(Author: Zhao Hui) Five thousand years of Chinese civilization has a long history and continuous inheritance of history and culture, creating the only national culture in the history of human civilization that has never been interrupted and orderly in the inheritance of national culture. Although the study of the Xia Dynasty and Xia culture still has not reached a conclusion that makes the world believe and satisfied, the historical and cultural inheritance of the Xia Shang Dynasty, the Xia culture is an indispensable source in the history and culture of the Chinese nation, and it is the original gene of Chinese civilization.
Not only does the history of China come from the Xia Dynasty, the Chinese culture comes from the Xia culture, and the circulation of China's commodity economy also comes from the land where the Xia Dynasty and the Xia culture were born. From a certain factor, it is precisely because of the rich material civilization created by the Xia people that the communication of personnel, the enrichment of language and the production of writing have been promoted. Because of the production of writing, there is a foundation for the emergence of the state and the original medium for the progress of Chinese civilization. The production of writing and the formation of the state are inseparable from the rich material conditions necessary for human survival, and only the regions that can produce rich material conditions can give birth to the three basic conditions of the original national civilization of ancient mankind: writing, cities and bronzes.
The exploration of the source of Chinese civilization and the study of Xia culture are, fundamentally, to find the original place where the Chinese nation was nurtured, to find the area that can provide rich food resources for the Chinese nation, rather than to define the source of the Chinese national culture according to the accidental discovery of several archaeological sites. Because Of China's long history and vast territory, many difficulties and uncertainties have been added to the exploration of the source of Chinese civilization, but the emergence of Chinese national culture is inseparable from some basic material conditions. These basic material conditions are not only inseparable from the emergence of Chinese national culture, but also the emergence of any human civilization in the world, that is, superior geographical, natural and climatic conditions provide a long-term, stable and rich food environment for human survival and settlement - rich plant fruits and fish at your fingertips.
With 9.6 million square kilometers of land in China, where was the area where the early Chinese nation was rich in food resources? Of course, there are local claims everywhere, but there is a recognized conclusion in history, that is, the ancient Dongyi region. The Book of the Later Han Dynasty and the Biography of Dongyi Lie records: "The Eastern Yi. Yi, Yi Ye, benevolent and good life, all things come out of the ground. Therefore, the nature is soft, easy to be the emperor, to the prince, the immortal country. There are nine kinds of Yi, known as Yiyi, Yuyi, Fangyi, Huangyi, Baiyi, Chiyi, Xuanyi, Fengyi, and Yangyi. Therefore, Confucius wanted to live in Jiuyiye." As the founder of Chinese Confucian academic thought and an outstanding representative of Chinese culture, Confucius lived in the land of Jiuyi as an ideal living environment in his heart, which shows the attraction and centripetal force of the Jiuyi area to people. "All things come out of the earth" provides the people with a variety of rich food resources, "benevolence and good life" provides a harmonious living environment for the people, "the most gentleman and immortal country" provides the people with an ideal national political environment, and "the nature is soft, easy to be the tao" provides the ideal humanistic environment for the people. If the Dongyi and Jiuyi regions represent typical and classic Characteristics of Chinese civilization, it is not an exaggeration, and it is appropriate.
Judging from the currently known and reliable literature, tushan mountain, which records the Xia culture of the Xia Dynasty, "Xia Zhixing also takes Tushan" and "Yuhui princes are in Tushan" is located in the Dongyi and Jiuyi areas in the middle reaches of the Huai River. The success of Dayu Zhishui and the establishment of the Xia Dynasty in the Dongyi Jiuyi region, which is rich in natural resources, are the ideal geographical environment conditions for the birth of Chinese human civilization. In other words, the Dongyi Jiuyi region is the ideal geographical environment for the establishment of the Xia Dynasty and the emergence of Xia culture, providing stable food resources for the Xia people and providing a reliable guarantee for the production of culture.
The Shangtang tribe in the Yellow River Basin, which is located in northern China and has little rain, when encountering years of natural drought and food shortages, the Xia Dynasty that plundered and destroyed the Huai River Basin was the only choice for the northern tribes to survive. Historical development proves that the history of the Chinese nation is a history of the invasion of the Central Plains civilization by the northern nationalities, a history of the northern ethnic groups with scarce natural resources plundering the rich resources of the south, and the history of the northern Biaobei tribes plundering the southern supple tribes. After eliminating the last ruler of the Xia Dynasty, Xia Jie, Shang Tang originally intended to establish the capital of the Shang Dynasty in the capital of the Xia Dynasty in order to control the rich material resources of the Xia cultural area, but due to some unknown factor, "Tang has won the Xia, wants to move its society, and cannot, it is impossible to make the Xia Society" ("History").
