Across the Starry Sky of History

by Jiang Lu

In 1921， Swedish geolo- gist and archaeologist Johan Gunnar Andersson discovered a Neolithic culture site in Yangshao Village in Mianchi， Henan Province， bringing modern archaeology to China. In 1926， Chinese archaeologist Li Ji started excavating an ancient site in Xiyin Village， Xiaxian County of Shanxi Province， marking the beginning of archaeological exploration by Chinese scholars. In 1936， Chinese researcher Shi Xingeng discovered pieces of light black pottery in Liangzhu on the outskirts of Hangzhou， Zhejiang Province. At that time， the historical culture around Liangzhu was believed to be the same as the Longshan culture from the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River in the late Neolithic Age. But archaeologists eventually proved that the Liangzhu culture was totally different， which changed global perceptions of Chinese civilization.

History is comprised of various accidental events that somehow lead to the inevitable. By studying and researching the historical and cultural information found in ancient ruins， archaeologists have pieced together thousands of accidental events into hard facts. The year 2021 marks a century of endeavors across several generations of Chinese archaeologists. Through the studies of numerous ancient sites that make decoding complex Chinese history much more feasible， Chinese archaeologists filled gaps in the millionyear-old human history by shining a light on a 10，000-year-old cultural history and 5，000 years of civilization in China.

From the Xia-Shang-Zhou Chronology Project in the late 1990s to the Project of Chinese Civilization Exploration aiming to trace the origins of Chinese civilization since the beginning of the 21st century， Chinas archaeological research has entered a new era. The countrys archaeological work， especially prehistoric archaeology， has gradually evolved from studies of material culture history to restoration and reconstruction of Chinas social history in ancient times. In the late 1980s， Chinese archaeologist Su Bingqi first likened Chinese civilization to “a night sky full of stars，”which became a popular simile. Su divided Chinas Neolithic ruins into six groups. Each group comprised multiple local cultures with different features and development paths.

The Liangzhu culture is one of the brightest stars. An important representative of regional civilization along the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River， it presented solid evidence of Chinese civilization existing for at least 5，000 years. The Liangzhu site doesnt contain every element emphasized by Western archaeology. However， the ancient civilization had many highlights such as a large ancient city site， a mega water conservancy project with advanced architectural and planning concepts， a series of tombs believed to be different according to the ranks of the people interred， highly developed productive forces marked by agriculture， handicrafts， and refined jade ware， and a flourishing local religion. All of these findings showed that the Liangzhu culture was on par with the ancient Egyptian civilization along the Nile， Sumer civilization in Mesopotamia， and Harappan civilization of the Indus Valley. In 2019， the Liangzhu Archaeological Site was inscribed on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List as a representative of five-millennia-old Chinese civilization.

In March 2021， new discoveries were made at the legendary Sanxingdui Ruins in Sichuan Province after more than three decades since the last excavation. The new findings showed a close relationship between the Sanxingdui civilization and the Xia （c.2100-1600 B.C.） and Shang（1600-1046 B.C.） civilizations in Chinas Central Plains. Typical representatives of the Liangzhu culture such as the jade disc and jade cong （a type of cylinder used in religious rituals） later emerged in Central Plains civilizations. Such items were also found at Sanxingdui. It was a pristine illustration of “unity in diversity，” a prominent feature of Chinese culture.

In terms of topography， western China is at a far higher altitude than the east. Both the Yellow River and the Yangtze River， Chinas two most mighty rivers， originate in the steep mountains in the west and flow eastwards to the sea. The great rivers nurtured regional civilizations with distinctive features along the way. These regional civilizations were innovative and interactive， both unified and diverse. Chinese academics used to focus on the Yellow River basin as the birthplace of Chinese civilization. However， abundant archaeological findings in recent years have shown that the Yellow River basin wasnt the lone cradle of Chinese civilization. Looking at the Yellow River civilization and Yangtze River civilization as two independent units makes it difficult to understand why jade ware from the Liangzhu culture would be found hundreds of miles away in the Shimao Ruins in Shaanxi Province， in the Qijia culture in the upper reaches of the Yellow River， and in the Taosi Ruins in Shanxi Province with a relatively short history of 4，100 to 4，300 years. Many have dubbed the jade-based ritual system of the Liangzhu culture as the earliest identifier of the Chinese nation， and it appears to have spread to many other places.

Across the century since modern archaeology was introduced to China， great achievements were made by different generations of archaeologists. The plentiful discoveries inspired people to rethink the birth and early development of Chinese civilization. All archaeological findings together illustrate the long history of Chinese civilization. They are the shining stars of Chinese culture.