China culture has experienced a long period of germination and development. We should grasp it from a macro and overall perspective. Combined with the characteristics and major achievements of China culture in each stage, the cultural development of China can be divided into seven stages: pre-civilization period (Paleolithic and Neolithic Age), germination period (Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties), formation period (Spring and Autumn Period and Warring States Period), stereotypes period (Qin and Han Dynasties), development period (Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties and Tang and Song Dynasties), maturity period (Yuan and Ming Dynasties to Qing Dynasty before the Opium War) and transition period (from Opium War)

Keywords: China culture; Culture; Development course;

China culture originated very early. Although it has experienced hardships in the process of development, it has always come down in one continuous line. In the process of its formation and development, China culture is constantly confronted with the invasion and threat of neighboring ethnic minorities, constantly challenged by foreign cultures, and sometimes even endangered, but it is preserved because of the tenacious vitality of China culture.

Although ethnic minorities occupied the Central Plains several times in the history of China, the competition between nomadic civilization and farming civilization led to the advanced Central Plains civilization defeating the backward nomadic civilization. Therefore, although there have been episodes in the history of China civilization, such as the Five Chaos, Yuan Meng, Khitan, and Nuzhen's entry into the Central Plains, it has not brought China culture into a fundamental crisis. As a result, even though ethnic minorities ruled the Central Plains politically, and even experienced extreme ethnic discrimination and oppression, they all ended up with a culture of "entering China is China". No matter whether they take the initiative or not, once the minority rulers enter the Central Plains, no matter how conservative and backward they are, they will immediately learn from the advanced civilization of the Central Plains, and sometimes even have very radical situations, such as the reform of Emperor Xiaowen in the Northern Wei Dynasty, which implemented comprehensive feudal and sinicized measures in politics, economy and culture. The competition between farming civilization and nomadic civilization is an important aspect of China's cultural development, but "due to the generosity of traditional China nationalism and the profoundness of China culture, these conflicts can often be solved under the influence of China culture". (1) Some of the reforms of ethnic minorities in China were carried out after entering the Central Plains, and some were carried out without large-scale wars, but they were all carried out because they admired the developed productive forces, advanced institutional civilization and material civilization, powerful military forces and stable social environment in the Central Plains. Because of this, the feudalization and China of learning from the Central Plains by ethnic minorities constitute an important issue of ethnic integration.

For the invasion of foreign culture, although China culture experienced great setbacks and gaps, it also ended in the victory of China culture, which largely benefited from the openness and absorption of China culture. In the early cultural history of China, such as the entry of Buddhist civilization, the spread of western learning to the east in the later period, and the collision between China culture and foreign culture, the China of foreign culture and the re-integration of culture were finally realized, thus making China culture endless and lasting. The introduction of Buddhism is an important event in the cultural development of China. Although it was relied on by the rulers in a specific period, it did not replace Confucianism in the end. Buddhism, and later Christianity, after entering China, was forced to be introduced to China, in order to better adapt to the basic concepts and connotations of China culture and achieve wide spread. Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism constitute the main part of China's ever-changing culture. The spread of western learning to the east and the entry of western civilization since then are the turning points of life and death for China culture, and China culture has once again achieved a great transformation with good resilience. Later, the widespread spread of bourgeois ideas and the entry of western scientific and technological civilization and values failed to fundamentally change the status of China culture. In their conflict, they all ended up with the absorption and integration of foreign cultures by China culture.

