The formation period of the Yellow River civilization was roughly between 4000 BC and 2000 BC, which lasted for two thousand years. During this period, many regional civilizations appeared in China, such as Chengdu Plain Civilization, Jianghan Civilization, Taihu Civilization in the Yangtze River Basin, etc. Its representative archaeological cultures include Daxi Culture, Qujialing Culture, Shijiahe Culture, Songze Culture and Liangzhu Culture. There are Gan Qing civilization, Central Plains civilization and Haidai civilization in the Yellow River basin, and its representative archaeological cultures are Yangshao culture, Central Plains Longshan culture, Dawenkou culture, Shandong Longshan culture and Majiayao culture. There is Yanshan civilization in the northeast, and the representative archaeological culture is mainly Hongshan Culture. All regional civilizations have developed to a fairly high level, which is highly respected by the academic community. But later, some civilizations were interrupted and some civilizations went to a low tide. Only the Yellow River civilization, like the mainstay, is full of vigor and vitality, absorbs and integrates the essence of regional civilization and develops to a higher level. Corresponding to the above archaeological culture are the five emperors in the history of China, namely the Yellow Emperor, Zhuan Xu, Di Ku, Tang Yao, Yu Shun and Tai Hao and Shao Hao in Haidai. According to documents, their ethnic groups mainly multiplied, lived and developed in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, creating a splendid early civilization of the Yellow River. At this time, the society was full of nationalities, battlements, socialization of agricultural production, specialization of handicrafts and standardization of etiquette. The polarization between the rich and the poor, the emergence of classes, and the rapid development of culture and art at this time, the Yellow River civilization is in the formation period of great blending, which can be called the primary stage of national civilization or Chinese civilization.
The development period of the Yellow River civilization is its sublimation stage. From the time point of view, it is mainly Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties. At this time, the Yellow River civilization was mainly concentrated in the Great Central Plains in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, with Henan Province as the core, and the culture of the Great Central Plains was the center of the Yellow River civilization. The culture of Heluo area in the Central Plains (with Luoyang-Dengfeng line as the core) is the core of the Yellow River civilization. Heluo region generally includes the inner included angle continent and the outer included angle continent at the intersection of the Yellow River and Luohe, as well as the south of Shanxi and the north of Henan on the north bank of the Yellow River. Heluo cultural circle can extend to Guanzhong in the west and reach eastern Henan in the east. In the Heluo cultural circle, there are not only rich legends and relics of the Five Emperors, but also the capitals of Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties. Archaeological findings show that the cities belonging to this dynasty include Wang Chenggang Ancient City in Dengfeng, Zhengzhou, Henan Province (the former Eight Roads Site), Xinmixinzhai Ancient City in Zhengzhou, Erlitou City Site in yanshi city, Zhengzhou Mall, Yanshi Xianggou Mall in Luoyang, Yinxu Mall in Anyang, Huanbei Mall in Anyang, and the Western Zhou and Eastern Zhou Capital Sites discovered in Shaanxi and Luoyang. Cities in Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties were all in Heluo area. Therefore, Heluo culture is not only a kind of regional culture, but also a kind of Wang Du culture that lasts for about two thousand years, and it is the core carrier of the Yellow River civilization. At this historical stage, the political power system has emerged, with relatively mature state institutions, relatively perfect ritual and music systems and relatively standardized writing. Science and technology, agriculture, handicrafts and commercial trade have developed rapidly, and the epoch-making bronze culture is famous at home and abroad. There are Bashu culture, Wuyue culture, Chu culture, Yanzhao culture and Qilu culture around Heluo culture. Through communication, absorption and integration, Heluo culture has been injected with vitality and become more active on the historical stage. During this period, many immortal works appeared, such as China's earliest collection of poems, The Book of Songs, and the philosophical Book of Changes. Schools such as Taoism, Confucianism, Mohism, Legalism, Military strategists and famous artists, which have influenced China for thousands of years, have mushroomed in Heluo area, creating a golden age for a hundred schools of thought to contend in China. Heluo culture enriched the content of Yellow River civilization and injected fresh blood. The light of civilization lit up the east of Asia, which not only lagged far behind the north and south of the Great Wall, but also enjoyed a high reputation in the world at that time.
