Searching for Fuxi's artifacts

Author: Lan Shen
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-12-01
Features: In the Gansu region before the emergence of life, it was very turbulent. Volcanic activity was extremely intense and frequent, and the primitive crust was almost destroyed in violent movements. It wasn't until about 2.5 billion to 1.8 billion years ago, during the early Proterozoic Eon, that small, stable ancient landmasses in the form of islands emerged, floating in the vast ocean. There was no life on the islands, with bare rocks, scattered fragments, rock debris, and sand and mud everywhere. There was no noise or chaos, the only sounds were thunder and rumbling, the crashing of waves—the symphony of storms. At that time, there was very little land in Gansu, mostly ocean. The few landmasses were the Dunhuang-Alxa Ancient Land, Longxi Ancient Land, and Ordos Ancient Land. The Western Qilian Trough, known as the Qilian Sea Trough, ran through Gansu from east to west, with the central region of Gansu completely submerged in the vast sea.
Around 180 million years ago in the Jurassic Period, the sea water had retreated entirely to the southeast, but the surface water was still abundant. The hills were covered with dense forests, with ferns growing beneath the trees. Cycads and ginkgoes thrived both inside and outside the forests. Small and delicate fish swam freely in the clear waters, while dinosaurs shuffled across the land. Abundant bivalve animals provided rich food for crocodiles and turtle that traveled between land and water.