Although China culture has many drawbacks and shortcomings, it can give full play to the advantages of China culture and absorb advanced and excellent culture at the critical moment and when it faces the critical point of cultural survival, so that China culture can be completely and systematically preserved and passed down, despite the vicissitudes. It is precisely because of the self-protection and compatibility of China's culture that China's culture can last for thousands of years, which constitutes an organic part of China's civilization. For this feature of China culture, as some works have pointed out, China culture "not only has a tough' cohesion', but also has an' anti-heterosexuality' for foreign cultures. Its function is not affected by the psychology and spirit of foreign nationalities, and it effectively safeguards the existence of the Chinese nation. This combination of "cohesion" and "anti-heterosexuality" of China's national culture has produced a strong digestion for foreign cultures. (2) These advantages of China culture enable China culture to adopt an inclusive attitude towards foreign cultures when it is challenged, thus being relatively intact. At the same time, due to the long time span of China culture, the obvious gap and imbalance in the development process of various regions and ethnic groups, and the fact that China culture itself has experienced many turns and leaps in the development process, it is of great significance to understand the development process of China culture.

The understanding of China's cultural development began at the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China. With the concern of China academic circles on this issue, it has been discussed in a large number of works this year. "In China, the integration of culture is realized through centralization, the continuation of culture is realized through the replacement of dynasties, the radiation of culture is realized through the expansion and contraction of territory, and the connotation of culture is realized through the interaction between Yi and Xia." ③ The particularity of China's cultural development has caused many differences and divergences between Chinese and Western scholars when they look at the course of China's cultural development. One of the major differences is the stages involved in the understanding of China's cultural development and the main cultural characteristics of each era. This paper will discuss these two main aspects.

China civilization can be divided into three periods: primitive civilization, farming civilization and industrial civilization. Primitive civilization was established from ancient times to the Xia Dynasty, agricultural civilization from the Xia Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty before the Opium War, and industrial civilization from the Opium War is still continuing and deepening. Based on these three stages of civilization, I think China culture should be divided into pre-civilization period (Paleolithic and Neolithic Age), germination period (Xia, Shang and Zhou), formation period (Spring and Autumn and Warring States Period), stereotypes period (Qin and Han Dynasties), development period (Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties and Tang and Song Dynasties), maturity period (Yuan and Ming Dynasties before the Opium War to Qing Dynasty) and transition period (Opium War to today). The following describes and introduces the main features and aspects of China's cultural development.

1. Pre-civilization period: Paleolithic and Neolithic.

China experienced a long evolutionary process before entering civilization, which laid the foundation for the independent development of China culture.

(1) Independent origin of Chinese culture: A large number of Neolithic and Paleolithic cultural sites excavated after the founding of New China overthrew foreign theories about Chinese culture and proved to the world that the Chinese nation and culture originated in China and are native Chinese cultures. The discoveries of Yuanmou people in Yunnan, Lantian people in Shaanxi, Beijingers in Zhoukoudian, Beijing, Hexian people in Anhui and Yunxian people in Hubei prove that China is an important area of human origin. The discovery of a large number of ape-man remains or relics shows that as early as 2 million years ago in China, human beings had lived and multiplied in China, thus opening the curtain of China culture.

There are a lot of discoveries in ancient and new sites in China. The ancient ruins are represented by Dali people, Xu Jiayao people and Ding Cun people. During this period, the production tools were improved, artificial fire was invented, and the clan system gradually sprouted. The important sites of newcomers include the Neanderthals in Gulong Mountain in Zhoukoudian, Beijing, Hetao people in Sarawusu River Basin in Inner Mongolia, Zhiyu people in Shuozhou, Shanxi, Ziyang in Ziyang, Sichuan, etc. During this period, primitive art began to sprout, the concept of immortality of primitive soul was reflected in the cemetery, and primitive religion began to appear. The discovery of a large number of ancient sites and new sites shows the independence and good inheritance of China culture. Archaeological findings prove that China culture originated locally and is an important part of the origin of world culture.

(2) Polycentric origin of civilization: Many archaeological discoveries prove that the Yellow River, the Yangtze River, the Pearl River and the Liaohe River Basin are all the cradles of the Chinese nation and culture. During the development from Paleolithic to Neolithic in China, many centers were formed, showing a multi-center development. The polycentric reasons for the origin of civilization are complicated, but there is no doubt that "the vast territory has laid an indispensable foundation for the pluralistic origin of China culture" (4). The vast territory and obvious differences in geographical conditions provide the possibility for the multi-source origin of civilization.

