Not only the descendants of China, I believe that many other countries and regions in the world have also heard mythical stories such as "Nuwa Created Man", "Houyi Shooting Sun", "Jiang Ziya Sealing God" and so on in ancient times, which all occurred in ancient times, but do you believe it? Many of these deeds and characters may be real.
However, due to the lack of formal historical loading, we generally only listen to it as a "story". If you correspond to the ancient history of the mainland, you will find that there is a gap period of 1500 years, and almost no historical materials have been handed down. What really happened during this time? Is there still a chance to verify?
Missing history
Where does the study of civilization come from? Nature is a historical record.
We generally believe that the historical correctness recorded by the regular historians is relatively high, but sometimes we will refer to some wild history to fill in some loopholes or deficiencies mentioned in the formal historical materials, after all, there is not another sentence: history is written by the victors. Therefore, in this understanding, even if it is the historical deeds recorded in the canonical history, it cannot be completely assumed that the official events occurred as such. So how to restore the general situation of human life at that time in the period of lack of historical records? archaeology.
In addition to the historical records of the country at that time, the development of human history also has the evaluation and understanding of this country or region by other countries, so as to support the reference nature of this record. In addition, the most powerful evidence of persuasion is the material legacy of a specific period, which can basically directly show a more real historical period in front of modern people.
Therefore, according to the study of archaeological activities, there is also a historical period in the history of the mainland that is missing historical records. It is said that The history of China's French Front has lasted for more than 5,000 years, but there is a period of more than 1,500 years, and there is no record of the main history. It is also the most controversial but widely circulated mythological stories of the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties, as well as the Tang Yao and Yu Shun periods mentioned earlier.
We call the "descendants of Yan Huang" because the Yan Emperor and the Yellow Emperor (and Xuan You) are generally regarded as the ancestors of Chinese civilization. The leader of the Yandi clan, shennong, was surnamed Jiang, and during the Yellow Emperor's period, the Gongsun clan was the surname of Ji and the name Xuanyuan. After a long-term rivalry with the Jiuli clan of Xuanyou jiuli in the ancient period, the Later Yellow Emperor and the Yan Emperor joined forces to drive them out of the Central Plains and officially settle down.
The Han chinese (ancient Huaxia) is the descendant of Yan Huang. Speaking of which, we may have a sentence in our hearts: I am familiar with this paragraph! Shennong tastes hundred herbs? Zhuolu War? Isn't this the story in the Classic of Mountains and Seas?
Therefore, can we find that even if this history is also recorded in some historical materials, there is no record of its own dynastic change, resulting in the historical civilization at this stage becoming a blank part, so future generations can only use mythological stories to fill the gap.
Xia Shang Zhou period
Xia Shang Zhou is a stage that we are more familiar with, Tang Yao and Yu Shun are what we say about the ancient period, and the "Zen concession system" learned in the history class appeared in this period.
Divided by the international symbol of the birth of civilization, the most ancient Script on the mainland should be the oracle bone of the Shang Dynasty. But according to this calculation, the Shang Dynasty survived between about 1600 BC and 1046 BC, only more than 3500 years. Therefore, if we say that the development of Chinese civilization began here, it is obviously not correct.
The Shang Dynasty was the second dynasty in Chinese history, and according to historical records, the first hereditary dynasty on the mainland should be the Xia Dynasty, which began around 2070 BC and was destroyed by the Shang Dynasty in 1600 BC. But there are also more than 500 years of this dynastic change that is blank and there is no written record.
Similarly, from the Shang Dynasty to the Zhou Dynasty, there was a historical gap of more than 600 years, and there are not even cultural relics to prove what happened during this period. Historiography divides this situation into "intergenerational history". Therefore, many people believe that there is no "Xia" dynasty in history, and the historical data are also fabricated.
According to historical records, Xia was founded by Yu's son Qi, and it is also the beginning of the "family world" in Chinese history. Moreover, archaeological excavations have unearthed bronze and jade ceremonial vessels of a certain scale, as well as the Dujiangyan water control project left by Dayu Zhishui, which basically proves that the Xia Dynasty once existed. However, as in the previous Period of the Three Emperors and Five Emperors, there is a lack of written records.
Because of the emergence of writing (oracle bone, jinwen) at the beginning, and the relevant documents of social development were directly recorded in the same period, we generally believe that the Shang Dynasty had three stages, namely the first Shang, the early Shang, and the late Shang, which ruled for more than 500 years and passed on 31 emperors. At this time, the throne has completely become an inheritance system, but in the early stage, there are brothers and brothers, and in the later stage, they have directly become father and son.
By the two-week period, the ancient history of the mainland was basically going to a new level. The Zhou Dynasty was equivalent to inheriting the Xia and Shang dynasties, and the power slavery system reached its peak.
The final collapse of power in the Western Zhou Dynasty contributed to the emergence of the Eastern Zhou (or the Spring and Autumn Warring States Period), and the development of the Three Kingdoms and the unification of the Qin Dynasty in the later period are many written records, but there are still contradictions, and it is even more uncertain about the development of the Xia and Shang periods.
The importance of history
The gap period mentioned above does not mean that these eras exist exclusively in myths and legends, but rather that there is "no written" record, which is quite a challenge for archaeology. Like looking at the picture to speak, there is no definite evidence to prove it, quite irritating.
We are accustomed to compiling things that cannot be explained into myths, whether to comfort ourselves or to appease history that has been left out. However, in the context of modern society, many related historical sites have been discovered, many so-called "myths" have been confirmed, and our national culture is more powerful than imagined.
The history of a nation is the basis for the development of this civilization, just like seeing the topic of discussion in the program, when others doubt the authenticity of the historical figures or the origin of civilization on the mainland, we can say without mercy: At that time, there was no country for you!
Finally, I would like to end with a passage of Chinese dynastic changes taught by the teacher:
Tang Yao Yu Shun Xia Shang Zhou, Spring and Autumn Warring States chaos.
The three kingdoms of Qin and Han were unified, and the southern and northern dynasties were opposite.
Sui and Tang Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing Emperor Hugh.