Millennium Learning Cases: Chronicle of the Xia-Shang-Zhou Chronology Project

Author: Yue Nan
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2001-08-01
Features: Chinese history is the glorious part of the entire history of humanity. Only by placing it in the context of all of humanity can its brilliance become even more vivid. The days when it was confined in an old room, admiring itself have passed。——Li Ji
Among the four ancient civilizations with independent origins, only Chinese civilization has endured thousands of years of ups and downs without interruption. However, in traditional historical records, the earliest definitive dating in China can only be traced back to 841 BC. Since Sima Qian, countless scholars have tried to determine the exact dates of the ancient Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties, but they have never succeeded, leaving it as a timeless academic puzzle. In 1996, the "Project for the Dating of the Xia, Shang, and Zhou Dynasties," one of the greatest academic events of the 20th century in China and a globally anticipated project, was launched. Over 200 experts from fields such as history, archaeology, astronomy, and radiocarbon dating technology collaborated for five years, finally dispelling the mystery of history and resolving the timeless academic puzzle.
The author of this book followed and interviewed the "Project" for over four years, using a documentary and vivid style to vividly describe the multi-disciplinary collaborative research process and the spirit of exploration of the scientists. This book provides readers with a brand-new multi-dimensional perspective for understanding the ancient Chinese civilization and offers a rare and excellent work.