Why is China's 5,000 years of history not just a legend?

Five Thousand Years of Chinese Civilization

Seven short words

It has long been deeply imprinted in the hearts of every Chinese.

But this sentence seems to us

Of course, the words

But it was not recognized internationally.

Due to the lack of direct archaeological evidence

For quite a long time

The history of Chinese civilization can only be traced back to

The Shang Dynasty, more than 3,600 years ago

The so-called five thousand years of civilization

It seems to exist only in legends

Change all this

It is a site located in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River.

Although the real name of this place is no longer known

But now it has a beautiful name

Liangzhu

Its application for World Heritage status was successful

Let the world know about China's 5,000 years of history

More than just a legend

(Please watch in horizontal mode. Around 5,000 years ago, the world's major river basins began to develop early state forms and urban civilizations. Map by @陈志浩/Planetary Research Institute)

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As early as 5000 years ago, Jiangnan

Here the early state forms had already developed

People living on this land

Established his own romantic country

Their capital

It is an unparalleled

"City on Water"

(Please watch in horizontal mode. The area of ​​Liangzhu Ancient City is about 6.3 square kilometers, which is equivalent to 9 Forbidden Cities . Map by @刘志鹏&郑伯蓉&陈志浩/Planet Research Institute)

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Liangzhu

What kind of powerful strength does it have?

Why can it prove that China has a 5,000-year history of civilization?

At the beginning of the story

We need to go back to the prehistoric misty Jiangnan

Witness the birth of a "infrastructure maniac" here

01

Infrastructure Maniac

-Water Conservancy Project and Rice Farming-

In the past impression

The Jiangnan region where Liangzhu is located

It should have always been a place moistened by water.

But unexpectedly

Water was once Liangzhu

Biggest enemy

Before the Liangzhu culture was born

In the past two thousand years

This land is still under the sea

(Please watch in horizontal mode. About 9400-7600 years ago, the Taihu Plain where Liangzhu was located was flooded by the sea due to the invasion of the sea in the early Holocene. Today, the Taihu Plain is still covered with lakes and wetlands. Photographer: @潘劲草)

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In the long years that followed

Even if the sea recedes

Life in coastal areas is not peaceful either

Every early summer

The rainy season will continue here.

Prolonged rainy season can cause flooding

Too short will lead to drought

In summer and autumn

This is also an area where typhoons frequently occur.

Each crossing is accompanied by strong winds and heavy rains.

Even brought storm surges and tsunamis

(The surging tide of Qiantang River, photographer @朱露翔)

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Although it was plagued by floods

But it is undeniable that

The abundant water source also watered the flowers of civilization

After two thousand years of accumulation

This land is not only full of life

Civilization also quietly sprouted

(Based on the Majiabang and Songze cultures, the Liangzhu culture developed and grew in the Taihu Plain. Map by @Chen Zhihao/Planet Research Institute)

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Liangzhu people know

If you want to break through the shackles of development

The most urgent task is to solve the frequent floods

Water comes and soil covers

They decided to build a

"Super Dam"

The mountains and hills in the west rise and fall

As long as the dam is connected between the mountains

It can easily block the rainwater flowing down from the mountain

(Liangzhu Qiuwu Reservoir in the mountains, photographer @潘劲草)

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In order to avoid water erosion on the dam

Liangzhu people wrapped mud with grass stems

As the core of the dam

And build layer after layer outside

Different soil textures

Greatly enhance the strength of the dam body

(Schematic diagram of the Liangzhu Dam structure, drawn by Liu Zhipeng/Planetary Research Institute)

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that's all

Eleven Dams

Built one after another on the rolling mountains

Together they constitute the world's

The largest dam system

The water storage capacity of the whole system

Up to 46 million cubic meters

Equivalent to three West Lakes

(Please watch in horizontal mode. The construction of Liangzhu Dam was one thousand years earlier than the time when Dayu controlled the floods. Map by @刘志鹏&郑伯蓉&陈志浩/Planet Research Institute)

