The origin of China? What is the origin of China?

The ancients believed that China was the center of the world, and the others were barren lands, so they were in the middle.

The word "China" first appeared in the inscription of the famous bronze "He Zun" cast in the early Western Zhou Dynasty. The inscription records that King Cheng of Zhou traced the words of his father, King Wu, to the words: "Yu Qi Mansion is China", and asked me to settle in this place called China.

Whether King Wu of Zhou really said this, we have no way of knowing today, but at least the name was already popular when King Zhou Cheng said this. The "China" here refers to today's Luoyang and its adjacent areas, which is generally the same as the area that was later regarded as "Tuzhong", that is, "the center of the world". This is the first meaning of "China".

The second level of China refers to the Central Plains region with the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River as the main body, roughly including the present-day Shandong, Shanxi, Henan, Hebei and other provinces. However, "China" in this sense depends on the subtraction of concepts.

The third layer of China's meaning is also included in the gate. The "Historical Records" lists eight famous mountains in the world, saying that they are "three in barbarians and five in China". The inclusion of Mount Hua in Guanzhong as part of "China" shows that Sima Qian's China, as it was understood in the Western Han Dynasty, about 2,100 years ago, included all of the core areas of northern China.

The word "China" first appeared in "Shangshu Zicai", which only refers to the Zhou people to the Guanzhong and Heluo areas where they lived. By the Spring and Autumn Period, the meaning of "China" gradually expanded to the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, including various large and small vassal states. Since the middle of the 19th century, in exchanges with other countries in the world, "China" has become all the territory within China's territory.

The word "China" actually referred to the Central Plains in ancient times, and the origin of these two words can be traced back to the inscription "Zhaizi China" engraved on "He Zun" in the Western Zhou Dynasty.

According to the ancient book "Zhou Li", the ancients established the state mainly through the Tugui method to select the region, with the help of the Tugui method, the ancients were able to determine the location of the land.

China, with Chinese civilization as its source and Chinese culture as its foundation, is one of the countries with the longest history in the world. The Chinese people of all nationalities have jointly created a splendid culture and have a glorious revolutionary tradition. China is a multi-ethnic country with the Han nationality as the main ethnic group, with the common Chinese language and Chinese characters, and the Han nationality and ethnic minorities are collectively referred to as the "Chinese nation", and they also call themselves "the descendants of Yan and Huang" and "the descendants of the dragon".

China is one of the four ancient civilizations in the world. Around 5,800 years ago, the Yellow River, the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, and the West Liao River showed signs of civilization origin. Around 5,300 years ago, various regions of China entered the stage of civilization one after another.

Ancient History - Primitive Societies:

Representative figures: Chao's, Suiren's, Fuxi's, Yandi (Shennong's), Yellow Emperor (Xuanyuan's), Yao, Shun, Yu.

China's primitive society began with the Yuanmou people about 1.7 million years ago and ended with the establishment of the Xia Dynasty in the 21st century BC. Primitive society went through two periods: primitive people and clan communes. The clan commune went through two stages: the matrilineal clan commune and the patrilineal clan commune.

The Yuanmou people are the earliest known humans in China. Pekingese are typical of the primitive population period. The cave people already live the life of a clan commune.

The Hemudu clan in the Yangtze River basin and the Banpo clan in the Yellow River basin were prosperous periods for matrilineal clan communes. The middle and late stages of the Dawenkou culture reflect the situation of the patrilineal clan commune.

According to the project "Comprehensive Research on the Origin and Early Development of Chinese Civilization", around 5800 years ago, there were signs of civilization origin in the Yellow River, the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, and the Xiliao River. Around 5,300 years ago, various regions of China entered the stage of civilization one after another.

Around 3,800 years ago, the Central Plains region formed a more mature form of civilization, radiating cultural influence to all directions, becoming the core and leader of the overall process of Chinese civilization.

Legend has it that the Yellow Emperor was the leader of a tribal alliance of primitive tribes living in the Yellow River valley more than 4,500 years ago. He advocated the cultivation of grains and the domestication of livestock, which helped the tribal alliance grow stronger.

He led his tribe to defeat the Yandi tribe in the upper reaches of the Yellow River and the Chiyou tribe in the south. Later, the Yandi tribe and the Yellow Emperor tribe formed an alliance and lived and multiplied in the Yellow River Valley for a long time, forming the backbone of the later Huaxia tribe. The Yellow Emperor is revered as the ancestor of the Huaxia people.

The Chinese nation is called the descendants of Yan and Huang, and this is how it came about.

After the Yellow Emperor, the outstanding leaders of the tribal alliance in the Yellow River Basin successively included Yao, Shun, and Yu. At that time, the leader of the tribal alliance was elected. Yao was old, and a tribal alliance meeting was held, and everyone elected the talented Shun as the heir.

After Yao's death, Shun inherited Yao's position, and when Shun was old, he also adopted the same method to give up his position to Yu, who had contributed to water control. This method of changing the position of the leader is historically called "Zen Rang".

After a careful examination of historical materials, the results are amazing, because the name "China" has been used for thousands of years, and "China" has been clearly engraved on ritual vessels used in sacrifices since the distant Western Zhou Dynasty.

After the tenacious vitality of several dynasties, no matter how fierce the war fought, did not interrupt the title of "China", the local dynasty to "China" self-proclaimed as proud, foreign capital of the Yuan and Qing Dynasty, but also "China" and the Chinese people to get closer, it can be said that the name "China" has always been fragrant and gluttonous.

To analyze when "China" is called China, we have to mention the first-class cultural relics "He Zun" unearthed in Baoji City, Shaanxi Province in 1963. Students who have visited the Bronze Museum should be deeply impressed by the treasure of the town hall "He Zun", which is shaped like a flower vessel carved with dense patterns, which belongs to the ritual utensils used by the nobles of the He family in the Western Zhou Dynasty.

He Zun" is engraved with a 122-word inscription at the bottom, clearly writing "Yu Qi Zhaizi China", after expert translation, the full text means that after King Wu of Zhou destroyed Shang, he planned to build the capital in Luoyi, which is today's Luoyang, Henan.

It is equivalent to the beginning of the Western Zhou Dynasty, it was already a common thing for China to represent the Luoyi area, and the people of that era took it for granted that "China" was Luoyi, just like writing documents to leave place names today.

It can be inferred from this that the origin of the name "China" may have been much earlier, at least the entire Shang Dynasty acquiesced to the existence of "China", and even the Xia Dynasty in the later years may have recognized the symbolic meaning of "China". After all, although today everyone thinks that the Xia Shang Zhou is very far away, even if the people living in this era change dynasties, they will still remember and continue some cultural traditions.