Northern Culture and the Xiongnu Civilization

Author: Tian Guangjin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-04-01
Features: The northern Great Wall region of China is both a sensitive area to environmental changes and an active region for the evolution of material culture. From 300,000 years ago in ancient times, through prehistoric primitive agriculture, to 3,500 years ago, the northern nomadic and pastoral peoples, primarily the Rongdi and Xiongnu, gradually developed and grew strong over the Shang, Zhou, Qin, and Han dynasties. In 209 BC, the Xiongnu leader Modun united the northern grasslands, bringing together "all peoples who shoot bows and arrows into one family," establishing the Xiongnu Empire that controlled territory from the Liao River in the east to the Kunlun Mountains in the west, from Lake Baikal in the north to the Great Wall in the south. During this period, they not only frequently interacted with the agricultural peoples of the Central Plains but also with those in Northeast, Northwest, and the Eurasian steppe, exchanging economic and cultural influences, continuously integrating, and creating a rich and world-famous northern bronze culture. This culture made significant contributions to the formation of Chinese civilization and the connection between East and West. After 48 AD, the Xiongnu split, with the northern Xiongnu migrating westward and the southern Xiongnu submitting to the Han Dynasty, becoming important members of the unified Chinese nation. This book tells the early history of civilization in this "historical-cultural region" of the northern Di—the Xiongnu.