The heyday of the Yellow River civilization is the historical stage of entering the feudal imperial civilization. From the Qin and Han Dynasties to the Northern Song Dynasty, Heluo region was at the core for more than a thousand years. The culture of imperial capital promotes the great progress of national science and culture. Qin Shihuang unified the six countries, abolished feudalism, established a county, shared the same car and book, and unified measurement. Han inherited the Qin system, which further standardized, improved and popularized this great civilization creation. Confucianism and Taoism in the pre-Qin period have been inherited and carried forward in all previous dynasties. Sinology is an important school founded by scholars in the Han Dynasty, with a long history and great influence. Their achievements in Confucian classics have always been regarded as classics by later scholars. Neo-Confucianism in the Song Dynasty played an important role in shaping the character of the Chinese nation. Imperial academy, the earliest institution of higher learning in China, is located in Luoyang, the capital of the Eastern Han Dynasty (now Luoyang, Henan Province), with a maximum of more than 30,000 students. After Cao Wei and the Western Jin Dynasty, a large number of talents were trained for all parts of the country, and many outstanding figures appeared. Astronomical calendar, agronomy, geoscience, medicine, water conservancy, machinery, architecture, smelting, ceramics, brewing, textile, paper making, movable type printing and other technologies have all created historical miracles; Han Fu, Tang Poetry, Song Poetry, Calligraphy, Painting, Sculpture, etc. They all climbed to the peak of culture and art; Various historical books handed down from later generations are vast, recording the history of the rise and fall of dynasties and social development from ancient times to the present. The famous Silk Road began in Xi in the Western Han Dynasty and in Luoyang from the Eastern Han Dynasty to the Sui and Tang Dynasties. Xi and Luoyang were international metropolises for foreign cultural exchange and commercial trade. Therefore, the Han and Tang civilizations in the history of China are world-renowned. This fully shows that the Yellow River civilization has indeed developed into a new historical stage. The core of this highly prosperous Yellow River civilization is indeed within the scope of Heluo culture.
The main body of Chinese civilization is the Yellow River civilization, with its center in the Central Plains and its core in the Heluo cultural circle. The greatest characteristics of Heluo culture are shown in the following three aspects: First, the continuity of the national capital culture. During the Five Emperors and the National Period of the Yellow River Civilization, the Yellow Emperor (now xinzheng city, Henan Province) had bears, Zhuan Xu (now Puyang, Henan Province) had capital hills, Duyao had Pingyang (now Linfen, Shanxi Province), and Shundu (now yongji city, Shanxi Province) had general classes. During the development of the Yellow River civilization and the Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties, the capital cities of Xia were Yangcheng (now xinzheng city, Henan Province), Yangzhai (now Yuzhou, Henan Province), Zhenzan (now yanshi city, Henan Province, namely Erlitou), Laoqiu (now Kaifeng, Henan Province), Shangdubo (now Shangqiu, Henan Province), Yi (now Zhengzhou Mall Site, Henan Province) and Yin. Xi 'an, Luoyang and Kaifeng were the capitals of the Western Han Dynasty to the Northern Song Dynasty in the imperial era when the Yellow River civilization was at its peak. The above capitals are all in the Heluo cultural circle, and the history of establishing the capital for thousands of years has formed a capital culture with great influence. This is the most prominent feature of Heluo culture. Second, the deep-rooted culture is another feature of Heluo culture, and the source of many civilizations is in this area. For example, the earliest country is here, and the four key points identified by the civilization traceability project started in recent years, namely Taosi in Linfen, Guzhen Village in Zhengzhou, Xinzhai and Wang Chenggang, are also here, and Chinese characters such as Hetu, Luoshu and Yijing, which are regarded as the source of traditional culture, are also produced here, namely Oracle Bone Inscriptions in Yinxu, Anyang, Henan. Due to various historical reasons, a large number of people in the Central Plains migrated in all directions, even overseas. According to the research of surnames experts, among the hundreds of surnames in China, there are more than 70 surnames whose ancestral home or roots are in the Central Plains. Nowadays, overseas Chinese, especially overseas Chinese, call themselves "Heluolang" and come to seek roots to worship their ancestors. Heluo area has become a holy land for cultural roots and surname roots. Third, the idea of great unification is deeply rooted and forms traditional national genes. The national personality that is good at absorption, tolerance, openness and cohesion is fully reflected in Heluo culture, but the most prominent one is the unified national gene. For thousands of years, people have waged unremitting struggles and made brilliant achievements in safeguarding national unity and strength and opposing separatism. This excellent tradition has now become the rock-solid cohesion and soul of the whole Chinese nation.
