For centuries Huangdi (the Yellow Emperor), legendary ruler and
ancestor, lived only in the hearts and minds of the Chinese people
and in the words of legends written down in antiquity. But in
recent years, intriguing new clues have been emerging from the
Neolithic Hongshan Culture. Over 5,000 years ago this was to be
found in today's Liaoning
Province and Inner
Mongolia Autonomous Region. Hongshan is world-famous for its
many jade artifacts. Among these, it is the so-called bear-dragons
unearthed in recent years that have provided the first hard
archaeological evidence to add credence to the much-told story of
Huangdi.
As a rule, China's recorded history starts with the Xia Dynasty
(c. 2100-1600 BC). In the absence of archaeological evidence, the
pre-Xia era of the five "virtuous emperors" (Huangdi, Zhuanxu, Di
Ku, Tang Yao and Yu Shun) has remained a time known only through
legends handed down from ancient times.
Historical documents indicate that Huangdi, first of the five
legendary rulers, lived in northern China. According to the
Historical Records of Sima Qian of the Western Han Dynasty
(206 BC-AD 25), Huangdi was called Youxiong (Keeper of bears).
During times of conflict with Yandi (Red Emperor), Sima Qian
describes Huangdi as training black bears, grizzly bears, foxes,
panthers, lynxes and tigers. He recorded that these six animals
were generally regarded as the totems of Huangdi's tribe. Such
accounts are reminiscent of the ancient nomadic and hunting tribes
of northern China.
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In recent years archaeologists have excavated more than 20 jade
bear-dragons of the Hongshan Culture. These unique jade pieces are
so named on account of their bear-like heads. Bear-dragon finds
cover most of the distribution of the Hongshan Culture, ranging
from Niuheliang and Jianping County in Liaoning Province; Aohan,
Right and Left Balin banners in Inner Mongolia; to Weichang County
in Hebei Province. So there can be little doubt that jade
bear-dragons played a significant role in the Hongshan Culture.
Anthropologists describe bear worship as a custom peculiar to
fishing and hunting tribes. Hongshan was a regional culture in
north and northeast China characterized by fishing and hunting. Its
practice of bear worship, as reflected in the widespread incidence
of bear-dragons, coincides with the historical account of Huangdi
being known as Youxiong (Keeper of bears).
The late archaeologist Su Bingqi once said, "In terms of both
time and location, only the Hongshan Culture can be matched up with
the legend of Huangdi."
The magical bear-dragons might prove to be the key for both
archaeologists and historians seeking to shed light on the
mysteries of Huangdi and the other legendary rulers of prehistoric
China.
The case for a 'Jade Age'
Over the last 20 years or so, a large number of Neolithic jade
articles have been unearthed not only from the Hongshan Culture but
also from the slightly later Liangzhu Culture. This has led some
archaeologists to put forward a case for inserting "Jade Age"
between the end of the Stone Age and the beginning of the Bronze
Age.
"Since the 1970s, several thousand jade articles have been found
in Chaoyang and Fuxin in western Liaoning, in Chifeng in Inner
Mongolia, and in southeast China's Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces,"
said Guo Dashun, a leading member of the Archaeology Society of
China. "Most striking are those that were unearthed at Niuheliang,
a site of the Hongshan Culture. There the finds included jade
dragons, phoenixes and figurines."
As far back as 1982, Sun Shoudao of the Liaoning Provincial
Archaeological Research Institute suggested that a "Jade Age" as
represented by the jade-rich Hongshan Culture might have existed
some 5,000 or so years ago. This view has been echoed by Wen Guang
of the China Geological Research Institute. Wen has applied the
methods of micro-structural investigation and optical determination
to study jade-ware unearthed from Neolithic ruins across China.
But Guo Dashun said, "Traditionally, the division into Stone,
Bronze and Iron ages has been based on the evolution of the tools
of production. However, history does not record the use of
decorative jade artifacts as tools. Besides, prehistoric jade
articles have generally been found only in Northeast Asia and in
China's eastern coastal areas. So it would be no easy matter to
gain universal acceptance for the existence of a 'Jade Age' based
just on China's pre-history."
"Even so, the jade carvings that have proven to be
quintessential of the Hongshan Culture, as has been demonstrated
again and again by archaeological digs, do provide significant
clues to the origins of Chinese civilization," said Guo.
The Neolithic Hongshan Culture, dating back some 5,500 to 6,000
years extended from the Liaohe River valley in the east to the
Yanshan Mountains in the west. It is so named because it was
discovered in 1935 at the Hongshan site in Chifeng City, Inner
Mongolia.
The Hongshan Culture is known not only for its jade but also for
its red pottery with black patterns and pottery decorated with
Z-shaped designs. Its larger flaked and ground stone implements
co-existed with more delicately fashioned microlithic tools. In
recent years, the ruins of large buildings, tombs, a pottery
goddess figure and many jade animal-carvings have been discovered.
They point back down the years to the Hongshan Culture as a source
of Chinese civilization.
From say 4,000 to 5,300 years ago, the Liangzhu Culture, another
representative of early Chinese civilization, emerged in the lower
reaches of the Yangtze River. The Liangzhu Culture is also known
for its abundant jade articles. It was distributed mainly over
today's Jiangsu,
Zhejiang
and Shanghai. It was first discovered in 1936 at the Liangzhu site
in Yuhang City, Zhejiang Province. The Liangzhu ruins cover an area
of 33.8 square kilometers.
Since it first came to light, the Liangzhu Culture has produced
a series of archaeological finds that have captured worldwide
attention.
Discoveries made in Liangzhu sites at Fanshan, Yaoshan,
Huiguanshan, Mojiaoshan and Tuyuan, have been listed among "China's
Top 10 Archaeological Finds" for five consecutive years.
(China.org.cn by Shao Da May 8, 2004)