There are many legendary figures in ancient Chinese history, the most famous of which are the Yellow Emperor and the Yan Emperor. For a long time, people have always regarded themselves as the descendants of the Yellow Emperor, or regarded both the Yan Emperor and the Yellow Emperor as their ancestors, saying that they are descendants of the Yan and Huang. This idea of descent identity has played a great role in cohesion throughout history. No matter what Chinese you meet when you go to Tiannanhaibei, even if you don't know anything in your life, as long as you think you are a descendant of Yan and Huang, you will immediately have a sense of closeness. People naturally want to know whether there really were two people in history, the Yan Emperor and the Yellow Emperor, and how they were said to be the ancestors of the Chinese people? How did the Yan and Huang culture, which is a traditional Chinese culture, come into being formed and developed? These questions have been lingering in my mind for a long time, and it is still difficult to get a clear answer. Now I can only talk about some very superficial views to ask you for advice.
In the ancient books of the pre-Qin dynasty, the Yan Emperor and the Yellow Emperor are often mentioned together, the most obvious being a passage in the "Chinese Jin Language" quoting the Jin doctor Sikong Jizi:
"Xi Shaodian married the Youyun clan and gave birth to the Yellow Emperor and the Yan Emperor. The Yellow Emperor is made of Ji Shui, and the Yan Emperor is made of ginger water, and he is different from virtue, so the Yellow Emperor is Ji and the Yan Emperor is Jiang. The two emperors used teachers to help each other, and the reason for different virtues was also. ”
Shaodian, Qian Zhou's "Ancient History Examination" said that there was a bear monarch, and Huangfu Mi's "Imperial Century" said: "The Yellow Emperor has a bear, and now Xinzheng, Henan is also." There is no test for the land. The more important content of this article is that the two of them were Ji and Jiang because of the place names they grew up in, and they were contemporaries, so they used to cooperate with each other militarily. As for whether it is the same Shaodian and there is a frog, it is difficult to determine.
In the ancient documents that illustrate the relationship between the two emperors, a passage from the Book of Yi Zhou: Taste of Wheat is also very important:
"At the beginning of the old days, after the birth of the second post, it was a building ceremony. The Red Emperor was ordered to divide the two Qing, and ordered You Yu Yu to be in Shaohao, to face the Quartet, and the □□ of the division (according to the original quotation of the two words are not clear, some people say that it may be "a hundred workers") to the heavens did not accomplish the celebration. Chi You is chasing the emperor, fighting for the river of Zhuolu (or as A), and the nine corners are endless. The Red Emperor was terrified, but it was said that the Yellow Emperor was stubborn, and he was killed in Zhongji. ”
The Red Emperor in this passage should be the Yan Emperor, and the predecessors have already said it. As for who the second queen refers to, some people say that it is the Red Emperor and Chiyou, and some people say that it is the Yan Emperor and the Yellow Emperor. If it is a later statement, it can echo the saying in the "Jin language" that the two emperors used teachers to help each other. The most important content of this paragraph should be to enshrine the Yan and Huang Emperors as the leaders arranged by God and the founding fathers of the establishment of the scriptures.
There is also a dialogue in the seventeenth year of Zhaogong in "Zuo Chuan", which leads to Tanzi, which is also very important:
"In the past, the Yellow Emperor's clan was named after the cloud era, so it was the cloud master, the Yandi clan was named after the fire master, the Gonggong clan was named after the water division, so it was the water master, and the Taihao clan was named after the dragon master. My ancestor Shao Haozhi is also the standing, the phoenix bird is suitable, so the age is in the bird, and the bird name is the bird master. ”
Tanzi is a native of Dongyi, so he mentions Dongyi's distant ancestors with Huang and Yan, but after all, he still puts Huang and Yan in front.
According to the above legends, Emperor Yan and Emperor Huang should be of similar status, indistinguishable, and have a close relationship, supporting each other militarily. But in the legend, there is a saying that the Yellow Emperor and the Yan Emperor fought in the field of Hanquan, after a long war, the Yellow Emperor won, and then defeated Chiyou, so the princes all respected Xuanyuan Yellow Emperor as the Son of Heaven. The status of the Yellow Emperor surpassed that of Emperor Yan at once, so much so that the position of Emperor Yan was not arranged in the "Dadai Li Ji - Five Emperors" and "Historical Records - Five Emperors Benji", which arranged the ancient history system earlier, and only mentioned Emperor Yan incidentally when telling the deeds of the Yellow Emperor.
"The Five Emperors Benji" talks about the battle between the Yellow Emperor and the Yan Emperor Hanquan and the battle between the Yellow Emperor and Chiyou Zhuolu, which is quite similar, and it is also suspected that it is not very smooth from the perspective of literature and science. In addition, there is a saying that Chiyou is the Yan Emperor in ancient times, so people today have doubts that it was originally one thing (1). But the prestige of the Yellow Emperor suddenly surpassed that of the Yan Emperor, which obviously had a lot to do with the story of this war.