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In addition to resisting floods

Storing water through damming

The valleys can be connected to each other by waterways

The stones and various animal and plant resources on the mountain

Able to go down water

Formed a convenient

Water transportation network

(Statue of Liangzhu people transporting stones on bamboo rafts, photographer @潘劲草)

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Most importantly

Water conservancy systems can provide agricultural

Provide stable irrigation water

The reservoir located upstream is like the heart

The rivers and canals connected to it are like blood vessels

Once a drought occurs

They can provide a lot of rice fields downstream.

Continuous water supply

(Rice cultivation requires a lot of water, photographer @黄政伟)

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The lower reaches of the Yangtze River

This is one of the birthplaces of rice.

Through generations of inheritance and development

In the Liangzhu period

Planting technology has improved significantly

Stone plow for farming

Can greatly speed up the process of land reclamation

Stone sickle for harvesting

Capable of collecting both straw and rice ears

(Liangzhu agricultural tools, photographer @杨照夫, map @李雪茜/Planet Research Institute)

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To better observe the farming season

The Liangzhu people also carefully designed two square platforms.

This may be their daily

A place for sacrifice and astronomical observation

(Liangzhu Yaoshan Altar, photographer @赵高翔)

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The ambitions of Liangzhu people go far beyond this

Dam construction

There is actually a more important purpose

That is to protect the downstream city

An unparalleled

"Water Capital"

02

Water City

-Urban construction and primitive writing-

The location of the capital

The Liangzhu people carefully considered

The west is guarded by mountains and dams

Easy access to the mountains’ natural resources

The open river plain in the east

Suitable for rice field cultivation

The winding river

This place has become an important transportation hub.

(The location of Liangzhu Ancient City fits the shape of the mountains and the water flow, map by @Chen Zhihao/Planet Research Institute)

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This is a unique "city on water"

Among the 9 city gates

There are 8 water gates

The city is paved with water.

51 rivers crisscross this area

Most of them are excavated manually.

The city’s internal and external water systems are interconnected

Formed a complete water and land transportation network

(The Liangzhu ancient city consists of the palace city, inner city and outer city from the inside to the outside, which is the earliest triple city structure in China . Map by @刘志鹏&陈志浩/Planet Research Institute)

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Different from ordinary city walls

The average width of the wall of Liangzhu Ancient City is about 50m

The widest part can even reach 250m

In addition to protecting the city

It also has the functions of living and waterproofing

In order to prevent the river water from penetrating the city wall

The Liangzhu people specialized in

A large amount of loess and gravel was transported

Place gravel at the bottom

Then build a wall several meters high on it.

(The gravel layer at the bottom of the city wall can effectively prevent river water from seeping into the wall. Photographer @杨照夫)

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There are many

Terraces for human habitation

The highest terrace is in the center of the city.

This is a nearly 300,000 square meter

The highest platform is 18m above sea level

(This is the largest prehistoric palace area discovered in China so far, mapped by @刘志鹏/星球研究院)

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On the high platform

It is a palace of various sizes.

This may be the rulers of Liangzhu

A place for important ceremonies

(There are several palace buildings on the terrace in the city center, the largest of which covers an area of ​​900 square meters. Map by Liu Zhipeng/Planet Research Institute)

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In the east of the city

Across the river from the palace area

There are a series of handicraft workshops

Whether it is the wood used to build the palace

Or jade and lacquerware used by the royal family?

All from here

(Model of the Liangzhu Zhongjiagang workshop, image source: Visual China)

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About 15,000 to 23,000 people

Living in this city

In addition to the royal family

The rest are engaged in handicraft production

The granaries in the city were filled with rice.

