Tracing the Origins of China

How did the civilization of the Central Plains rise?

For a thousand years after around 3500 BCE, many parts of the Yellow River and Yangtze River basins were dotted with numerous states. It was an age of “stars filling the sky.” Around 1800 BCE, in a remarkably short time, the Erlitou civilization absorbed cultural influences from across the regions and rose to prominence, ushering in a new era of dynastic civilization.

Did Yao, Shun, and Yu really exist?

The age of Yao, Shun, and Yu has left traces in the archaeological record. The Taosi culture discovered in Linfen, southern Shanxi, had a wealth of ritual objects and a complex social structure. This highly developed yet non-dominant culture has led scholars to associate it with the “benevolent” age of Yao and Shun before the Xia dynasty. What does the author think?

Is the Sanxingdui culture an extraterrestrial civilization?

Rumors that the Sanxingdui culture came from aliens have spread far and wide. But the author points out that the material evidence available today cannot prove this. Bronze ritual vessels from the Central Plains and the gold-scepter culture from the west converged here. The collision of diverse cultural influences together shaped Sanxingdui's remarkable and mysterious characteristics.

Open this book and follow Xu Hong, former leader of the Erlitou archaeological team, as he explores the historical gaps of the legendary age and lifts the veil of mystery over ancient China!