The source of the Yellow River is Kariqu, which originates from the foothills of Bayankala Mountains in Qinghai, flows through Sichuan to Gansu in the east, Ningxia to Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi, Shanxi and Henan, and from northern Shandong to Bohai Sea, with a total length of 5,494 kilometers, making it the second longest river in China after the Yangtze River.
The Yellow River is divided into three sections, the upper reaches of which are above Hekou Town, Tuoketuo County, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region; Hekou to Lumeng is the middle reaches of Henan; Below Meng Lu is the downstream.
At the source of the Yellow River, there are three tributaries in the north of the river, called Zhaxi, the tributary in the west is called Guzong Liequ, and the tributary in the southwest is Jacky Kariqu of the Yellow River. The trilogy merged into one and flowed eastward into the sea of stars. This river, which gushes from the snow-capped mountains, is crystal clear, bubbling and lively, like a playful child, singing cheerful songs all day and all night; The upper reaches of the Yellow River run through mountains and valleys, with rapid ups and downs, and the current is still clear; In the middle reaches, from the estuary to Monroe, flowing through the Loess Plateau, the sediment concentration is greatly increased and the water color is dark yellow. Thousands of gullies on the endless plateau, like the dragon of loess, are embraced by the river together, or like thousands of earthworks are arched by a huge array of bulldozers, and at the same time they have to be pushed into the river to build countless dams. It seems that it is not the river that washes away the loess, but the loess will bury the river every day for hundreds of millions of years. The stubborn and unrestrained river broke through mud dikes and earth dams, and running all the way and Bai Yang flew down from Hukou, Shanxi Province with the sediment they captured, shaking the ancient days, rolling up Feng Gang and rumbling all night. Straight through Lumeng, the terrain is flat, and the North China Plain stretches its mind and caresses the turbulent river. The river gradually slowed down, as if it were resting after a fight. Sediment is released from the bosom and sinks to the bottom of the river, accumulating year after year and sinking month after month. So dikes were built on both sides of the river, and these dikes increased year by year, and the bottom of the river was higher than the ground. The water of the Yellow River has become a river on the ground, as if it came from the sky and ran to the sea.
The Yellow River has flooded since ancient times. Long before the emergence of human society, the Loess Plateau was already criss-crossed with ravines, and immeasurable loess poured into rivers. The input of the Yellow River is closely related to the sunspot activity cycle. The Yellow River overflows almost periodically, carrying sediment on the one hand and creating a vast and fertile alluvial plain on the other. It is on this yellow Yuan Ye that our ancestors created a splendid dry farming culture. The Yellow River nurtured the ancestors of the Yellow River civilization with her flexible and broad mind, and realized the great integration of Huangyan tribe and other tribal civilizations. This is the mother river of our nation.