In "The Book of the Five Emperors", Emperor Yan seems to be the last leader of the Shennong clan, so it is said that "when Xuanyuan was in power, the Shennong clan declined". After the Yellow Emperor defeated Emperor Yan and Chiyou, the princes respected him as the Son of Heaven, and then "on behalf of the Shennong clan, he was for the Yellow Emperor". The Shennong clan here seems to be a dynasty, and Emperor Yan is a person. However, in the "Historical Records: Feng Zen Book", it is said: "Shennong sealed Mount Tai, Zen Yunyun, and Emperor Yan sealed Mount Tai, Zen Yunyun." "Shennong and Emperor Yan are like two people, so it can be seen that Taishi Gong doesn't know much about this matter. Roughly after Liu Xin compiled the "World Classic", Emperor Yan and Shennong combined into one person, and the Lieshan clan or Lishan clan became one person, many deeds in the ancient book about the world of Shennong, such as the invention of farming, tasting herbs to help people, knotting ropes and so on, are attached to Emperor Yan, and Emperor Yan's reputation is prominent again. "Imperial Century" also said that Emperor Yan passed on the throne of the eighth Yu Emperor and was replaced by the Yellow Emperor. From this, it is obviously not appropriate to trace the ancestors to only talk about the Yellow Emperor and not the Yan Emperor. This is probably how the term "Yan and Huang" came about.
The stories of Yan and Huang are divided and combined, and they should be both different from and related to their original deeds.
Where Emperor Yan came from, there are different theories. "Jin Yu" only says that "Emperor Yan made it with ginger water...... Therefore, Emperor Yan is Jiang". It is about to say that Emperor Yan grew up in the place of Jiang Shui, and because the place is his surname, he got the surname Jiang. "Imperial Century" described his life experience in more detail:
"Shennong's surname Jiang is also, his mother is called Ren Ji, there is a female Deng of the Shen family, she is a young concubine, you Huayang, there is a dragon head, the Yan Emperor is sensitive, the human body is the head of a cow, and she is longer than Jiang Shui. There is holy virtue, the king of fire, so he is called Emperor Yan. At the beginning, the capital was Chen, and then migrated to Lu. It is also called Kuikui's clan, and it is also called Lianshan's clan, and it is also called Lieshan's. ”
It's probably a mix of stories and myths from different sources. Ginger water is a tributary of Weishui, and the article "Water Jing Note: Weishui" says: "Qishui is east to the south of Jiang's city, which is ginger water." According to the "Shiben": Yandi Jiang's surname; "Imperial Century" said: Yandi Shennong's, Jiang's surname, mother and daughter Deng, You Huayang, touched by God and gave birth to Yandi in Jiangshui, which is its place. Huayang is the sun of Huashan, that is, Huayang in "Yugong" "Huayang, Heishui Weiliangzhou". Both places were in the area of Weishui and Qinling in present-day central Shaanxi. Mr. Xu Xusheng also argues from folklore sources that Emperor Yan originated from Jiangshui, a tributary of Weishui, that is, Qishui (2).
said that Emperor Yan was the capital of Chen and Xilu, I don't know what the basis is. Chen is in present-day Huaiyang, and Lu is in present-day Qufu. This theory may be related to the statement that Emperor Yan is Chiyou. Because Chiyou used to be "Yu Shaohao", and Shaohao Ruins is in Qufu. One said that Chen Dang refers to Chen Cang near Baoji, Shaanxi, and Ludang is Lushan in Henan. Although there is no conclusive basis, and the earth is closer to ginger water, it seems to make sense.
Lieshan, Lianshan, and Lishan are all the same, and Lie, Lian, and Li are all the same tone. "Rites and Rituals": "Therefore, the Lishan clan has the world, and its son is called a farmer, and he can grow a hundred grains." Zheng Note: "Emperor Yan of the Lishan clan also started from Lishan, or there is a Lieshan clan." "Hanshu, Geographical Chronicles, Nanyang County, Suixian" Article Bangu self-note: "The homeland." Li Township, so Li Country. "The Book of the Later Han Dynasty and the Chronicles of the County" quoted the "Jingzhou Chronicle": "There are strong villages in the county, and there is a hole in the mountains, and according to legend, the cloud is the cave born by Shennong. This means that Emperor Yan started in Suixian, Hubei, and built the Li Kingdom there.
There is a legend in "The Classic of Mountains and Seas, The Classic of the Sea" that connects Emperor Yan with Zhu Rong and Gonggong:
"The wife of Emperor Yan, the son of Chishui, listened to Yanju, Yanju gave birth to the festival, and the festival gave birth to the opera, and the opera gave birth to Zhurong. Zhu Rongjiang is in the river, and he works together. The co-working technique, the head of the instrument, is the soil to the river water. Co-workers give birth to the soil, and the soil gives birth to choking, and choking is born two out of ten. ”
This lineage is very different from the lineage mentioned in the "Imperial Century". "The Great Dai Li Ji - The Emperor's Line" and "The Historical Records of the Chu Family" both say that Zhu Rong is a descendant of the emperor, and the legend of Gonggong is also mostly in the north, but here Zhu Rong and Gonggong are linked to the river, and they are both descendants of Emperor Yan. Because the Chu people regard Zhurong as their ancestor, this legend cannot be said to be without a little truth.
According to the above legend, Emperor Yan seems to have originated in Shaanxi and developed eastward, and after arriving in Henan, one group clashed with Chiyou and the Yellow Emperor in the north, and one went south to Hubei. Emperor Yan's deeds seem to have been mainly the development of agriculture, so later generations always associate him with Shennong, Lieshan, etc., who invented agriculture.
