What was the formation of the Xia Dynasty? What is the definition of the Xia Dynasty? How did Xia Qi establish the Xia Dynasty? What opposition did Xia Qi encounter? How did Xia Qi defeat the Yuki clan? What happened to Xia Qi's death? How did Yi capture An Yi? How did Yi's rule affect slaves? How did Taikang lose the country? How did Shaokang retake the country? How did the capital of the Xia Dynasty move? Why can't I find the written artifacts of the Xia Dynasty? Why is Erlitou considered the capital of the Xia Dynasty? What is the relationship between the Shibian Temple and the Xia Dynasty? Was Sanxingdui the capital of the Xia Dynasty? These questions will be answered in this article. The formation of the Xia Dynasty can be traced back to the Xia Qi. According to the Book of Rites, the formation of the Xia Dynasty marked the transition from public ownership to a class society of private ownership. Xia Qi refused to surrender power, summoned the tribes to a meeting in Juntai, and claimed to inherit his father's position. However, Xia Qi encountered opposition from the Yi people, one of the most powerful tribes at that time. In order to avoid conflict with the Yi people, Xia Qi abandoned his traditional possession of Yangzhai and moved to the Daxia region, where he made his capital at Anyi. Xia Qi defeated the Youhu tribe who opposed him and punished them all as slaves. However, Xia Qi's death did not bring stability to the Xia Dynasty.
During the reign of his son Taikang, he abandoned state affairs and left the north bank of the capital Luoshui for a long time to hunt. It was at this time that the Dongyi leader Yi took advantage of the void and captured Anyi, causing Taikang to lose the state. After Yi occupied An Yi, he changed his surname to Youqi and claimed to inherit Xia Qi's power. However, Yi did not free the slaves, but only opposed Xia Qi as the leader. Yi also liked to hunt, and his henchman Hanxun took advantage of his absence to buy slaves to revolt, killing Yi, and inheriting his property and concubines. Therefore, Yi's experience is more tragic than the mythical story. Taikang fled to Xinxun, but Yi pursued him and broke through Xinzhen, and Taikang lost the country again. Yi Li Taikang's younger brother Zhongkang was king, but Zhongkang was only the king of the Xia Hou clan, and the real power was in the hands of Hanxun of the Youqiu clan. Zhongkang's son Xiang fled to Shangqiu, but Hanxun still refused to let him go, so Xiang had to continue to flee, and finally came to Diqiu. Diqiu belonged to the Kunwu clan, a powerful country at that time, and the same surname of the Xia Hou clan. However, Hanxun pursues again, Kungo is defeated and Xiang is killed, and only the pregnant Xiang's wife escapes to her mother's family, Yu Shang, where she gives birth to Shaokang. When Shaokang grew up, he became an official in Youshang, but Hanxun still refused to let him go.
So, Shaokang found Youyu, a descendant of Emperor Shun, and asked for help. With the assistance of the Yu clan, Shaokang united with the Kunwu and other tribes, and eventually defeated Hanxun and recaptured the country, a period known as "Shaokang Zhongxing". After Shaokang recaptured the country, he made Yangzhai, the old capital of the Xia Hou clan, the national capital. Shaokang's son Dizhu moved to the plain north of the Yellow River and settled his capital at Laoqiu. During Yinjia's reign, the Xia Dynasty moved west again, with its capital at Xihe, and after Di Gao succeeded to the throne, it moved slightly east and set its capital at Yuchi. The purpose of these relocations was mainly to prevent retaliation from the Dongyi people. Although the Xia Dynasty has existed for a long time, why can't you find the written artifacts of the Xia Dynasty? The reason is that the Xia Dynasty did not give itself a national name, but the descendants called this period according to the name of the Xia Hou clan. Therefore, the name of the Xia Dynasty was given by descendants, and it was not set by itself like Shang Zhou. There are indeed few written cultural relics of the Xia Dynasty, because the Xia Dynasty did not develop an independent writing system. However, this does not mean that the Xia Dynasty did not exist. The real existence of the Xia Dynasty can be confirmed by historical records and archaeological finds, and the Xia Dynasty has been a dynasty since at least the Xia Dynasty. So, why is Erlitou considered the Xia Dynasty the most qualified to represent the Xia Capital?
This is because most of the capital cities of the Xia Dynasty were temporarily selected places to live, and only Luoyang, the capital of Xia Wei, was undoubtedly the royal capital. Xuan and Luoyang are actually the same place, but the names are different, and they are actually both erlitou. Judging from archaeological findings, the excavated cultural relics and the scale of the royal city in Erlitou make it one of the most important among the Xia Dynasty sites. Regarding the Shibian Temple, although it is large, there is a lack of documentation related to the Xia Dynasty. Calling Shibian Temple the capital of Xia does not correspond to the Xia Dynasty's Anyi, because Anyi and Shibian Temple are not the same place, which contradicts the records of many ancient books. In addition, some people, in order to elevate the status of Sanxingdui, associate it with the Xia Dynasty. However, Sima Qian clearly states in the Shiji that the capital of the Xia Dynasty was in the Heluo region, not Sichuan. The absence of written records of the Xia Dynasty does not mean that it did not exist. The Xia Dynasty does exist, but we can't know more details about it through words. To sum up, the Xia Dynasty is one of the earliest dynasties in Chinese history. Xia Qi established the Xia Dynasty, and with the efforts of its descendants, the Xia Dynasty continued to expand and develop. Although there were many wars and migrations in the history of the Xia Dynasty, the Xia Dynasty did become a dynasty in the true sense of the word.
Erlitou is considered the site most qualified to represent the Xia capital of the Xia Dynasty. Although we cannot find written artifacts of the Xia Dynasty, this does not affect the existence and importance of the Xia Dynasty. The Xia Dynasty is indeed one of the origins of Chinese civilization, and its influence is far-reaching and extensive. It is necessary to delve into the history of the Xia Dynasty to better understand China's ancient civilization. What do you think about the Xia Dynasty? Please leave a message to share your thoughts.