Yellow River Civilization History Series · Hetao History

Author: Wang Tianshun (Author), Zhang Xiuping (Editor)
Publisher:
Publishing Date: Not available
Features: The Yellow River is the mother river of China, and the exploration and research of its historical and cultural evolution 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 and natural affairs, and the tumultuous events of thousands of years as closely intertwined with the fluctuations 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 author argues that the historical process of Hetao's civilization is a process of human-land contradiction. Humans and land are the two essential elements of all social history, neither of which can be lacking. The contradiction between humans and land exists within a unified system, sometimes harmonious and sometimes conflicting, and this contradiction is never-ending. All achievements of civilization are manifestations of this pair of contradictions at different stages of development.