Legend has it that the descendants of Emperor Yan are not necessarily surnamed Jiang, but the country surnamed Jiang is mostly regarded as the queen of Emperor Yan. The founding of the surname Jiang in the East is mainly Shen, Lü, Qi, and Xu. Shen and Lü were both in the southwest of present-day Henan Province, Xu was in Xuchang County in central Henan, and Qi was in the northeastern part of present-day Shandong. In addition, there are Ji, Xiang, Zhou, etc. "Zuo Biography" in the first year of the Yin Dynasty, "Ji Ren Fayi". Shu quoted the "World Genealogy" and said: "Ji, the Marquis surnamed Jiang, Zhuang was destroyed in four years." Xiang Zaipei, "Hanshu Geography Pei County" under Xiang County Ban Gu said: "Therefore, Jiang is surnamed Guo, and Emperor Yan is the queen." "Zuo Chuan: Five Years of Huan Gong", "Zhou Gong Ru Cao" quoted "Shiben" and said: "Zhou Guo, surnamed Jiang." Most of the above-mentioned Jiang surnamed countries are in Henan and Shandong, which seems to be roughly consistent with the scope of the aforementioned Yan Emperor's development to the east.
Where the Yellow Emperor came from, the theory is not consistent. "Five Emperors Benji" said that he was "the son of Shaodian, surnamed Gongsun, and named Xuanyuan". The aforementioned "Jin Yu" also said that the Yellow Emperor and the Yan Emperor were both born from Shaodian. Qian Zhou said that Shaodian is a bear monarch, and the "Historical Records" collection quotes Xu Guang to say: The Yellow Emperor "has a bear", and the "Historical Records" righteously quotes the "Chronicles of the Public" cloud: "Zhuolu's real name is Pengcheng, the first capital of the Yellow Emperor, and there is a bear in the move." So Zhang Shoujie simply said, "Yellow Emperor, there is Xiong Guojun." And there are bears generally believed in Xinzheng, Henan, this is a saying.
said that the Yellow Emperor's first capital Zhuolu is probably deduced from the story of the Yellow Emperor after the Yellow Emperor defeated Chiyou in Zhuolu, and the princes respected him as the Son of Heaven. Zhuolu is generally thought to be Zhuolu County, Hebei Province. If Zhuolu's real name is Pengcheng, then Pengcheng is in Cixian County in the south of present-day Hebei, which is the second and third theory. "Historical Records" Suo Yin also quoted Huang Fu Mi as saying: "The Yellow Emperor was born in Shouqiu, grew up in Jishui, because he thought he was a surname; "Historical Records" righteously thinks that "Shouqiu is in the north of Ludongmen, and now it is six miles northeast of Qufu County, Yanzhou". This is the fourth statement.
"Jin Yu" said that the Yellow Emperor was made by Ji Shui, and later everyone recognized that the Yellow Emperor was surnamed Ji, and the largest family of the surname Ji, the Zhou people, started from the Weishui Valley in Shaanxi, and it seems that it is very likely that the Yellow Emperor started in the Weishui Basin. Besides, after the death of the Yellow Emperor, he was buried in Qiaoshan, which is in today's Huangling County (the old central county), and it is not far from Weishui, which is the fifth theory. Among all these theories, the Xinzheng theory and the Weishui basin theory are the best. Due to the age and divergent legends, it is difficult to determine where to go. However, except for Shouqiu in Shandong, it probably does not go beyond Henan, Hebei, Shaanxi and other places, that is, the Central Plains in history.
The Yellow Emperor has many deeds, first and foremost he was a military leader and achieved great military achievements. The "Five Emperors Benji" said that he was "accustomed to fighting war", "cultivating virtue and invigorating the army, governing the five qi, five kinds of art, soothing the people, and saving the Quartet", and made full preparations for war. He also "taught bears, stalks, pigeons, pigeons, pigs, and tigers" ("Five Emperors" said: "The Yellow Emperor taught bears, reeds, picos, leopards, and tigers", and "Liezi" said: "The Yellow Emperor and the Yan Emperor fought in the wilderness of Hanquan, with handsome bears, stalks, picoons, leopards, and tigers as the forerunners, and eagles, cranes, eagles, and kites as banners. These strange names, the "Historical Records" righteously think that "the priests practiced warfare in the name of fierce beasts, and used them to threaten the enemy." Neighbors mostly think that it is the totem of the clan (and therefore the name of the clan). When he fought with Chiyou, he "was the prince of the army", which proved that he did lead many soldiers of other clans and tribes, defeated Emperor Yan in one battle, and defeated Chiyou in another battle, and his prestige was greatly enhanced, so the princes respected him as the Son of Heaven. This is an important reason why "Five Emperors" and "Five Emperors Benji" regard him as the head of the Five Emperors. Not only that, "The Five Emperors Benji" also said: "There are people in the world who are not in order, and the Yellow Emperor will collect them, and the peaceful ones will go to them. As far as the sea in the east, climb Marushan and Daizong, in the west, go to Kongtong, climb Jitou, go to Jiangjiang in the south, climb Xiongxiang, and chase meat porridge in the north, which is in line with Busan, and the city is in Zhuolu's Ah. Migration to and from impermanence, with divisions and soldiers as battalion guards. It can be seen that his career was mainly spent in war, and the success of the war made him an indisputable leader, like a founding father.
