#以书之名#
Western Liaoning is one of the core areas for the study of the process of Chinese civilization and has played an important role in the formation and development of the Chinese nation. According to the definition of archaeologist Zhang Zhongpei, the western Liaoning region refers to the west of Yiwulu Mountain, north to both sides of the Xilamulun River, including the Xilamulun River, Laoha River, Daling River, Xiaoling River and their tributaries. This region has formed a distinctive cultural identity in the course of thousands of years of development, and has become more and more closely connected with the cultures of the Yellow River Basin in the process of long-term interaction and integration, which has had a profound impact on the development process of China's history.
The painted pottery pots of Hongshan culture unearthed from the Alukorqin Banner in Inner Mongolia are painted with roses from the Central Plains, diamond-shaped checkered patterns from Central Asia, and dragon patterns native to Hongshan
Neolithic cultural exchange
In the pre-Yangshao era, about 7,000 years ago, the cultural interaction between the western Liaoning region and the Yellow River basin had begun. The Xinglongwa culture in western Liaoning was the first to create the "zigzag" pattern, and this cultural factor spread rapidly outward once it was formed. To the south, it first reached the first phase of the Beifudi culture in the Yishui Basin, then entered the Cishan culture in the northern Henan and southern Hebei regions, and finally reached the Peiligang culture in the Yiluo Zhengzhou area, taking the lead in opening up a large channel for cultural exchanges between the north and the south. This cultural route became a corridor for people to travel between the western Liaoning region and the Yellow River Basin for a long time thereafter.
In the early Yangshao period, between 7,000 and 6,000 years ago, the cultural interaction between the two places became more and more close. The first phase of the Hougang culture, which was active in the North China Plain, went all the way to the north across the Yanshan Mountains to the western Liaoning region, injecting new development vitality into the Zhaobaogou culture and Hongshan culture here, and making the local cylindrical tank culture system also appear the cultural factors of the Dinghu system. As feedback, the most characteristic veneer of Zhao Baogou culture was introduced into the Banpo culture.
In the middle of the Yangshao period, from 6000 to 5500 years ago, the cultural exchanges between western Liaoning and the Yellow River basin continued in the previous stage, and showed a series of new characteristics of the times. Archaeologist Su Bingqi concisely and vividly summarized the characteristics of the Miaodigou culture in the Weihe River Basin and the Hongshan culture in western Liaoning with the poem "Huashan Rose Yanshan Dragon". Regarding the collision and integration of these two archaeological cultures, Su Bingqi believes that the connection and integration of the two major cultural areas of the Central Plains and Yanbei eventually gave birth to the Hongshan Cultural Altar and Temple Mound, which represents the highest level of prehistoric cultural development in the northern part of the mainland, thus showing the dawn of Chinese civilization.
In the late Yangshao period, from 5500 to 5000 years ago, the flourishing Miaodigou culture came to an end, and its descendants evolved into a number of new regional archaeological cultures in different regions. At this time, the Hongshan culture had entered the final stage, and it soon established a cultural exchange relationship with the Qinwangzhai culture in the Yiluo Zhengzhou area, and the two became an important leading force in the development of Chinese civilization.
In the Longshan period from 5,000 to 4,000 years ago, a small riverside culture appeared in western Liaoning. Its cultural exchange with the middle reaches of the Yellow River seems to have weakened slightly compared with the previous period, but the abundance of pots, beans and bionic pottery indicates that it is increasingly connected with the Dawenkou culture in the lower reaches of the Yellow River.
The small black stone ditch cemetery unearthed the dragon pattern ring ear mustache, the front of the dragon. (Image source: Inner Mongolia People's Government website)
Cultural exchange in the Bronze Age
About 4,000 years ago, the first hereditary dynasty in Chinese history was born in the southern and western Henan regions of Shanxi Province - Xia. Archaeology generally believes that the Erlitou culture is an important object for exploring the Xia culture. At the same time, the Xiajiadian lower-class culture rose strongly in western Liaoning, which promoted the formation of a situation of Fangguo at that time.
