Master Archaeologist

Chapter 348 How awesome is the ancient Liangzhu country?
On the bullet train from the capital to Zhejiang.

The first-class box was filled with archaeological experts from the Institute of Archaeology, Academy of Social Sciences.

Chen Han, Zhuang Yunpeng, Lin Ya and others who were transferred to Sanxingdui to help were among them.

This time Chen Han really didn't have a chance to rest at all.

After returning to the capital, I went to work from [-] to [-] for a few days, and then continued to travel with Kong Jianwen.

"The most important contribution of Liangzhu in terms of material culture must be jade wares!"

Kong Jianwen, who was sitting in the front row, was having a heated discussion with Professor Li.

"The importance of Liangzhu jade needs to be interpreted from different angles."

"From the perspective of handicraft technology, it is no exaggeration to say that Liangzhu jade wares are the pinnacle of prehistoric stone crafting technology."

Adjusting his glasses, Professor Li nodded approvingly: "Indeed, without metal tools, the technical and artistic achievements achieved by the jades unearthed in Fanshan and Yaoshan in the site group are unique in the world. sexual."

When talking about the Liangzhu site, or the ancient country of Liangzhu, Liangzhu culture, we have to mention their excellent jade production level.

Liangzhu is one of the most important sources of Chinese jade culture tradition.

To tell the truth.

Before the Liangzhu Site Group was discovered.

It can be said that no domestic expert or scholar would think that the Chinese jade culture developed from the lower reaches of the Yangtze River.

Judging from past unearthed habits.

Regardless of the Qin and Han Dynasties, or the Warring States Period, Spring and Autumn Period, or even earlier Western Zhou and Shang Dynasties, most of the jade articles were unearthed in large quantities around the Central Plains to the Shandong Peninsula.

Considering the archaeological research of Huaxia, it has always been believed that Huaxia is a culture that originated in the Yellow River Basin.

This is like the young people of Chen Han's age. They were still taught in this way when they were children and when they were in elementary school and junior high school.

"The birthplace of the Chinese nation is the Yellow River, and the Yellow River is the mother river of the Chinese nation!"

However, after the 21st century, with more and more archaeological discoveries, the "Central Plains Central Theory" has had a great impact!
It turns out that the birthplace of Chinese civilization is not just the Central Plains in the Yellow River Basin.

Three generations ago, the land of Huaxia was actually in a state where there were many nations.

You must understand that what was actually overthrown was not the theory of "the origin of the Central Plains", nor did it mean that the origin of Chinese civilization was changed from the Central Plains to the Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions.

Rather, the entire "monocentric origin theory" has been overturned.

It turns out that three generations ago, specifically during the late Neolithic period, China did not have a strong culture with a central position.

At that time, the land of Huaxia was diverse.

There is the Longshan Culture in the north, the Yangshao Culture in the middle, the Dawenkou Culture in the east, and the Liangzhu Culture in the south.

After these cultures blooming everywhere, after continuous collision, exchange, and integration, the splendid Chinese civilization was born.

"Yes!"

Kong Jianwen nodded with emotion: "The development of jade-making technology and the development of jade culture in the late Chinese Neolithic Age are reflected in the archaeological culture of various regions. How to highlight the special value of Liangzhu jade through horizontal comparison needs to be considered. .”

"From a technical perspective, the degree of specialization achieved by the handicraft industry is reflected in the uniformity of Liangzhu decorations and the regularity of jade shapes. Regional cultures are different."

"Especially during the Liangzhu period, we can hardly see the diversity of materials, volumes, shapes, etc. of the same type of jade wares caused by materials and utensils, and we can't see the differences in the production processes and techniques behind different handicraft groups."

"The "standardization" of finished jade products reflects the ability to control and allocate jade resources, and the precise transfer of technology and concepts, which is also the level achieved by social organization and division of labor."

Professor Li nodded and said approvingly: "From the perspective of the function of jade, other cultures do not have such a strong and clear system for the placement and use of jade in tombs as Liangzhu, especially the Liangzhu site."

"Using the jade system to express social identity, including class, gender and even regional differences, is a unique and most extreme feature of Liangzhu society."

"This reflects the function of jade in establishing, maintaining and embodying the early complex social order, which is a value that has not been fully reflected in other Chinese Neolithic cultures."

The conversation between the two of them caught the attention of all the archaeologists in the carriage.

What do the words of Professor Li and Kong Jianwen mean?
simply put.

Later, the jade ritual culture of the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties.

For example, the most well-known six utensils are jade bi, jade cong, jade gui, jade hu, jade Zhang, and jade huang.

The Liangzhu civilization was the first to use it as a tool for social status, rank, rights, and etiquette.

And how important are these six weapons in the history of Chinese civilization?
It can be said that the reason why the Chinese people developed their own etiquette culture is derived from the jade ritual vessels established by the ancient ancestors.

In the world, only Chinese people use jade, these six kinds of jade ritual vessels, as items used in ceremonial occasions such as sacrifices, court meetings, and appointments.

"Zhou Li · Chun Guan · Da Zong Bo" contains: "Use jade as the six vessels, and respect the four directions of heaven and earth: the sky with blue jade, the earth with yellow cong, the east with Qinggui, the south with red zhang, and the west with white amber. Use Xuanhuang to salute the north." It is the "six vessels".

But when did the six tools first form a system of use?

Before the Liangzhu culture was discovered, no one could tell.

Of course, no one thinks that this is a culture that originated in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River.

In the past, it was generally believed in the academic circles that this kind of jade ritual vessel originated in the late Neolithic period in the Central Plains.

After all, before Liangzhu, similar jade ritual vessels were unearthed in regional cultures such as the Hongshan Culture, and later Houshijiahe, Qijia, and Northern Shaanxi.

At that time, the academic circles believed that this was gradually spread from the Central Plains to the surrounding areas.

It is a major evidence of the expansion of Chinese civilization.

However, the Liangzhu site was later discovered.

In addition, unearthed in Liangzhu, there are clearly institutionalized jade ritual vessels, which are very mature and of high standard.

Liangzhu's greatest contribution to ancient Chinese society and culture is the tradition of "collecting rites in vessels" derived from the functions of the above-mentioned jade wares!

The influence on the formation of Chinese ritual system is often regarded as an important value of Liangzhu culture!
After the discovery of the jade ritual vessels of the Chengjian system in Liangzhu, it almost overturned the public impression that "jade" is the representative of the Central Plains culture!

Even the source of jade ritual vessels was directly pushed from the Yellow River Basin to the Taihu Lake area of ​​the Yangtze River!
It turns out that 5000 years ago, the Yangtze River Basin, which was considered a "wild land" without the slightest light of civilization and was still in the stage of slash-and-burn cultivation, was not like this at all!

On the contrary, there is a high-level ancient country with highly developed farming, and has developed its own social system, class system, etiquette system, and unique jade culture!

　Some of the answers are excerpted from: Qinling: "The Academic Value and Heritage Value of the Liangzhu Site", "Chinese Cultural Heritage" Issue 2017, 3.

　　Quoting and excerpting some of Qin Ling's articles and answers as the main text.

　　Hereby explain.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)