The Yellow Emperor was the first to establish a political power, and the official was named after the cloud, "placing the left and right eunuchs, and supervising the nations", "raising the wind, Li Mu, Chang Xian, and Dahong to govern the people", which was a groundbreaking event, and probably the reason why the Yellow Emperor was placed at the head of the Five Emperors. This regime may not be as orderly as the legend suggests, but it is powerful enough to keep it in prison and the nations to be at peace. But after all, it is very different from the kind of clans, tribes, and even tribal alliances that are based on blood relations. In the past, it was often said that China has a history of 5,000 years of civilization, probably starting from the Yellow Emperor.
Legend has it that the Yellow Emperor also did many things to develop economy and culture. "Five Emperors Benji" said that he "sowed hundreds of grains and plants, and purified birds, beasts, insects and moths". "The Book of Yue Jue: The Sword Chapter" says: "When the Yellow Emperor was a soldier, he used jade as a soldier." In the "Shiben" cited in each book, there are also legends such as "the Yellow Emperor as the crown", the Yellow Emperor's ministers "Yongfu as the pestle", "the common drum and the goods as the boat", "the frustration and the cangjie as the book", "Wu Peng as the doctor", "the big scratch as the Jiazi", "the Linglun as the law" and so on. "Historical Records: Feng Zen Book" has the saying that "the Yellow Emperor picked the copper of the first mountain and cast the tripod under the Jing Mountain". And the Yellow Emperor's wife, Xiling's ancestor, first persuaded silkworms, which is mentioned in many ancient books. Some of these legends may be an adjunct to posterity, while others should reflect the truth of part of history.
It is said that the Yellow Emperor had 25 sons, "and the 14 people who got the surnames were 12 surnames: Ji, You, Qi, Ji, Teng, Zhen, Ren, Xun, Xi, Yao, Yi, and Yishiye." However, Qingyang and Canglin are the same as the Yellow Emperor, so they are both surnamed Ji." This passage is from "Chinese Jin language". They are both sons of the Yellow Emperor, why are only 2 of them surnamed Ji from their father, the remaining 12 have other surnames, and the other 11 have no surnames at all? Why do Qingyang and Yigu get their own surnames as nephews of Fang Lei and Tongyu respectively? 25 people are the sons of the four mothers, why are they not the four surnames? It seems that at that time it was neither necessarily from the father's surname, nor did it seem to be from the mother's surname. Some of them are derived from place names, and some of them are derived from their surnames, we do not know. Because of this, we cannot regard all the countries surnamed Ji as descendants of the Yellow Emperor or related to the Yellow Emperor, and of course we cannot say that they are all related, depending on the specific situation.
Legend has it that the concubine of the Yellow Emperor gave birth to two sons, one is Xuanhuan, who lives in the river, and the other is called Changyi, who lives in Ruoshui, and marries the female servant of the Shushan clan and gives birth to Gaoyang, that is, the emperor. The emperor hill of the capital is now Puyang County. The "Historical Records" righteously quoted the "Kuodi Chronicles" and the "Hanshu Geographical Chronicles" that the ancient Jiangguo was in Anyang, Henan, so it was very close to Puyang, and it was suspected that it was the residence of Xuanhuan.
A passage quoted by "Chinese Lu Yu" says:
"There are Yu clan Yu Yellow Emperor and ancestor 颛顼, suburb Yao and Zong Shun; Xia Hou clan Yu Yellow Emperor and ancestor 颛顼, suburb and Zong Yu; merchant Yu Shun and Zu Qi, suburb and Zong Tang; Zhou people Yu and suburbs, Zu Wen Wang and Zong Wu King. ”
This is talking about the ancient sacrificial system. In "The Book of Rites: A Note on Mourning Clothes" and "The Great Biography", it is said: "Etiquette is not the king. The king came out of his ancestors, and matched them with his ancestors. According to this, Yu and Xia both admit that their ancestors came from the Yellow Emperor, so the "Five Emperors Benji" says: "Yu, the great-great-grandson of the Yellow Emperor, and the grandson of the emperor." "Five Emperors Benji" said that Shun was the seventh grandson of Changyi, the son of the Yellow Emperor, "Yin Benji" said that the deed was born to Jian Di, the second concubine of the emperor, and "Zhou Benji" said that Houji, the ancestor of the Zhou people, was born to Jiang Yan, the emperor's concubine. Although it is said that Jian Di swallowed the eggs of the Xuanniao during the bath before conceiving the deed, Jiang Yan only felt and conceived after the giant trail in the wild, and the blood of the deed and Ji may not have the ingredients of the emperor, and in the "law" they have to be recognized as the son of the emperor, that is, the descendants of the Yellow Emperor, so they are "the ancestor of the deed" and "the suburbs". In this way, all ethnic groups in China, who were the main body of ancient Chinese residents, became the descendants of the Yellow Emperor.
