History of Hetao

Author: Wang Tianshun (Author), Zhang Xiuping (Editor-in-Chief)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: The Yellow River is the mother river of China. The exploration and research of its historical evolution and civilization are major topics in Chinese historical studies. The Hetao region, though geographically remote and not renowned for its abundant resources or natural beauty, reveals a long history, the ever-changing dynamics of human affairs, and the tumultuous events of thousands of years when one looks closely. Its fate has always been closely intertwined with the vicissitudes of the Central Plains. This book is the first to take the inseparable contradiction between humans and nature as a theme in historical research, outlining the history of civilization and culture in this specific historical region of Hetao from perspectives such as geography (variations in the natural environment), ethnic history (evolution of ethnic relationships), and economy (development of agricultural and pastoral economies). The authors argue that the historical process of Hetao civilization is a process of human-land contradiction. Humans and land are the two essential elements that constitute all social history, neither of which can be lacking. The contradiction between humans and land exists within a unified whole, sometimes harmonious and sometimes conflicting. This contradiction is endless, and all achievements of civilization are manifestations of this pair of contradictions at different stages of development.