The small black stone ditch cemetery unearthed a dragon pattern ringed ear. (Photo source: Inner Mongolia People's Government website)
With its superior geographical location and strong cultural strength, Erlitou culture has always played a leading role in interacting with other cultures of the same period. The Erlitou culture once exerted a cultural influence on the lower-class culture of Xiajiadian, and spread the obviously ceremonial artifacts such as jue, goo (gū) and 鬹 (guī) to the western Liaoning region, implying the diffusion of a certain etiquette system and values, and also witnessing the exchanges between the upper classes of society in the two places. The lower culture of Xiajiadian also conveyed the very characteristic and abstract painted ornaments to the Central Plains, which became an important material for bronze ornaments in the Xia and Shang periods. The exchange between the two places continues the tradition of cultural interaction between the two places since the Neolithic Age, and promotes the cultural exchanges of the Bronze Age, which is of great significance for connecting the past and the next.
During the Late Shang period, the Weiyingzi culture appeared in western Liaoning. It is worth noting that there are many bronze cellars and tombs from this period found in the Chifeng area of Inner Mongolia and the western part of Liaoning Province, and the unearthed bronze ritual vessels include ding, 鬹, 甗 (yǎn), pots, plates, 鬲 (lì), 卣 (yǒu) and so on. In particular, in the tombs excavated in the western part of Liaoning Province, evidence of the coexistence of these bronze ritual vessels with typical pottery of the Weiyingzi culture has been found, proving that they are in the same period, and these bronzes should have originated in the Central Plains. Chinese archaeologist Wu Enyuestu speculated that the owners of these bronze artifacts should have been the upper-class nobles of the Wei Yingzi cultural period, who had a close relationship with the Central Plains Dynasty and received heavy weapons from the Central Plains Dynasty, which shows the close cultural ties between the two places.
After the Weiyingzi culture, the upper class culture of Xiajiadian, which was active from the Western Zhou Dynasty to the Spring and Autumn Period, began to flourish in the western Liaoning region. The upper culture of Xiajiadian is mainly characterized by plain pottery and various types of bronze ware with a distinct grassland regional style, but groups of bronze ritual vessels have also been found in some high-ranking aristocratic tombs of this culture, including ding, 簋 (guǐ), 罍 (léi), pot, 盉 (hé), 匜 (yí), zun, 盨 (xǔ), etc. These artifacts directly imported from the Central Plains region show that it is not only the northward spread of the artifacts, but more importantly, the regional expansion of political concepts such as the ritual system of the Central Plains Dynasty. The copper containers independently cast by the upper culture of Xiajiadian are basically made in imitation of their own pottery, with distinctive characteristics. However, the bronze mantle of the upper culture of Xiajiadian is attached to the dragon-shaped ears of the typical Central Plains style, which vividly shows the scene of the integration of the two cultures.
The small black stone ditch cemetery unearthed the dragon pattern ring ear, Kui dragon ear. (Image source: Inner Mongolia People's Government website)
In the Bronze Age, the archaeological culture of western Liaoning continued to be rooted in the original cultural traditions, and actively borrowed from the cultural factors of the surrounding areas, and then gave birth to the regional civilization of the origin. In particular, the cultural exchanges with the Central Plains region have effectively enhanced the vitality of both sides, and have significantly improved their material and cultural systems.
Through the combing of the archaeological culture from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age in western Liaoning, it can be seen that the culture has a long history due to inheritance, is colorful due to absorption, is inclusive due to integration, and is full of vitality due to innovation, and a variety of factors interact with each other to jointly promote the overall process of cultural development in western Liaoning. Archaeological culture shows that the cultural development of the pre-Qin period in western Liaoning was not isolated, but always maintained close exchanges with various regions, including the Central Plains, and promoted the formation of a pluralistic and integrated pattern of Chinese civilization and the Chinese nation in the interaction.
(The author is the vice president of Chifeng University)