Not only that, but because of the prestige of the Yellow Emperor, some non-Chinese tribes also got related to him. Taishi Gong once "went to the empty mountain in the west, Zhuolu in the north, gradually in the sea in the east, floated in the south and Huai Huai, and the elders were often called the Yellow Emperor Yao Shun, and the wind and religion were solid." He probably thought it was indecent and did not adopt it, but it was preserved in books such as the "Classic of Mountains and Seas". For example, in the "Great Wilderness East Classic", it is said: "In the Zhu of the East China Sea, there are gods and men with the face and the body of a bird, two yellow snakes, and two yellow snakes, and the name is Yu." The Yellow Emperor gave birth to Yu, Yu, Yu, Yujing, Yujing, Yujing, Yujing, Yu, and the East China Sea, which is the god of the sea. "The Great Wilderness North Classic" said: "In the great wilderness, there is a mountain named Rongfu Mountain, which enters the Yan along the water. Some people are called dog Rong. The Yellow Emperor gave birth to Miao Long, Miao Long gave birth to Rong Wu, Rong Wu gave birth to Ming, Ming gave birth to a white dog, and the white dog had a peony, which was for the dog. "The Great Wilderness of the West" said: "There is a country of Beidi, the grandson of the Yellow Emperor is called Shijun, and Shijun is born in Beidi." Although these are myths and strange theories, which cannot be regarded as real history, they contain some truths after all. In other words, they ostensibly speak of kinship, but in fact reflect the idea of cultural identity. This idea of cultural identity has played a very important role in the development of China's history for thousands of years.
The above is the general situation about the legend of Yanhuang. Most of them are scattered in various works of the pre-Qin period, and the "Five Emperors" and "Imperial Lineage" of the "Great Dai Li Ji" and the "Historical Records of the Five Emperors" have been systematized, and some scholars have supplemented and interpreted them after the Eastern Han Dynasty. Since the time recorded in the literature is far from the time when the story was formed, it can only be passed on by word of mouth, and it is inevitable that some rumors and even Zhang Guan Li Dai will happen. Sima Qian's attitude was quite cautious when he wrote the "Historical Records", although all schools of thought said that the Yellow Emperor was spoken, and his words were indecent, he did not adopt them. Later people felt that it was not enjoyable, so they cited many myths and strange theories. There are inevitably many contradictions in the information from different sources, so I dig through them, always trying to make it more complete. It was not until the beginning of this century that some scholars wanted to use the new law to sort out the history of the country, and there was a big cleanup of the legend materials. Because the legendary sources are full of contradictions and inexplicables, it has aroused the suspicion of some scholars. The deeds and even personalities of Yao, Shun, and Yu, who were almost considered to be Xinshi in the past, have been shaken, not to mention Emperor Yan and Emperor Huangdi, who were earlier and have fewer materials. After all, this cleanup has a relatively clear understanding of the authenticity and credibility of a large number of materials, and has triggered a research on the methodology of sorting out legends and historical materials. Meng Wentong once divided the various ethnic groups in the legendary era into the Heluo nation, the Jianghan nationality and the Haidai nationality in the "Ancient History Zhen Wei", Fu Sinian created the Yixia East and West Theory, and Xu Xusheng wrote "The Legendary Era of Ancient Chinese History", which called the various ethnic groups in the legendary era respectively Huaxia Group, Dongyi Group and Miaoman Group. However, in the past, research only talked about legends and legends, and at most we could only rake and comb through the legends to see which ones came out early and which ones were deduced. If there is an error or contradiction in the original legend, there is no way to correct it, and there is no way to judge who is right and who is wrong.
Since the 20s of this century, prehistoric archaeology on the mainland has gradually developed. Some scholars have tried to combine historical legends with archaeological data, for example, saying that the Yangshao culture is the Xia culture, or that the Longshan culture is the Xia culture, or comparing the Yanhuang period, the Yao Shunyu era and the Xia dynasty with the early, middle and late Neolithic periods. Due to the fact that prehistoric archaeology at that time had not been started for a long time, the information found was limited, and a general genealogy had not yet been established. On such a basis, when combined with legendary data, there will inevitably be an imbalance and it will be difficult to reach a correct conclusion.
By the 80s, this had changed radically. At present, there are eight or nine thousand prehistoric sites found in the country, which belong to different periods and different cultural systems. Archaeologists divide China's prehistoric age into two stages: the Paleolithic and the Neolithic. The Paleolithic period lasted from about 2 million years ago to about 12,000 BC, and then gradually transitioned to the Neolithic period.
The Neolithic was an era of the invention of agriculture. The northern part of China is relatively cold, Inner Mongolia and other places are relatively dry, and the western part of the country is cold and dry, and there is a typical continental climate, which is not a good place for the development of agriculture, so it is still the main production area of animal husbandry on the mainland. Although the south of Wuling is a developed agricultural area today, it was hot, rainy and miasma in prehistoric times, and the culture was not particularly developed. In addition, due to the abundance of natural food resources, agriculture has not been developed for a long time. In this way, the earliest places where agriculture was first invented in China were concentrated in two places, one was North China in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, and the other was Central China in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River.
It is known that the Cishan Peiligang culture and the Laoguantai culture in North China have been cultivated millet and millet from about 6500 BC to 5000 BC. Scholars almost unanimously recognize North China as the origin of millet agriculture.
Recent discoveries have shown that rice was cultivated in both the Pengtoushan and Chengbeixi cultures in central China, dating from about 7000 BC to 5000 BC. In the later Hemudu culture, there was already a very developed rice farming. At present, more and more people in the academic circles have realized that Central China is a very important place of origin of rice farming.
