Dragon Culture in Dongting Lake Area

Author: Yang Qing
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-11-01
Features: The Dragon Culture of Dongting Lake Region was independently written by the nearly 70-year-old Yang Qing, based on 40 years of research. In his youth, Yang Qing was mistakenly labeled a "rightist," but he remained dedicated to his pursuit despite misfortune, attempting to solve age-old mysteries in various fields such as anthropology, history, archaeology, cultural studies, and theology. It is not an exaggeration to say that the book "rewrites the history of Chinese civilization," or that it refutes the "Western superiority theory" proposed by American anthropologist Kluckhohn regarding the origins of Chinese culture, or that it deciphers the greatest academic puzzle in Chinese history—the mystery of the dragon. Due to its novel and bold perspectives, as well as its scientific and thorough research, the book attracted the attention of Wen Xuande, Vice Chairman of the Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (then serving as a Standing Committee member and Minister of Propaganda), who not only approved funding for its publication from the Provincial Social Science Planning Office but also wrote a preface for it personally. In his preface, Wen Xuande praised the book, stating: "The book highlights the Dongting Lake cultural region as the cradle of Chinese culture, laying the foundation for the genetic code of Chinese historical civilization, and reconstructing a series of new cultural concepts." This book comprehensively applies the materialist view of history, combining archaeological and multidisciplinary research, with the formation of dragon culture as its main thread, emphasizing that the Dongting Lake cultural region is the cradle of Chinese culture and has laid the foundation for the genetic code of Chinese historical civilization, while reconstructing a series of new cultural concepts.