(3) The initial formation of farming civilization: From the Stone Age to the Iron Age, social productive forces were greatly improved. In agriculture, from hoeing to ploughing, from using wooden plows or stone plows to using metal plows, the ability of human beings to transform nature has been significantly improved, so agriculture began to be separated from animal husbandry. Piles of rice, rice husk and rice leaves were found in Hemudu site, which proved that rice was planted artificially in China as early as 7,000 years ago. The agriculture formed in this period played an important role in the formation and development of China culture, and had a direct impact on the formation of the deep-rooted concept of "emphasizing agriculture and restraining commerce" in feudal society. The farming civilization produced by agriculture is a major difference between East Asian civilization headed by China and Western civilization. Farming began in the Yellow River basin and the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, and gradually became the main way of life of people in the Central Plains and southern regions. The competition between farming civilization in the central plains and animal husbandry civilization in the north lasted for quite a long time. Farming civilization has profoundly influenced the way of thinking and value orientation of China people, and fundamentally influenced the political, economic system, cultural development direction and basic cultural characteristics of the Chinese nation.

(4) The predecessor of civilization: After the division of labor between agriculture and animal husbandry, pottery-making, textile-making, wine-making and other activities appeared. At the same time, due to the appearance and development of metal smelting, handicrafts appeared. Handicraft industry has made great progress in the manufacture of production tools, which has promoted the transformation of China into a civilized period. During this period, painting, sculpture, dance, note symbols, picture symbols and other cultural arts appeared, which laid the foundation for the later cultural and artistic development of China.

At the same time, with the development of productive forces and the gradual expansion of the scope of exchange, private ownership has been developed and consolidated day by day, and three tribes, Yanhuang, Dongyi and Miaoman, have begun to appear. In the complicated struggle and integration, the alliance of three tribes formed the initial embryonic form of a country with China as the core. The war broke the barrier between tribes, merged the culture created by tribes, accelerated the pace of social development, and promoted the polarization between the rich and the poor and the emergence of classes. By the time of the Yellow Emperor, the embryonic form of the country had begun to sprout. In the process of moving towards a civilized society, the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River have become the center of communication, competition and integration between clans and tribes in China history. With the continuous expansion of this center, a * * body with Yanhuang Tribal Alliance as the core, including most ancestors of Dongyi and Miaoman, was finally formed.

2. Germination stage: Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties

Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties were the period of slave society in China, and the initial culture of this period was the basis of the development of China culture.

(1) Initial establishment of political institutions: Xia Dynasty was the first slave country in China's history, and its establishment marked the official entry of China's history into a civilized era, laying the foundation for the civilized development of China for more than 4,000 years. The Shang and Zhou Dynasties continued to develop after the Xia Dynasty. During this period, the state machine basically laid the framework for the later countries. The country began to have a strong army, composed of officials at all levels, established a tribute system and formulated a criminal law. After Kangding in Shang Dynasty, the eldest son inheritance system was gradually established. The state organs became more and more complicated, improved and strengthened, the ruling area gradually expanded, the territory centered on the Central Plains was basically established, and the Zhou Dynasty established a perfect Jingtian system and feudal system. The political system and ruling form established in this period have far-reaching influence on later generations.

(2) The development of bronzes: The Shang Dynasty was the peak of the development of bronzes. Because of its superb production skills, advanced production technology, large-scale workshops and a large number of representative bronzes left behind, the Shang Dynasty was also called the "Bronze Age". During this period, bronzes were widely used as ritual vessels and wars, as well as in production. In the ruins of Yin Ruins and Zhengzhou Mall, there are bronze casting workshops dedicated to the royal family, and there is a detailed division of labor in the workshops. From the ruins and bronzes found, we can see the proficiency and advanced technology of smelting at that time. The number of bronzes in the Western Zhou Dynasty far exceeded that in the Shang Dynasty, and thousands of bronze ritual vessels, utensils, weapons, tools and ornaments were unearthed in previous dynasties. Craftsmen in this period have mastered the techniques of forging and casting copper and iron. The development art of bronzes is quite distinctive, and the carving and ornamentation of bronzes also show that the carving art has reached a high level. The high development of bronze smelting technology and bronze manufacturing technology is the reflection and expression of productivity development and production technology progress.