Due to the development of primitive agriculture, which has led to the all-round development of economy, culture and society, China's two river basins (the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River) are not only one of the few agricultural birthplaces in the world, but also one of the few regions in the world that first entered the civilized society.
According to the latest research, the Neolithic culture in this area can be subdivided into at least two major periods and five minor periods. It is about 3500 B.C., the early period is a typical Neolithic Age, which can be divided into three small periods: early, middle and late, and the later period is the transition period from the Neolithic Age to the Bronze Age, which is archaeologically called the Bronze and Stone Era, which can be subdivided into two periods: early and late. Comparing this period with the legendary data, I preliminarily believe that the era of the Yellow Emperor, Zhuan Xu, and Emperor Yu is roughly equivalent to the early era of the combined use of copper and stone, the era of Yao Shunyu is roughly equivalent to the late era of combined use of copper and stone, and the Xia Dynasty is from the Bronze Age (3).
The early period of the copper-stone period generally includes the late Yangshao culture, the late Dawenkou culture, the Majiayao culture, the late Hongshan culture and the Xiaoheyan culture, the late Daxi culture to the Qujialing culture, the Fanchengdui culture, the Xuejiagang culture and the early Liangzhu culture. Therefore, the Yellow Emperor was set at the beginning of this era rather than earlier, and it seems that it should not be later, because of the following aspects:
First, the words of the bearded man in the "Yue Jue Shu Sword Chapter" said: "Xuanyuan, Shennong, and Huxu used stone as soldiers...... At the time of the Yellow Emperor, jade was used as a soldier...... When Yu acupuncture, copper was used as a soldier...... At this time, he will be an iron soldier". Fengbeard was born in the Spring and Autumn Period, and modern archaeological discoveries have shown that the Iron Age in the mainland roughly began in the Spring and Autumn Period. The Bronze Age began with the Erlitou culture, and it is generally believed that the Erlitou culture is the Xia culture, both of which are very correct. Although the use of jade was very early, a large number of manufacturing began in the early era of copper and stone, and the appearance of jade as a weapon would not be earlier than this period. Before that, it was indeed a typical Stone Age, that is, only stone soldiers. The comparison of documentary and archaeological data is simply inconsistent.
Second, as mentioned earlier, the main deeds of Emperor Yan are related to the development of agriculture, and in addition to the development of agriculture, the Yellow Emperor also has many creations in the handicraft industry, such as making jade soldiers, making boats, making cars, persuading silkworms, making crowns, and mining the first mountain copper and so on. The development of handicrafts means the formation of a professional division of labor and an increase in social wealth, which can support a part of the population to engage in long-term wars, and social wealth will also stimulate these people to carry out plundering wars, which is why the army of the Yellow Emperor is particularly capable of fighting. Although the Yellow Emperor and the Yan Emperor were contemporaries, one represented the old agricultural tribe and the other represented the emerging agricultural-handicraft tribe, so the defeat of the Yan Emperor represented the end of an era, the end of the legendary Shennong era, and the victory of the Yellow Emperor meant the beginning of a new era. From an archaeological point of view, it is the beginning of the era of copper and stone use.
Third, the Yellow Emperor was an outstanding military leader, he fought in the east and west, repeatedly made military exploits, lived in impermanence, and used his division as a battalion guard. Judging from the archaeological remains, the traces of Neolithic warfare are not obvious, and some of the wars are probably limited in scale. This is not the case in the era of copper and stone use, one is that the stone Yue as a weapon has generally developed and is well-made. Some of the stone axes of the Xuejiagang culture are also painted with vermilion to draw flower-fruit-shaped decorative patterns, which shows that people are particularly fond of these weapons. In some large tombs, jade is often used to bury with the tomb, and the owner of the tomb is about the military leader, and the jade is the authority to command the army. Second, at this time, there were some large-scale central settlements, some of which had large public buildings with an area of hundreds of square meters, some had large stone mounds or aristocratic tombs, and some had very elaborate altars. The average settlement site is much smaller and has a much lower level of economic development. Without military force, it would be difficult for this state of affairs to develop naturally. The Xinyi Flower Hall Cemetery in Jiangsu Province is a typical example of the existence of relics of the war of conquest. It was originally the distribution area of the Dawenkou culture, but some of the large tombs found in the cemetery were almost buried with a lot of pottery and jade from the Liangzhu culture, and there were also some artifacts from the Dawenkou culture, and women and children were often buried in the tombs, and they were buried with the pigs and dogs that were buried. This is obviously the tomb of the conqueror of the Liangzhu culture, so he buried some artifacts in his own possession, including the cong-shaped jade engraved with the emblem of the Liangzhu culture, which can best represent the characteristics of his own people, and at the same time buried some artifacts of the Dawenkou culture as trophies, especially the women and children of the Dawenkou culture who had not had time to escape (4). The emergence of this predatory war was the inevitable result of economic development at that time, and it also happened to coincide with the social conditions of the Yellow Emperor's period.
Emperor Yan not only fought with the Yellow Emperor, but also legend has it that they are from Shaodian and Youjiao, and they are contemporaries. Therefore, the Yanhuang era should be equivalent to the earliest period of the era of bronze and stone use in archaeology. During this period, there were many archaeological cultures in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River and the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, but which archaeological culture did the Yandi, the Yellow Emperor and their clans belong to, or did they cover many archaeological cultures?