In the subsequent history, the Shang Dynasty experienced the early period of frequent migration of the capital and the late period of the Dingdu Yin Ruins, and the entire Shang Dynasty period was also called the Yin Shang Dynasty. The latest research results show that in the middle of the Shang Dynasty, because of the contradictions within the Shang Dynasty, the rule of the Shang Dynasty was split, and the faction represented by Pan Geng migrated to Yin Ruins to begin a stable late reign of the Yin Shang Dynasty, and the other shang royal family continued to stay in the shang capital to maintain the old regional rule and become a thorn in Pan Geng's eyes. Pan Geng's threat to those who disobeyed orders, "I am extinct, without being left behind, and I am not easy to plant in Zixinyi" (I will kill them all and not let the evil seeds stay in Xinyi), reflecting the fierce internal strife in the middle and late Shang Dynasty and the internal division of the Yin Shang Dynasty.
Although today we have determined the specific geographical location of Yin Ruins through modern archaeology, it is a historical mystery where the capital of the country before Pan Geng moved to the capital. Because there are very few documents about the Shang Dynasty, we can only solve some historical mysteries one by one through the historical events of the Western Zhou Dynasty, from the known to the unknown, so that China's history is clearer and clearer.
The inscription of the early Western Zhou Dynasty bronze [He Zun] excavated in 1963 records that the King of Weiwu, who had ke Dayi Shang, told Yu Tian, "Yu Qi's mansion is a chinese self-servant". The inscription indicates that after King Wu had cut down the city, King Wu of Zhou took the important town of the Yin Shang Dynasty, "Dayi Shang", and decided to build the Eastern Capital chengcheng of the Eastern Region under The Western Zhou Dynasty, which was built by the Zhou Gong during the Zhou Dynasty. The Book of Shang records many historical events about the relationship between Shang And Chengzhou, such as "Wei Ke Shang, Sui Passage in Jiuyi And Eight Barbarians", "Xi Shuo came from Xiang, gave the life of the four people of Dashenger", "ChengWang returned to Himself, in Zong Zhou, Shu State, as "Many Parties", "Wang from Xiang, as for Zong Zhou", "Since ancient times, merchants have also crossed my Zhou Wen Wang Li government, Li Shi, shepherd, quasi-people, then Ke Zhaozhi, Ke Yu Zhi, Zi Nai Qi, Guo Is Reckless". It can be seen from this that the Western Zhou Chengzhou City of "Zeke Zhaizhi" was the "Dayi Shang" state city of King Wu of Zhou, and the Chengzhou City of the Western Zhou Dynasty and the "Dayi Shang" Shang of the Shang Dynasty had a geographical and historical and cultural inheritance relationship.
Where is the Chengzhou City of the Western Zhou Dynasty? The bronze [Xi Jia Plate] inscription provides us with clues, the inscription records: In March of the fifth year of the Falcon, both the death of Ba Gengyin, Wang Chuge Va Hu Yu (Yu Wu), Xi Jia from the king, folding the head of the interrogation, Hugh Death (愍), Wang Zhi Jia Jia horse four horses, the car, Wang Ling Jia Zheng (Zheng) Division (Rule) into thursday responsibility (accumulation), as for the Nan Huai Yi, Huai Yi old I Shu (bribe) people, do not dare not go out of their veils, their responsibilities (accumulation), its entry, its Jia, do not dare not be the next to the city, dare not use the order, then the punishment, its Falcon I princes, the people, Jia, If you do not want to be in the city, if you dare to or (have) enter the barbarians, you will also be punished. Xi Boji's father made a plate, and his eyebrow life was boundless, and his children and grandchildren were used by Yongbao.
Yin Jifu was an important figure in the history of the Western Zhou Dynasty, a collector of the Chinese Book of Poetry, and made outstanding contributions to the development of Chinese culture. Yin Jifu was ordered by King Xuan of Zhou to administer the taxes of Chengzhou because of his military exploits, and the places he went were specific and clear - Nanhuaiyi, the people who collected taxes were clear and specific - Huaiyi people, and the content of the taxes collected was specific and detailed - the gifts, grain, personnel, commodities. In order to ensure the supply of goods to the Western Zhou Dynasty, the circulation of required goods to the Southern Manchuria region was restricted by law. It can be seen that Nanhuaiyi was the economic pillar of the Western Zhou Dynasty, and the rich goods in the vast Huaiyi region had to be traded in Chengzhoucheng in Nanhuaiyi, which became the largest commodity trading market and labor market in China at that time.
