fact, in 655 BC (the twenty-second year of King Hui of Zhou), after the kingdom of Yu was destroyed by the Jin state, were the Yu people exterminated or fled? It is not recorded in the history books, which has become an unsolved mystery. A large-scale archaeological excavation in Yima by the Sanmenxia Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology in 2018 provided a clue to solve this mystery...
Archaeological site of the Upper Stone River Site
In July 2017, in order to cooperate with the eastward expansion project of Yima Kaixiang Fine Chemical Co., Ltd., the Yima Cultural Relics Drilling Team explored the proposed area. The exploration area is located in the former Shangshihe Village, about 100 meters south of Yima City, bordered by National Highway 310 to the north and the ruins of Xin'an Ancient City to the south, and only 9 small square pit vertical cave tombs have been found in the exploration area. The first formal rescue archaeological excavations began on July 10 and ended on August 2, cleaning up 7 vertical cave tombs and 2 horse pits, and unearthing pottery pots, copper knives, bone tubes and other funerary artifacts. Judging from the shape of the tomb and the excavated pottery, the tombs are dated to the Spring and Autumn Period. From December to February of the same year, the Yima City Cultural Relics Drilling Team conducted another exploration in the eastern and central parts of the first excavation area, and found more than 110 tombs, the vast majority of which were square pit vertical cave tombs, and the second excavation began on March 12, 2018.
The excavation team drew up a meticulous archaeological excavation plan, combined with scientific and technological archaeology, and implemented multidisciplinary division of labor and cooperation. Archaeological excavations have unearthed a large number of artifacts. Among them are copper fish, pottery beads, stone shells and other coffins. Small copper fish have eyes, mouths, and fish scales, and are unearthed in pairs. Among them, the M93 single coffin is consistent with the configuration that can be enjoyed by high-ranking nobles in the Zhou Dynasty according to historical records, and its tomb owner status should be a senior nobleman of the doctor level. With the progress of the cleanup, copper dings, copper seals, and copper plates were excavated one after another between the coffins. M93 Excavations unearthed more than 1,300 pieces (pieces) of bronze, jade, stone, bone, mussels and other burial items, divided into four categories: ceremonial vessels, carriage and horse tools, weapons, and coffin decorations. Bronze ceremonial vessels include 4 pieces of copper ding, 4 pieces of gui, 2 pieces of square pot, 1 piece of cup and 1 piece of disc, according to the combination of copper ceremonial vessels and the excavated copper ware, the identity of the tomb owner should be a doctor-level nobleman. A 15-character inscription was found on the inner wall of a bronze ding, "The father of the Zihu of the Yu Ji clan was used by the descendants of the DingZi Sun Yongbao". This square lip, slightly retracted mouth, narrow folded edge, straight to the ear, attached to the ear and the mouth edge with two small beams connecting, deep drum belly, round bottom, hollow foot of the three beasts' hooves, there is a vertical groove on the inside, with a protruding rib and animal face decoration. The lower edge of the mouth is decorated with an S-shaped flat eye stolen pattern, and the lower part is a three-layer hanging scale pattern, with a heavy ring pattern on the inner and outer sides of the ear. Through the comparison with the Kamimura Ridge Gyokuni Cemetery, the M93 tomb shape, artifact combination, excavated artifact features and ornamentation are basically consistent with the Uemura Ridge Gyoko Cemetery. According to the M93 Bronze Ding inscription "Zi of the Yu Ji Clan", it can be concluded that the Spring and Autumn Cemetery of Shangshihe should be related to the State of Yu. M93 To the southeast, archaeologists also found a burial pit.
Bronze dings were excavated from the Shangshihe site
A total of 125 tombs were excavated before and after the Yima Shihe Cemetery, including 103 tombs in the Spring and Autumn Period, and 7 horse pits in the Spring and Autumn Period, and a total of more than 2,700 pieces (pieces) of copper, pottery, jade, stone, bone, and mussels were excavated, especially the discovery of inscriptions, which determined the genus of the cemetery. From the perspective of arrangement, the more than 100 tombs excavated in 2018 have not broken each other, and it is an orderly, well-preserved and well-planned cemetery of the early and mid-Spring and Autumn Dynasties. Judging from the burial artifacts, the quantity and quality of the excavated copper and jade ceremonial vessels are far from those of the Shangcunling Yuguo Cemetery, most of which are Ming artifacts, and the composition of the artifacts is incomplete. The M93 with the highest specifications is four dings and four gui, and the M82 is two dings and two gui, which are missing one ding and are not listed in the ceremonial system compared with the five dings and four gui and three dings and two guises. It may be related to the escape after the destruction of the kingdom of Yu, where there is no ability to continue to forge new bronzes, and can only be buried with the ding or ming utensils brought with it when fleeing. From the perspective of tomb scale and orientation, large and medium-sized tombs are basically north-south, the same as the Shangcunling Yuguo cemetery, and the distribution is relatively sparse; small tombs are basically east-west and the distribution is more concentrated. The distribution of small tombs in the eastern part of the northeast is more regular, while the small tombs in the west are interspersed between the north-south tombs, indicating that the small tombs of these things are slightly later than the north-south tombs, the burial customs here have changed, and the culture of the Yu country is gradually dying out here!
Archaeology of the Upper Stone River Ruins
About how the Kingdom of Yu perished? The "Left Biography" said in the fifth year of the Duke of Qi: "In August, the Marquis of Jin besieged Shangyang. ...... In the winter of December, Chengzi Shuo jin extinguished the Yu, and the Gong gong ugly Ben Jingshi. That is, in 655 BC, after the Jin dynasty destroyed the state of Yu, the last monarch of the state of Yu, Gonggui, fled eastward and took refuge in Luoyang, the capital of The Capital, Yima, which was located between the state of Yu and the Gyeonggi of Luoyang. The Yima Shihe Cemetery is another large-scale Yuren cemetery discovered in the Sanmenxia area after the Shangcunling Yuguo Cemetery, which provides clues for finding the final destination of the nobles and remnants of the Yuguo after the Destruction of the Yuguo by the Jin Dynasty!