Even if people in the city do not participate in farming

A stable food source

(Carbonized rice found in the Liangzhu ruins, photographer @刘晓宁, tagged @李雪茜/Planet Research Institute)

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that's all

The Liangzhu people used their creativity and imagination

On a river plain

Built a unique

"Water City"

People travel on weekdays

You need to go to the pier to take a canoe or raft

Although the river is not narrow

But it is also crowded with large and small boats

(A boating scene sculpture in Liangzhu Ruins Park, image source: Visual China)

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The boat moves slowly along the river

Traveled through the majestic royal city

Wandering through the busy workshop

Wooden houses and mud houses on both sides of the river, and reeds

Liangzhu Ancient City at this time

It looks like a scene of Jiangnan water town.

(Water village life in Liangzhu Ruins Park, photographer @赵高翔)

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but

Building a city is far from easy

Liangzhu Ancient City and its surrounding water conservancy system

The total earthwork volume reached

More than 10 million cubic meters

What is this concept?

In terms of volume

Equivalent to four of the largest Egyptian pyramids

In terms of time

Excluding timber transport and house construction

Assuming tens of thousands of people participate in the construction

Such a project would take decades to complete.

(Please watch in horizontal mode, the restored construction scene of Liangzhu Museum, photographer @朱露翔)

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Imagine

If you want to organize tens of thousands of people

A decades-long project

Information transmitted verbally only

Seems like an impossible task

Maybe on weekdays

Liangzhu people already knew how to use special symbols

Record important information

Liangzhu pottery

Engraved with various symbols

Some of them have simple strokes

Maybe it represents numbers

(Liangzhu counting pattern symbols, drawn by @Li Xueqian/Planetary Research Institute)

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Some symbols are vivid.

You can see at a glance

The image it symbolizes

(Liangzhu picture style symbols, drawn by @Li Xueqian/Planetary Research Institute)

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Some symbols

There are also permutations and combinations

It seems to convey some complex message.

(These symbols may record a hunting process, photographer @包浩霖, map @李雪茜/Planetary Research Institute)

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These symbols

Perhaps it was the original "writing" used by Liangzhu

Their creation

It undoubtedly facilitates people's communication

However, five thousand years ago, when the world was still underdeveloped,

If you want to control so many people for a long time

We also need a more powerful force that transcends material things.

This is the power of God

03

Like water and jade

- Religious beliefs and social class -

In the minds of Liangzhu people

Maybe it's just a common belief.

To bring everyone together

But what does God look like?

Maybe it has a huge crest.

Arms outstretched, eyes wide open

The lower body is like a crouching beast

(The image of the Liangzhu divine emblem is highly unified and runs through the Liangzhu culture. Map by @李雪茜/Planetary Research Institute)

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What materials are used?

Only then can we imitate the appearance of God

Become a carrier of God?

Jade

In the minds of Liangzhu people

This material is as warm as water

Pure, beautiful and rare

Only it is qualified to carry

Symbol of God

(After thousands of years of burial, the jade artifacts may have been affected by groundwater impurities, and their original appearance should be more pure and noble. Photographer @柳叶氘)

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Various jade articles

Created

They are assigned different functions

Jade Cong

This kind of object with a round inside and a square outside

The four sides are engraved with divine emblems

The hole in the middle

Symbolizes the power of the universe

(Liangzhu Jade Cong King, photographer @梁小君, map @李雪茜/Planet Research Institute)

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Jade Axe

Axe-shaped

Symbolizes military power and royal authority

Only the king and nobles of Liangzhu can have it

(This is the only jade axe engraved with a divine emblem, unearthed from the Liangzhu Fanshan Royal Tomb, photographer @梁小君, map @李雪茜/Planetary Research Institute)

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Jade

Round as the sky

It is a symbol of wealth

Later it became a ritual implement for offering sacrifices to the gods

(Please watch in horizontal mode. Jade bi is the most numerous heavy jade artifact unearthed from Liangzhu. Photographer: Zhou Yong)

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There are dozens of types of jade articles

For their use

The Liangzhu people had very strict rules

Different genders

Wearing different types of jade

(Differences in the jade ornaments buried with the king and queen of Liangzhu, drawn by @李雪茜/Planetary Research Institute)

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Different levels of people

Types and quantities of jade that can be used

Also very different

In the royal tomb area in the west of Liangzhu ancient city

Eleven large tombs were discovered

The burial objects in each tomb are extremely rich.

