Did you know that many of the firsts in Chinese civilization came from Henan?

The earliest playable musical instrument, the earliest timepiece, the earliest collection of poetry... Do you know where they all came from?

Turn over the scroll of time, follow the Central Plains Cultural Innovation Map, and explore the many "firsts" originating from Henan!

Thoughts

In Henan, the Yi culture created by Fuxi became the most important classic of Chinese culture. During the Warring States Period, Henan was the main battlefield for the contention of hundreds of schools of thought. Since the Han and Tang Dynasties, Confucianism and Taoism have complemented each other, and with the adjustment of Buddhism, they have formed the mainstream thought of ancient China in the Song Dynasty.

Literature and Art

China is a country of poetry, and Henan is the hometown of literature. The innovative spirit of Central Plains culture is evident in every line of Central Plains literature.

In the Book of Songs, the first collection of Chinese poetry, "half of the 'Fifteen States' are from Henan", and many chapters such as "Song Gao" and "Shang Song" "are not from Henan"; there is also a saying during the Han and Wei dynasties that "half of the articles of the Han and Wei dynasties were from Luoyang"; the Seven Sages of the Jian'an Period, the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove, the poet Du Fu, Yuan Zhen and Bai Juyi who advocated the New Music Bureau Movement... Central Plains literature has a strong pioneering and innovative spirit and is good at starting trends.

Henan opera has grown from Henan ou and Henan bangzi to the largest local opera in my country, and innovation has always been its main theme. Henan opera master Chang Xiangyu founded the "Chang School", a major school of Henan opera; "Father of modern Henan opera" Fan Cuiting and others reformed Henan opera and laid the foundation for its cultural character; Henan Yue Opera developed from a folk drama to one of the main operas in Henan... Innovation and creation have always accompanied the reform and development of Henan Qu Opera.

Prehistoric Civilization

Wuyang Jiahu is a very "magical" site, where musical instruments, agriculture, food processing... have revealed many world records.

In addition, the Shuanghuaishu site in Gongyi, the Erlitou site in Yanshi, the Yangshao site in Mianchi... have also discovered many world records.

The most original innovation of mankind must first come from the innovation of the means of production, which in turn leads to the innovation of production organization forms and the innovation of distribution means.

Inventions and Creations

Did you know that about one-third of the “important scientific and technological inventions and creations in ancient China” are related to Henan!

The earliest timer, the creation of the 24 solar terms, ancient Chinese prescriptions, papermaking, the seismometer... In the development of Chinese civilization, Henan is an important source of many new inventions and new technologies.

Starting from the Erlitou site, China's bronze casting developed rapidly and created the glory of bronze civilization. The Houmuwu Ding from Yinxu and the Lotus and Crane Square Pot from Xinzheng both reflect the exquisite metallurgical casting technology of the ancient Central Plains; the cloud-patterned bronze ban from the Chu Tomb in Xichuan is the earliest lost wax casting found in China so far; the jade-handled iron sword unearthed from the Guo State Tomb in Sanmenxia is the earliest example of artificial iron smelting in my country known and scientifically confirmed.

China is also a country of porcelain. The earliest primitive porcelain was discovered at the Erlitou site; Henan's porcelain industry reached its peak during the Northern Song Dynasty. Among the five famous kilns, Ru, Jun, Guan, Ge, and Ding, Ru, Jun, and the Northern Song Dynasty Guan Kiln are all located in Henan today.

Innovation is a way of thinking and also a spiritual character.

Every civilization continues the spiritual bloodline of a country and a nation. It not only needs to be passed on from generation to generation and protected from generation to generation, but also needs to keep pace with the times and be bold in innovation.