(3) Characters: Descriptive symbols with the nature of memorabilia are generally found in the ruins of the late primitive society, and mature Oracle Bone Inscriptions and inscriptions have been found in Shang Dynasty, so it is speculated that there may be characters and literature records in Xia Dynasty. There are Wen Tao, jade, bronze and Oracle Bone Inscriptions in Shang Dynasty, and Oracle Bone Inscriptions in the late Shang Dynasty is the most abundant. There are1000000 pieces of written Oracle bones unearthed in Shang Dynasty. Together with the inscriptions of other artifacts, there are about 4000 words, which is already a quite mature text. The inscriptions handed down in the Western Zhou Dynasty are basically the same as those in the Shang Dynasty, but there are many artifacts and long inscriptions unearthed in the Western Zhou Dynasty, so they become the main part of the inscriptions. The characters of this period laid the foundation for the development of Chinese characters in later generations.

(4) Cultural prosperity: the formation of the thought of worshiping heaven and protecting the people and the germination of simple materialism have a far-reaching impact on the development of later philosophy. The Zhou Dynasty attached importance to the education of aristocratic children, and began to teach basic knowledge and skills such as etiquette, music, shooting, defense, and counting books from an early age. Etiquette is an important aspect of Western Zhou society, and there are many regulations about adults, weddings and funeral ceremonies. The rites of Zhou Dynasty had an important influence on Chinese civilization in later generations, and the rites and music of Zhou Gong had a far-reaching influence on the traditional culture and society of China.

3. The formation period of China culture: the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period.

The Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period is a period of great changes in the history of China and the formation of China culture. A hundred schools of thought contend marks the formation of the feudal cultural framework.

(1) A hundred schools of thought contend: After Zhou Pingwang moved eastward, the war for hegemony of the vassal states "holding the emperor to make the princes" lasted for centuries. Although political disputes continue, China culture has experienced a great prosperity. During this period, due to fierce social changes, complex social contradictions, fierce political struggles and economic and cultural prosperity, people have their own attitudes, wishes, opinions and demands on the problems arising from this unprecedented social change. At the same time, due to the disputes between governors, it is impossible for rulers to implement the system of cultural autocracy, and rulers compete to recruit talents, so various schools have opportunities for development. Various schools write books on politics, which not only criticize each other, but also influence each other. As a result, a hundred schools of thought contend, and various academic thoughts formed during this period became the main source of China's ideological culture in the future. Schools in this period were not only academic schools, but also political schools. Many schools formed in society not only have different views, but also have different representatives and views in the same school. For example, Mohism advocates frugality, universal love, Shang Xian and non-public, Taoism combines subjective idealism with absolute relativity, Confucian Mencius' thought of benevolence and democracy, Confucian Xunzi's combination of etiquette and law, and Han Feizi's method.

(2) Progress in education: Since the Spring and Autumn Period, the monopoly of private schools in teaching and learning in the government has been successfully broken by private schools. Books compiled by Confucius, such as Spring and Autumn Annals, Mencius, The Doctrine of the Mean, The Analects of Confucius and The University, have influenced China intellectuals for thousands of years. "The spread and development of China culture cannot be separated from Confucius' compilation of ancient documents and the establishment of private schools". Confucius also made great contributions to educational thought and teaching. He advocated "teaching without class" and private lectures, which laid a talent foundation for social reform in the Warring States period. The interruption of study and the rise of private lectures under the situation of government monopoly reflect the inevitable requirements of social and historical development. Private lectures have gradually become the main way and means to train talents in feudal society. It has trained a large number of intellectuals, who are knowledgeable, pay attention to feudal ethics, be loyal to filial piety and be righteous. These people became an important part of the ruling class after "learning to be an excellent official", which constituted the main force of cultural development in China and played an important role in the development of China culture.

