Unquenchable Flame of Reckoning - The Face and Spirit of Chinese Culture

Author: Li Mingjun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-05-01
Features: The tilt of the Chinese mainland's terrain from the West Hills, appearing high in the west and low in the east, slopes southeast from the "Roof of the World" Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Along the way, it is dotted with mountains, plateaus, hills, basins, and alluvial plains, with the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers winding eastward to the sea. Legend has it that in ancient times, Gongsun and Zhenxiang competed for the throne. Gongsun failed and vowed to be eternally at odds with Zhenxiang, colliding his head with the West Hills. The West Hills were the pillars holding up the sky in the northwest. After Gongsun's impact, the sky tilted to the northwest. In reality, the west-high-east-low terrain is due to the uplift of the Himalayan system in the remote ancient era, where the northwest strata rose due to compression, and the sky has never drooped. The climate spans from tropical to subtropical, warm temperate, mid-temperate, and cold temperate zones. However, fertile plains and basins account for only one-third of the total area. The geographical features are first, vast territory, and second, diverse micro-environments each with unique characteristics, leading to varied products and distinct customs and cultures.
Distribution of Civilization
Fossilized bones and primitive stone tools are the main remains of ancient humans in the strata of the Chinese mainland. Excavations across the country indicate that during the Paleolithic and Mesolithic periods (300 million years ago to 7,000–8,000 BCE), early signs of civilization were scattered everywhere. Examples include the Yuanmou Man (Yunnan), Lantian Man (Shaanxi), Peking Man, Yunxian Man (Hubei), and Jinshanshan Man (Yingkou, Liaoning), as well as slightly later groups like the Dingcun Man (Shanxi), Maba Man (Guangdong), Hetao Man, and the (Mountain Top Cave Man) at Zhoukoudian.
Archaeological evidence from the Neolithic period shows that early human settlements were not closely related to large rivers. Settling in river valleys and considering irrigation may have been a later development. The main cultural types of the Neolithic period were roughly distributed in four regions. These regions collectively indicate that early humans lived on high ground near water. Among them:
1. The Central Plains region, characterized by earthen mounds, small rivers, and flat land, from the Peiligang and Cishan cultures to the Yangshao culture.
2. The Shandong Peninsula, with the Longshan culture following the Dawenkou culture, with sites all located on terraces near mountains and water.
3. The Yangtze River Delta, from the Taihu Lake region to the Hangzhou Bay area, with the Hemudu and Liangzhu cultures, generally situated at the intersection of plains, lakes, and hilly areas.
4. The later Daxi and Jiajialing cultures along the Han River and the lower Yangtze, which were also near mountains and water or settled near small river confluences with scattered hills.
The Nine Provinces and Ten Regions
Historical records state, "Vast and vast are Yu's traces, divided into nine provinces." By the Xia Dynasty, the concept of the Nine Provinces may have already existed. The Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji) in the "Biographies of Mencius and Xun Qing" section states: "The Chinese land, with its famous mountains, rivers, and the unseen parts of the sea, is only one-eighth or one-ninth of the world. The Chinese land is called Red County, Zhongshan. Within Red County, there are the Nine Provinces as ordered by Yu. Outside Red County, there are nine other regions like Red County, which are also called the Nine Provinces."
It is generally believed that ancient China considered itself the center of the world, but this is not entirely accurate. China was only one-eighth or one-ninth of the world. Ancients knew the world was vast, hence the concept of the Great Nine Provinces.