History is always full of interesting stories. In China's long history, China was the center of the whole world, and its comprehensive national strength was far ahead of other countries. And in the process, many small neighboring countries were once dependent states of China, and Japan is no exception.
In 1784, two farmers on an island of Japan were working in the fields when they accidentally discovered a gold nugget with a strange shape. This gold seal was well-made and engraved with the five characters "King of Han Weinu", and this discovery immediately aroused widespread attention and heated discussion in Japanese academic circles.
After all, these five words directly reveal the embarrassing historical fact that Japan was once a vassal state of China. Many Japanese scholars have tried to distort and defend this literal meaning, trying to cover up this embarrassing past. However, the truth of history will eventually be revealed to the world, and this golden seal also restores for us the complex relationship between China and Japan in the past.
China's four great inventions benefit all mankind
As a country with an ancient civilization, China has always been at the forefront of the world in the long course of history. Whether it is in various fields such as science and technology, art or culture, China has made dazzling achievements.
The most well-known are the four great inventions of ancient China, namely paper money, the compass, gunpowder and movable type printing. These four great inventions have not only greatly promoted China's social development, but also greatly changed the course of the whole world.
The invention of paper money made commercial transactions more convenient and efficient, laying the foundation for the take-off of the ancient Chinese economy. The invention of the compass greatly promoted the development of navigation and paved the way for global trade and cultural exchanges. The use of gunpowder changed the face of warfare and laid the foundation for the evolution of weapons in later generations. The advent of movable type printing has greatly improved the efficiency of cultural dissemination and promoted the inheritance and progress of human wisdom.
These great inventions have not only benefited China, but also all mankind. It can be said that these scientific and technological achievements in ancient China have made great contributions to the development of the whole world, which is an important embodiment of China's cultural self-confidence.
Japan was a vassal of China
Historically, many of the smaller countries in the surrounding area were once vassal states of China. On the one hand, this relationship reflects China's strong strength, and on the other hand, it also demonstrates China's openness, inclusiveness and cultural influence.
Among the many dependent states, Japan stands out the most. In 57 A.D., the Japanese state sent envoys to pay tribute to China, and was rewarded and awarded by Emperor Guangwu of the Han Dynasty, and for hundreds of years, Japan has maintained a tributary system for China.
This special historical relationship is also reflected in the gold seal of the "King of Hanweinu" mentioned above. This gold seal was given by the emperor of the Han Dynasty to the king of Japan (then known as the "Japanese slave"). This reflected that Japan's status at that time was a vassal state of China, and it had to recognize China's dominance.
This humiliating past is obviously difficult for the Japanese to accept. So when this gold seal was discovered, Japanese scholars began to make all kinds of distortions and defenses in an attempt to cover up this embarrassing historical fact. For example, some people argue that "entrusting slaves" is not "Japanese slaves", but "slave kings appointed by the Han Dynasty". Some people even directly denied the authenticity of this gold seal, saying that it was a later forgery.
But the truth of history is often difficult to conceal. Archaeological evidence shows that the craftsmanship of this gold seal is very similar to that of other royal seals of the Han Dynasty, and it is undoubtedly genuine. This makes it impossible to deny the fact that Japan has existed as a vassal state of China for a long time.
From the excavation of the gold seal of the "King of Hanweinu", we can not only see the historical status of Japan as a vassal state of China, but also trace back to the origin of Japan's original name.
In ancient times, the Japanese name was "Wa" or "Wano". The name does not come from Japan itself, but from China. According to historical records, during the Han Dynasty, the Chinese found that most of the inhabitants of the Japanese islands were short, so they called them "倭", which means "dwarf, humble". Later, Emperor Guangwu of the Han Dynasty added the word "slave" to the end of "倭", forming the title of "倭slave".
It can be said that the original name of Japan was given by the Chinese. This fully reflected Japan's subordinate position in China at that time. Later, with the rise of Japan, they naturally did not want to use this derogatory title anymore, so they repeatedly asked China to change their name. It was not until the time of Wu Zetian that China agreed to change its name to "Japan".
Therefore, the Japanese have never forgotten the five words "King of Hanweinu", on the one hand, because it reveals their former subordinate status, and on the other hand, it also reflects their dissatisfaction with the origin of their country's name. This also reflects from the side that even today, there are still historical and cultural barriers between China and Japan.
In the face of all kinds of denials and distortions by Japanese scholars, we still have to believe in the truth of history. This can be confirmed by another important archaeological discovery.
In 1981, in a Han tomb in Hanjiang County, Yangzhou City, China, archaeologists found a "Guangling King Seal". This seal was given to King Xing of Guangling by Emperor Ming of the Eastern Han Dynasty. There is only a year difference between the excavation time and the gold seal of the "King of Hanweinu", and the production process is also strikingly similar.
These two archaeological discoveries undoubtedly provide strong evidence for the authenticity of the gold seal of the "King of Hanweinu". We know that in the Han Dynasty, the seals given by the emperor to the crown prince and the princes and kings usually used the shape of a turtle button. However, the gold seal was given to the king of the vassal state in the shape of a snake, camel, and other shapes, and this gold seal was in the shape of a serpent, which was completely consistent with the characteristics of the seals of other vassal states, which may be a very embarrassing and difficult fact for Japan to accept.