As mentioned earlier, Mr. Xu Xusheng once divided the various ethnic groups in the legendary era into three groups: Huaxia, Dongyi and Miaoman, and Yanhuang belonged to the Huaxia group. He further noted that the internal complexity of each group was considerable and that some ethnic groups appeared to be closely related to both groups. Therefore, if necessary, "even if it is divided into five or six groups" (5). However, it is still not difficult to see that Emperor Yan and Emperor Huangdi have a close relationship, and they are the backbone of Huaxia Group.
In the previous analysis of the areas where the Yan Emperor and the Yellow Emperor were active, it was pointed out that although there were many uncertain and difficult places, they were mostly concentrated in Shaanxi, Henan, Hebei and other places, which is the so-called Central Plains. It's just that the range of Yandi's activities seems to be slightly west-south, while the Yellow Emperor's range of activities is east-north, and it is more extensive than Yandi. This area was still the distribution area of Yangshao culture in the early period of copper and stone use, but it has developed to the late stage of Yangshao culture. However, the Yanhuang culture is the culture of the later Yangshao culture.
Yangshao culture is an archaeological culture with a very complex structure, in which there were many local types in the early stage, and the trend of differentiation was strengthened in the later period, and the characteristics of local types became more prominent. According to the available data, the Weihe River Basin in Shaanxi Province can be called the late Banpo type, the southern Shanxi region is called the Xiwangcun type, the central and western Henan region is called the Qinwangzhai type, the northern Henan and southern Hebei provinces are called the Dasikong type, and the Hetao area of Inner Mongolia is called the Haisheng Bulang type. In the future, the data will be added, and new types may be divided. At the end of the Yangshao culture, there were a series of local types such as the second phase of the temple ditch, which had entered the transition period to the Longshan culture of the Central Plains. In this case, we can naturally ask further questions: Do the lineages of the Yandi and the Yellow Emperor belong to a certain local type, or do they belong to the entire Yangshao culture? If so, which type do they belong to? Do they belong to the same local type, or do they each belong to a certain local type? I think it is still difficult to make a definite judgment on such a question, whether it is the study of legendary materials or the study of archaeology, so it is better to adopt a somewhat vague mathematical attitude for the time being.
I think that in an era like Yanhuang, society was just beginning to diverge, and most areas were still under the clan and tribal system, and the population of a group could not be too large, and the scope of activities could not be too large. Even if a rudimentary regime is established like the Yellow Emperor, and there is an army that is very capable of fighting, I am afraid that it will not really be as stated in the "Five Emperors Benji" to reach the sea in the east, the river in the south, the empty tong in the west and the meat porridge in the north. Because the control scope of the Xia Dynasty and the Shang Dynasty was not so large, only the territory of the Western Zhou Dynasty could be compared. I think the statement about the scope of the Yellow Emperor is probably formed during the Western Zhou Dynasty.
From the current level of knowledge, it is speculated that at the beginning of the Yan and Huang periods, it may not exceed one local type of Yangshao culture, and when the scope of activities in the future is larger, I am afraid that it will not exceed the scope of Yangshao culture, and it is more likely to be much smaller than Yangshao culture. I think there may be two reasons: one is that the people of the Yanhuang clan have gradually developed outward, some have moved to distant places, and some have even married people of other clans, thus bringing the legend of Yanhuang to all directions, and some of the people in all directions may indeed be descendants of the Yanhuang clan. There won't be too many of them, so this reason shouldn't be the main one. I think this is the main reason for the development of the idea of cultural identity, which in turn develops into the idea of identity in ethnic relations.
Why has the idea of Chinese identity and national identity been so strong in the development of Chinese history? I think this has deep roots, and in order to trace this root, we have to start with the development of prehistoric culture.
Like a cradle sloping eastward, with its back to the Eurasian hinterland and facing the vast Pacific Ocean, surrounded by mountains, deserts and oceans, it is difficult to maintain close contact with the outside world under the historical conditions of prehistory and the early days of civilization. On a national scale, the most advantageous conditions are the middle and lower reaches of the two major rivers, the Yellow River and the Yangtze River, which are appropriately located in the center of the country to the east. At least since the Neolithic period, the level of cultural development there has been in the leading position, and the inhabitants of other places must maintain a certain relationship with the culture of this region if they want to obtain information and help from advanced cultures, thus invisibly developing a kind of cultural centripetal effect. The middle and lower reaches of the two rivers are still very vast, with different ethnic groups and different characteristics of prehistoric cultures. According to this, it can be roughly divided into the Central Plains Cultural Zone, the Ganqing Cultural Zone, the Shandong Cultural Zone, the Yanliao Cultural Zone, the Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River Cultural Zone, and the Jiangsu-Zhejiang Cultural Zone, which have a relatively clear relationship with the Huaxia, Rongqiang, Dongyi, Beidi, Sanmiao, and Guyue ethnic groups, respectively (6). By the time of the copper and stone era, these regions had successively shown signs of civilization, so the origin of Chinese civilization should be diverse. However, there are various cultural connections between these cultural areas, and in this sense they are one. Because the Central Plains is geographically located in the middle of various cultural centers, it is easy to accept the advanced elements of the surrounding cultural areas, and it is the first to enter the civilized society under the interaction and promotion, thus becoming the core of this pluralistic and integrated structure.
