The Profound Bamboo Slips and the Long River

Gonggong, Zhurong, and Nuwa: were they real leaders, portraits of tribal peoples, or tribal totems? Was Mount Buzhou really the pillar that held up the sky? Did Yao, Shun, and Yu succeed one another because they were chosen for their virtue, or through political scheming? The legends that existed before the written word conceal the stories of how our Huaxia ancestors survived, explored, and carried on their traditions.

In the long history of Huaxia civilization, the Yellow River holds immense importance. Today, people call it the "Mother River of the Chinese Nation"; in ancient times, it was known simply as the "Great River." The word "great" speaks not only to the vastness of its watershed, but also to its capacity to embrace the countless rivers that flow into it. The sparks of civilization drawn to it, gathered along its banks, and nourished by its waters inherited this openness and the steadfast courage to persevere. In time, they gave rise to Huaxia civilization.

The title of this book is The Mysterious Bamboo Slips and the Long River:

"Mysterious" speaks of the distant, unfathomable passage of time. It evokes both the Yellow River's deep, earthy waters in ordinary times and the dark, surging muddy torrents of its floods.

"Bamboo Slips" refers to the medium on which history was recorded.

"The Long River" refers both to the Yellow River itself and to the ceaseless flow of history.

This book takes the legendary struggle between Gonggong and Zhurong, and Nuwa's mending of the sky, as its starting point. Building on the sparse words of the ancients, it makes bold hypotheses and tests them with care, gradually unfolding a possible reconstruction of that ancient history.

As a longtime reader of Qidian, I was deeply moved by something the late writer Qiyue Xinfan once said. He hoped his words would outlive him. As a new writer, I too hope that through this work I can share my interpretation of ancient history with everyone, and that the words I write will outlive me.