(3) Formation of Confucianism: In the Spring and Autumn Period, Confucius put forward that "the benevolent loves others" and "self-denial is benevolence", and praised the rites of the week, which formed an important foundation of Confucianism. During the Warring States period, Mencius and Xunzi combined their own understanding to perfect and explain Confucianism. Mencius put forward the idea of "valuing the people over the monarch", while Xunzi demanded the combination of "rule by courtesy" and "rule by law". After the initial formation of Confucianism, it was constantly transformed by the rulers and became the orthodox thought serving the feudal rule. The "harmony" advocated by it and the golden mean advocated by it have had a far-reaching impact on various countries in the East Asian cultural circle.

(4) The trend of great unification has been strengthened: due to the disputes between princes, countries have carried out reforms in succession to win the war, gradually established feudal systems, strengthened national integration, and unified has become the general trend. The hegemony of vassals and the annexation of small countries by big countries have strengthened the economic and cultural ties between regions, laid the foundation for China's reunification and prepared political conditions for the formation of a unified culture.

4. Stereotype period: Qin and Han Dynasties

Qin dynasty was the first unified feudal dynasty in Chinese history. It and the political system adopted by the later Han Dynasty became the model and blueprint of the feudal regime organization and ruling institutions, and their cultural policies had a far-reaching impact on later generations.

(1) Strengthen centralization and establish feudal administrative system: The Qin Dynasty began to establish supreme imperial power, enjoying sacred status and supreme rights in feudal countries. Under the rule of the emperor, a whole bureaucratic system was established. A relatively perfect feudal code "Qin Law" was formulated, which extended the county system to the whole country, established a feudal ruling network from the central to the local, and strengthened the feudal state machine. The Qin dynasty established private ownership in the whole country, unified writing, currency, weights and measures and railways, followed the historical trend and established a unified country. The establishment of the Han Dynasty declared Qin Shihuang's dream of the throne shattered, and also answered the question of "what kind of vassal would you rather have" with facts. The Han Dynasty basically followed the system of the Qin Dynasty, established a relatively complete armed force, formulated laws and implemented a new tax system, and the Han nationality was formally formed during this period. "The unification of China by Qin Shihuang spread to the whole country, which laid the basic model of China's ancient political system. Later, after the impact of the Wu Chu Rebellion in the early years of the Western Han Dynasty, it was officially determined during the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty and became the main institutional culture of China ancient society for more than 2,000 years. " ⑥ In the Eastern Han Dynasty, the official platform was strengthened, the powers of the three public offices were weakened, the supervisory organs were strengthened, the ruling institutions were further improved, the local administrative organs of states, counties and counties were determined, and the chiefs of inland counties and countries were abolished. Since then, feudal political organizations have been established on the basis of Qin and Han Dynasties.

(2) Cultural autocracy: Qin Shihuang took extreme measures in culture. Although his policy of burning books and burying Confucianism maintained the rule and consolidated the unity in a short time, these measures played a great destructive role in China culture, causing irreparable cultural losses. After the subjective and objective conditions were ripe, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty accepted Dong Zhongshu's suggestion of "ousting a hundred schools of thought and respecting Confucianism alone", taking the reformed Confucianism as the ruling ideology. Since Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty established the exclusive Confucianism, Confucianism with Confucius and Mencius as the authentic thought became the orthodox thought of the feudal ruling class, and Confucianism began to become the first choice of the feudal rulers and influenced all aspects of culture. "The advocacy and worship of Confucianism really made it a practical political theory of the feudal dynasty, and the ethical norms derived from Confucianism were deeply rooted in the hearts of the people and even became the main spirit of China culture." ⑦