The relationship between the Yellow River and loess, water and soil is a geochemical process in nature, and it is hard to say whether it has been done or not. This side of the soil and water has given birth to splendid civilization and is also a process in the history of human development. The evolution of the Yellow River has given our nation far-reaching enlightenment and strength and become a symbol of our spirit. The secrets of the Yellow River itself, such as the periodicity of flooding, the periodicity of sediment discharge peaks and valleys, the mystery of several sudden sunny days in the history of the Yellow River, and the experience and lessons of managing the Yellow River from ancient times to the present, all deserve our long-term meditation. However, the surging Yellow River inspires our nation, but it is a spiritual banner that we should always publicize.
The Yellow River is our wealth.
The Yellow River is our symbol.
The Yellow River is our mother river.
Walking along the Yellow River, in the initial stage of civilization, there are many cultural centers with regional characteristics scattered all over China. The unbalanced development of polycentricity is the characteristic of this period. The cultural center at that time can be roughly divided into five parts: northern culture, southern culture, culture along the Great Wall, northwest culture and northeast culture. The intersection of the North-South cultural transition zone and the East-West cultural transition zone, like a big cross, forms the most developed zone of prehistoric culture in China. This is the prehistoric cultural area of Xi- Luoyang-Kaifeng today, and it is also the birthplace of civilization in the Yellow River basin.
The birthplace of ancient human civilization in the world is mostly located on the banks of rivers, lakes and seas or at the confluence of rivers. The Nile River in Egypt, the Ganges River in India, the Euphrates River and the Tigris River in Mesopotamia are the veins of ancient human civilization. The ancient two rivers cultivated irrigated agriculture, and also made the tree of literature and mathematics sprout and grow. The invention of the wheel made communication and trade a reality, and the appearance of cuneiform made the Babylonians truly civilized. So before 3500 BC, the first real cities in the world were born in the two river basins.
However, the ancient civilization of the two river basins was based on a single irrigated agriculture. Once the irrigation conditions were lost, the ancient civilization declined, so the ancient Babylonian civilization was buried in the eternal dust.
Our ancient culture is not. At that time, the East Asian monsoon was sweeping through China. Although the complex and diverse natural environment is not as easy to use as Lianghe City, it has created various ecological factors for our ancestors and laid an objective foundation for them to invent and create higher and more complex technologies to use natural conditions. Both the Yellow River and the Yangtze River originate from high mountains, not the plain Yuan Ye of Liangjiang City. Rivers spewing out of rocks can only be used with high technology, and the polycentric culture in a vast area makes the development of China culture not die because of the decline of a certain center. Therefore, the uninterrupted and sustainable development of ancient culture in China is an objective necessity.
Our Yellow River has been performing the drama of "Dragon Tail" in the North China Plain since ancient times. Frequent diversions, excessive floods and the formation of a large area of loess Yuan Ye provide a vast fertile and soft land for dry farming. The climate in this area is quite regular, and the rainy season is just in the growing period of crops. Therefore, millet, which is suitable for the growth of yellow soil belt, has a short maturity and is easy to preserve, has become the main food crop in this period. The ancient culture in the Yellow River Basin experienced its own long-term development and evolution, and fully absorbed the cultural essence of the surrounding areas, and finally became the mainstream of early civilization in China.
The ancient cultural sites of the Yellow River cover almost the whole basin. The vast area in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River is the concentration of Yangshao culture, from Guanzhong in Shaanxi, Jinnan in Shanxi and Jinan in Hebei to most parts of Henan, and even as far as the borders of Gansu, Hetao, northern Hebei, eastern Henan and northwestern Hubei. The early representative was Jiangzhai in Lintong, Shaanxi. Facing the ruins of Jiangzhai Village, you will have infinite reverie. Where the ancient ancestors lived in groups, they brought you the ancient times. Magnetic mountain culture in central and southern Hebei, Peiligang culture in Henan, Laoguantai and Dadiwan culture in Guanzhong and Longdong are the predecessors of Yangshao culture. Majiadong culture and Qijia culture in the upper reaches of the Yellow River in Gansu are the late Yangshao culture, and the production and social development have entered a new stage. Some people even judge that the extension of Qijia culture may have belonged to slave society.