It can be seen that China's nation and culture have been formed into a hierarchical, double-petaled centripetal structure or pluralistic structure since prehistoric times. The Chinese culture of the Central Plains is in the position of the center of the flower, Dongyi culture, Sanmiao culture, Rongqiang culture, Beidi culture, etc. are the first layer of petals around the periphery, Baiyue, Yelang, Yunnan, Diqiang, Wusun, Yueshi, Xiongnu, Donghu and so on are the petals of the second and even third layers. This double-petaled centripetal structure is an ultra-stable structure. Although due to the law of uneven development, some localities or ethnic groups have developed strong and eventually achieved the goal of ruling the whole of China, or have temporarily split due to political reasons, this basic structure of economic, cultural and ethnic relations cannot be broken, and it guarantees the accumulation and effective transmission of outstanding cultural heritage. The reason why Chinese civilization is different from other ancient civilizations in the world is that it has been able to continue for thousands of years without interruption, and this ultra-stable structure is an important reason.
We say that this double-petaled flower-like or pluralistic structure is super-stable, but it is only from the perspective of a structural pattern or overall pattern, which does not mean that there is no internal change and development. And an important part of this change and development is identity. First of all, the identity within the Chinese ethnic group, followed by Dongyi, Sanmiao, Baiyue, etc., successively joined Huaxia and gradually formed the later Han nationality, and later part of the Rongqiang and Xiongnu also joined the Han nationality, and some Han people also became ethnic minorities in other ethnic areas. What was originally a cultural identity became a national identity. Each nation is not very simple, you have me, I have you, but the degree of mixing is different. However, the general trend is the continuous expansion of the Han nationality, which now accounts for about 94% of China's 56 ethnic groups. This is not because the Han Chinese are particularly able to reproduce, but because there are many members of other ethnic groups who have joined in.
In the long class society, there is certainly the phenomenon of national oppression and forced assimilation, but this is not the mainstream, the mainstream is identity and integration. To cite two archaeological examples: one is that in the era of copper and stone use, jade was particularly developed in the Liangzhu culture in the Taihu Lake Basin, among which jade cong and jade bi were obviously absorbed by the later Shang and Zhou cultures and became important ritual artifacts at that time. In this way, the culture of the ancient Yue people was absorbed and integrated by the Huaxia people. Another is the process of the formation of Dingqi culture in the Shang and Zhou dynasties. In the Neolithic Age and even in the era of copper and stone use, the culture of the Dongyi, Sanmiao and Guyue ethnic groups all used the tripod as a cooking utensils instead of a mustache, and the culture of the Huaxia clan used a halve, which later changed from a hammer to a beard instead of a tripod. But in the Shang and Zhou dynasties, with the integration of ethnic groups, all these areas used both tripods and mustaches, so they were called tripod culture. Interestingly, as a traditional culture of conquered nations, the mustache was only used as an ordinary cooking utensil for the masses, while the ding, as a traditional culture of conquered nations, became an important ritual vessel, a symbol of the hierarchy of the ruling class. Therefore, in the relationship between nationalities and subjugation, it is about conquest and subjugation, and in terms of cultural relations, it is about identity and integration. At a certain stage, the nation will be recognized. With the continuous expansion of cultural and national identity, the legend of Yanhuang has also spread, and Yanhuang culture has become a traditional culture recognized by the Chinese nation. Therefore, in order to carry forward the excellent traditional culture, we must first study the Yanhuang culture, study the ins and outs of the Yanhuang legend and the formation and development of the Yanhuang culture, I think the truth is here.
Exegesis:
(1) Shu Shizi wrote a note after quoting the original text of the two battles of Hanquan and Zhuolu in the "Five Emperors Benji": "The above two paragraphs may be one thing, Chiyou is Emperor Yan, Hanquan and Zhuolu are the same place, and 'Deqizhi' is 'kill Chiyou, and the princes Xianzun Xuanyuan is the Son of Heaven'." It may be that this material comes from two sources, and Sima Qian did two things by mistake. (Selected Reference Materials for the General History of China, Volume 1, "Primitive Times", New Knowledge Publishing House, 1955 edition, p. 136) Youtong Book Industry also said: "The Yellow Emperor and the Yan Emperor fought in the field of Hanquan, and the Chiyou fought in the Zhuolu ...... World War II was a division of legends. (Research on the Left Biography of the Spring and Autumn Period, Shanghai People's Publishing House, 1980, p. 292)
(2) See Xu Xusheng, The Age of Legends in Ancient Chinese History (Revised Edition), Cultural Relics Publishing House, 1985, pp. 41~42.
(3) See Yan Wenming, "A Brief Discussion on the Origin of Chinese Civilization", Cultural Relics, No. 1, 1992.
(4) See Yan Wenming, "Collision and Conquest - Reflections on the Burial Situation in the Flower Hall Cemetery", Cultural Relics World, No. 6, 1990.
(5) The Age of Legends in Ancient Chinese History (Revised Edition), p. 125.
(6) See Yan Wenming, "The Unity and Diversity of Chinese Prehistoric Culture", Cultural Relics, No. 3, 1987.