Skip to content

The Origins of Civilization in China

Terms

Three Sovereigns (sanhuang)

Derived from legends and oral traditions. These sage rulers are described as semi-divine figures whose actions model key traits of human greatness and cultural achievement.

  • Fu Xi (伏羲)
    • domesticated animals
    • invented fishing nets, music, and the calendar
  • Zhu Rong (祝融)
    • invented fire
  • Shen Nong (神农)
    • invented agricultural tools
    • developed trade/markets
    • developed herbal medicines and tea

The Five Emperors (wudi)

Huang Di (黄帝)

A major legendary figure.

  • associated with the Huangdi Mausoleum
  • credited with establishing the Chinese homeland in the Yellow River valley

  • credited with inventing:

    • wooden houses
    • boats
    • the war chariot
    • ceramics

  • remembered for governance “through virtue,” and often invoked by modern rulers

Archaeological evidence

Why attempt to “discover” early dynasties?

  • scholarly: pursuit of scientific proof
  • political: state interests in validating historical narratives

in the 1990s, ~30 million RMB was contributed to Xia–Shang–Zhou discovery projects

many reconstructions rely heavily on evidence from garbage dumps

The Neolithic period

A period characterized by:

  • use of modified stone tools
  • evidence of settlement
  • agricultural activity

Key points

  • pottery was found in the Yellow River valley
  • some pottery shows no obvious utilitarian function and may be ritual objects

Yangshao culture

  • 5000–3000 BCE
  • also described as a Yellow River cultural site
  • located in northwestern China

Pottery characteristics:

  • made from local clay
  • darker/black slip
  • reddish background
  • motifs: animal shapes, geometric patterns, human representations (e.g., people holding hands)
  • common round shape suggesting “all-purpose” use

Significance:

  • used as evidence for the origins of Chinese civilization beyond legend-based accounts

Banpo village

  • 4800–4300 BCE
  • a Yangshao site

Contains:

  • pottery workshops
  • ditch
  • houses and community layout
  • burial site

Settlement structure:

  • ~100 houses in 5 clusters
  • organized around a larger central house
  • fireplaces in houses for cooking

Burial practices:

  • burial site separated from the village
  • bodies with limbs outstretched
  • pottery offerings present
  • variation in grave goods (some with more decoration, some with none)

Material culture and subsistence:

  • evidence of grain milling
  • bowls, needles, fishing tools, agricultural tools
  • diet includes pork and dog as meat

Longshan culture

  • 3000–1900 BCE
  • also described as an east coast cultural site

Associated materials:

  • stone tools
  • oracle bones
  • weapons

Pottery characteristics:

  • plain black pottery
  • handles, lids, and legs
  • more elaborate shapes than Yangshao pottery
  • likely more function-specific vessels

Liangzhu culture

  • known for stone objects, especially jade
  • jade described as a hard stone
  • objects appear primarily ritual with limited other utility

The politics of archeology

  • desire to prove histories
  • imperialism
  • political significance and nationalist connotations