The culture of Haidai area in the lower reaches of the Yellow River is self-contained, and the northern new culture, Dawenkou culture and Shandong Longshan culture come down in one continuous line. Some people say that it is also a branch of Yangshao culture, while others say that it is influenced by Liangzhu culture in the south, because the production of pottery and jade has the characteristics of Liangzhu culture. Some people even say that Dawenkou culture and Shandong Longshan culture are one of the independent cultural centers.
No matter how scholars point out ancient cultural relics, those silent cultural relics are telling us that in ancient times, the banks and terraces of the mighty Yellow River basin were active for our ancestors. According to the research on the related documents of China ancient legend era and the archaeological culture, Yangshao culture, Henan Longshan culture and Shaanxi Longshan culture can be regarded as the cultural remains of the Chinese nation, while Dawenkou-Shandong Longshan culture belongs to Dongyi nationality.
The two most powerful clans in China are Huangdi and Yan Di, and the Dongyi clan is Taiwei and Chiyou.
Yan Di was born on the Jiang Shui River east of Qishan, Shaanxi Province. The tribe entered Henan and southeast along the Weihe River and arrived in Shandong. Huang Di was born with a bear (now xinzheng city, Henan Province), and his capital was here. He has been engaged in political and military activities for a long time.
Dongyi people are distributed in Haidai area in the lower reaches of the Yellow River, and Shandong, eastern Henan, southern Henan and central Anhui are their active places.
Yan Di, who entered Shandong, fought against the Chiyou tribe, and Yan Di, who was defeated, took refuge in the Yellow Emperor. The two tribes in Huangyan joined forces and set out the battlefield in Zhuolu to fight against Chiyou. At that time, Chiyou tribe had mastered high copper smelting technology, and its culture was before Huangyan tribe. The "Battle of Zhuolu" in the legendary period of ancient history was completely destroyed. The Huangyan tribe finally killed Chiyou, and part of its tribe merged into China, part of it retreated south to become the southern tribe today, and the other part crossed the sea.
In fact, this war was a great collision and fusion of cultures in various regions and branches in the initial period of Chinese civilization. In the absence of information media in ancient times, migration wars were all means of cultural integration. It was this war that made the two cultures in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River merge into one, and even the Liangzhu culture in the Yangtze River valley merged into the Central Plains culture, making this Central Plains culture, as the essence of many cultures, the center of China's early civilization. It is hard to say that the copper smelting of Shandong Longshan culture is higher than that of Zhongyuan Longshan culture, and even the early symbols and characters did not have a far-reaching impact on Zhongyuan culture. The Central Plains culture finally became the core of early civilization represented by Xia and Shang bronze culture, precisely because it combined many advanced cultural factors. Therefore, Huangdi, Yan Di and Chiyou should all be the ancestors of the Chinese nation and should be revered forever.
More than 2,000 years ago, Xia Houshi, a descendant of the Chinese people, rose. On the basis of the development of productive forces to a certain level and the emergence of private ownership, a huge disaster has brought our nation into the era of Central Plains civilization. A flood that seemed to fall from the sky spread all over the Central Plains, and the story of Yu Xia's successful water control became a legend that the Chinese nation will never forget. With the help of this achievement, the last leader of Xia tribe elected by primitive society began the historical process of establishing the first slave society in China, the Xia Dynasty. Yu's prestige and Xia clan's advanced productivity made him the de facto leader of all ethnic groups. For those forces that hinder the development of the Xia nationality, such as Sanmiao, Gonggong and Yu, they all raise their troops to attack. Nothing can stop him. Hereditary system replaces abdication system. The key to class civilized society replacing primitive civilized society is in his hand. He is turning a new page in Chinese civilization.
That year, it is said to be 2 1 century BC. This historic change took place in Henan more than 4,000 years ago.
To sum up, the Yellow River Valley civilization as the birthplace of Chinese civilization is well-founded!