The largest tomb

More than 600 jade artifacts were unearthed.

(Reconstruction of the tomb of King Fanshan of Liangzhu, photographer @潘劲草)

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“If jade is not polished, it cannot be made into a useful object”

Jade artifacts carry people’s beliefs and identities

Natural need to be accompanied by

The most sophisticated craftsmanship

Tianmu Mountain to the north of Liangzhu Ancient City

It has been called "Mountain of Floating Jade" since ancient times.

People collect jade materials from mountains and rivers

Transported back to the specialized jade workshop

(Scenery of Tianmu Mountain, photographer @堂少)

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“A stone from another mountain can be used to polish jade”

In order to cut the raw jade

People collect special sand and gravel in the mountains

Grind it into fine sand

It is for "Jie Yusha"

Use rope or stone to stick the jade sand

Grinding back and forth on the raw material

The whole piece of jade can be cut

(Schematic diagram of the Liangzhu jade processing process, drawn by @李雪茜/Planet Research Institute)

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Liangzhu craftsmen's jade making techniques

It is truly amazing

They carved patterns on the jade surface with flint

Its thinnest lines are only

0.1~0.2mm

(Detailed patterns on Liangzhu jadeware, photographer @梁小君)

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Under the influence of jade-like culture

Life of Liangzhu people

It has a unique Jiangnan water town

"Sensibility"

The recipes of Liangzhu people

There is not only rice in the rice fields

They also have their own orchard.

Every summer and autumn

Go out to collect fruits and vegetables

On weekdays, people also take a boat

Heading to the river to catch fish

They also hunt wild boar and deer.

Some of these wild boars were domesticated.

It has become a stable source of meat for people

(Statue of Liangzhu people returning from hunting, image source: @Visual China)

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Liangzhu people’s fine diet

The tableware is also very particular

Rice, vegetables, fruits, soup

Each has its own set of tableware

(Tableware of Liangzhu people, photographer @刘晓宁&杨照夫, map @李雪茜/Planet Research Institute)

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There are many mulberry trees in the Taihu Lake Basin

In addition to ordinary linen

The Liangzhu people also raised silkworms and wove silk.

Thin and transparent silk

It is a symbol of status and identity

Silk weaving tools

Worthy of being made of jade

(Liangzhu jade weaving tools, photographer @刘晓宁&陆虎, map @李雪茜/Planet Research Institute)

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Under the infiltration of jade and water

People have devout faith

Each one has his own place and his own job

They are all using their own creativity and imagination

Co-manage this

A land of gold and jade, a land of gentleness and wealth

(Liangzhu Ruins Park in autumn, photographer @李盛涛)

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Since the Jiangnan region had such a brilliant civilization

Why didn't Liangzhu become

China's first dynasty?

The end of Liangzhu civilization

What exactly happened?

04

The Lost Jiangnan

-The demise and rebirth of civilization-

Around 4200 years ago

It has occurred worldwide

A large-scale climate anomaly

This time period

This coincides with the time when Liangzhu civilization disappeared.

This may not be a coincidence

Perhaps it was the sudden climate change four thousand years ago

This has led to frequent droughts and floods in southern China.

Eventually destroyed the farmland and homes of the Liangzhu people

(Farmlands and villages flooded by floods, photographer @黄正平)

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Abnormal climate

Not just floods and droughts

One more thing

The same thing happened about 4,000 years ago.

That's the rise in sea levels.