(3) The rise of Buddhism and Taoism: In the Eastern Han Dynasty, when Taoism was formed, with the establishment of a centralized feudal autocratic country, a series of theocracy levels appeared in the Qin and Han Dynasties, headed by the Emperor of Heaven and protected by four gods. After the alchemists screened and reformed the immortals, they gradually introduced the emperor and Laozi as the leaders of Taoism. Although Taoism never occupied a dominant position in feudal society, it had a far-reaching influence on rulers, many of whom were obsessed with the acquisition of elixir of life. During the Eastern Han Dynasty, Taoism began to have a relatively complete system, and officially became one of the folk religions in China, which played an important role in the development of China culture. Buddhism was born in India and was introduced to China in the early Eastern Han Dynasty. After that, he began to adapt to the characteristics of China, which had a great influence on China's thought, culture and art.

5. Development period: Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, Tang and Song Dynasties.

The culture of this period further developed on the basis of Qin and Han culture and began to establish the magnificent momentum of Chinese culture.

(1) Shake of Confucianism: The political chaos in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, the loss of political dependence of Confucianism, the widespread spread of Buddhism and the rapid development of Taoism, as well as the increasingly rigid Confucianism itself and the lack of mass base, made the dominant position of Confucianism in culture begin to shake. During this period, metaphysics began to become a dominant ideology.

(2) Establishment and development of the imperial examination system: The imperial examination system initiated by Sui Dynasty replaced the Jiupin Zhong Zheng system in Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, which had a far-reaching impact on China's ruling order, educational methods and cultural connotation. When Yang Di was in the Sui Dynasty, the imperial examination system was formed. The imperial examination in Tang Dynasty was divided into routine examination and routine examination, which began in Wu and Zhou Dynasties. In the Northern Song Dynasty, the system of "pasting names" was implemented, and the imperial examination system was constantly improved and developed. The imperial examination system "takes the ideology and morality of the landlord class as the criterion", which expands the ruling order, exerts an important influence on the thoughts of China intellectuals, and is conducive to the inheritance and promotion of culture.

(3) Perfection of institutional culture: The Sui Dynasty reformed the official system and implemented the system of three provinces and six departments, and the power was divided into two parts. In military service, the system of officers and men and the integration of soldiers and farmers are implemented, and in tribute, the system of equal land and tenancy are implemented to adjust the tax system The Tang Dynasty implemented the system of government soldiers. The Northern Song Dynasty implemented the policy of valuing literature over martial arts, and the rights of prime ministers were separated in the central government. Huang Kai Law in Sui Dynasty and Tang Law in Tang Dynasty combined the basic spirit of China's feudal legal system and created favorable conditions for the stability of social order and the development of culture.

(4) Cultural exchange between China and foreign countries: Since Buddhism was introduced, it has been constantly changing and adjusting in order to better adapt to the characteristics of China and people's beliefs and habits. It combined with Taoism and Confucianism, and finally formed Neo-Confucianism in the Song Dynasty. The introduction, popularization and development of Buddhism not only enriched the connotation of China's traditional culture, but also made Buddhism an important part of China's traditional cultural structure, which was the result of mutual absorption of Chinese and foreign cultures. In the late Tang Dynasty, with the further integration of various ethnic groups and frequent foreign exchanges, as well as the integration of political system and ideology and culture, the Tang Dynasty condensed great strength, prospered culture, accepted a large number of foreign cultures with a broad mind, and integrated them into the whole culture of China. Pet-name ruby Bona and the open spirit of China culture were formally formed in this period.

(5) Formation of Neo-Confucianism: In the Song Dynasty, due to class contradictions and national struggles, Buddhism and Taoism infiltrated into Confucianism, and Confucianism began to be philosophized, which went beyond the scope of studying Confucian classics and became new knowledge including Confucian classics, literature, history and philosophy. , formed the Song School. After the Southern Song Dynasty, various schools of Song studies changed, and Neo-Confucianism won the competition with various schools. Neo-Confucianism has re-established the orthodox position of Confucianism, which has become an important factor affecting China culture for a long time.