The economic status and importance of Nan huaiyi in the Western Zhou Dynasty are also confirmed in the bronze inscription of the bronze [Ju Father Cup]: in the first month of the tenth and eighth year of the reign of king Wei, the father of Nan Zhongbang ordered the father of the southern princes, and led the father of Gao, Huinan Huaiyi, and took the clothes. Because of the vulgarity, he did not dare to disrespect the king's orders, to see me against me, and to offer his clothes. I even Yu Huai, the small state of the great state dare not slaughter (貯), all rebel against the king's orders. In April, as for Cai, do traveling. Father Foal's eternal life will be long. The inscription tells us that the southern princes of the Southern Huaiyi region did not dare to disobey the king's orders and provide various commodities and materials for the Western Zhou Dynasty to pay taxes; it shows the dependence of the Western Zhou Dynasty on the material resources of the Southern Huaiyi region.
Since the Western Zhou Dynasty restricted the trade of commodities and goods in the vast Huaiyi region and prohibited trade with the southern region, there must be a commodity trading market that the Western Zhou Dynasty can manage, which must become the silk that the Western Zhou Dynasty needs to obtain goods and commodities in the Huaiyi region, especially the silk that the princes and nobles of the Western Zhou Dynasty need. Where is the commodity trading market in the Southern Huaiyi region? Where are the merchants who trade goods? The answer is in the [Xi Jia Pan] inscription - Wang LingJia Zhengzhi into the Thursday Square Product.
In the middle reaches of the Huai River, north of the Huai River Tushan, there is a North River leading to the Huai River, in the middle reaches of the Beimi River there is a lake named "Sifang", in the Sifang Lake there is an ancient city ruins, there is an ancient street market on the ruins of the ancient city, the local legend is that its name is "Yu Shuai Street". The ancient city of Sifang Lake, because of its unique geographical location, became the ideal geographical environment of the Western Zhou Dynasty's "passage in the Nine Yi and Eight Barbarians". Therefore, the Sifang Lake adjacent to the ruins of the ancient city is exactly the "Cheng zhou fang" managed by Yin Jifu, which has become a commodity trading market for the entire Huaiyi region, and has continuously transported various goods and precious commodities in the Huaiyi region for the Western Zhou Dynasty- Huaiyi, to offer its Chen, Yuan gui elephant teeth, and dazai Nanjin ("Book of Poetry").
As the material carrier of the national civilization symbol of the Shang Dynasty and the Western Zhou Dynasty: jade, drapery, oracle bones, and bronzes, it cannot be said that all of them are produced in the Huaiyi region, but the Huaiyi region can be determined to be an important source of these precious commodities and a concentration of trade during the Western Zhou Dynasty. Otherwise, King Xuan of Zhou, represented by Yin Jifu, would not have made strict regulations on market trade in the Southern Huaiyi and Huaiyi regions, prohibiting the sale of goods from the Huaiyi region to the Southern Barbarian regions.
Because of the rich material wealth of the Huaiyi region, the King of Shang threw all the main army of Yin Shang into the armed conquest of the southeast region, and only then did King Wu of Zhou attack the King of Shang, ending the rule of the Yin Shang Dynasty and establishing the Western Zhou regime. As the Zhou tribe that destroyed the King of Shangyi, it was natural to become an ally of the people in the Huaiyi region, and the Duke of Zhou and the King of Zhou Cheng built the Zhou City to administer the southeast region in the Shangyi region, and only then would they adopt renzheng and realize the "rule of Chengkang" of "King Wu Keshang and become the Jing Sifang" - so when Chengkang came, the world was peaceful, and the punishment was not used for more than forty years.
The reason why the Xia And Shang Dynasties have become an orderly history of China is precisely because after the destruction of Yin Keshang, King Wu of Zhou established the Eastern Capital Chengzhou City in the Huaiyi Shang Dynasty, in order to directly manage the southeast region and effectively obtain the rich material wealth of the southeast region to maintain the material needs of the western Zhou Dynasty's rule. The Western Zhou Dynasty inherited the old capital of the Yin Shang Dynasty in the southeast region, Shang Xiang, and the people who provided commodity trading for the Western Zhou Dynasty in the Shang Dynasty became merchants in the commodity trade, because they were previously the people who provided the Shang Dynasty with rich commodities in the Huaiyi region.
Therefore, tracing back to the roots, the ancient city of Sifang Lake in Nanhuaiyi is not only the bearer of the history of the Xia Shang Zhou Dynasty, the bearer of the Xia Shang Zhou culture, the birthplace of Chinese merchants, the first commodity trading market in China, and the economic lifeblood of the Xia Shang Zhou Dynasty rule - the gift of nature enjoyed by "all things come out of the ground", which is the cornerstone of the development of the agricultural civilization of the Xia Shang Zhou Dynasty. (Author: Zhao Hui)