Maybe with climate change

The coastline is approaching again

The coming waves

Seawater flooding into farmland

The salinized land can no longer grow rice

Liangzhu people lost their food source

They had to abandon their homes

(At the end of the Liangzhu culture, the sea level in the eastern coastal areas of China rose sharply. Map by @李雪茜/Planet Research Institute)

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Live by water, live with water, die by water

The glorious kingdom of God

That's how it came to an end

For a long time afterwards

No one lives here anymore.

(The picture shows the stratigraphic section of the Fanshan site of the Liangzhu ancient city. After the demise of the Liangzhu civilization, it was not until the Han Dynasty that people returned to live here. Photographer @潘劲草)

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The disappearance of Liangzhu

Mixed with a hint of regret

If its land was not flooded

If this civilization can evolve stably

Liangzhu may rewrite China's history

But there is no if

There is no need to feel sad about this

After the collapse of the country, the Liangzhu people scattered

Eventually, it was absorbed by different ethnic groups in different places.

The technology and culture they brought

It was also inherited and passed down

therefore

Liangzhu has not really disappeared

It has long been deeply integrated into the blood of Chinese civilization.

(Jade artifacts with Liangzhu culture characteristics have been found in Erlitou, Yinxu, Sanxingdui, Jinsha and other sites from the Xia and Shang dynasties in China. Photographers: @潘劲草&书是波&刘晓宁, map by @李雪茜/星球研究院)

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Before the story ends

Let’s go back to the original question

Why Liangzhu

Can it be proved that China has a 5,000-year-old civilization?

Need to know

Although around 5,000 years ago

Various regions in China

All of them have embarked on the path of social complexity.

But not all archaeological cultures

Can be called civilization

With its extraordinary water conservancy project

and developed rice farming

Liangzhu's productivity developed rapidly

A large number of residents were able to leave agriculture

And engaged in various handicraft production

At this point, social division of labor emerged

(A statue of a Liangzhu man building a house, photographer @李盛涛)

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As the core of the entire Liangzhu culture

Liangzhu Ancient City has a complete urban structure and transportation system

And it echoes with the surrounding water conservancy system and outer suburbs.

A city with the characteristics of a metropolis has emerged.

(Overlooking the ruins of Liangzhu Palace area, photographer @朱露翔)

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The divine emblem engraved on Liangzhu jade

Unified people's beliefs

The ritual system represented by jade objects such as cong, bi, and yue

Divided people into classes

Under the combination of royal power and divine power

There is a clear class division in society

A glorious kingdom of God was born.

(Statue of a deity on Liangzhu jadeware, image source: Visual China)

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Social division of labor, urban cities, and class differentiation

All signs indicate that

Liangzhu has already stepped into the threshold of civilization

It became the first civilized society in East Asia.

(Please watch in horizontal mode, the ruins of Liangzhu Ancient City Xiaomojiao Mountain and Tianmu Mountain in the distance, photographer @朱露翔)

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Prehistoric Jiangnan

The dazzling light of civilization has already burst forth

Thousands of years later

People are once again on this land

Created another water town

What will it be like this time?

"Misty and Rainy Jiangnan"?

(Please watch in horizontal mode. Time flies, and the Jiangnan region has once again become the economic and cultural center of the country. Photographer: @吕杰琛)

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This article was created by

Written by : Huang Taiji Edited by : Ding Ding

Image : Zhang Zhaohai Map : Chen Zhihao

Design : Liu Zhipeng & Li Xueqian & Zheng Borong & Li Jiangfei

Proofreading : Zhou Tianxiu & Gong Zekai & Gao Liqian

Audit Expert

Wang Ningyuan, researcher at Zhejiang Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology

Chen Minghui, Director of Liangzhu Work Station of Zhejiang Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology

Note:

There are many speculations in the academic community about the reasons for the disappearance of Liangzhu culture, such as "flood theory", "sea invasion theory", "war theory", "plague theory", "internal crisis theory", etc. This article only explains the first two theories.

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