China's biggest ever archaeological exhibition is held at the Capital Museum in Beijing on Thursday, July 29, 2010. [Photo: CRIENGLISH.com/Zhang Xu]
"The archaeological finds of the Taosi Site in Xiangfen County of Shanxi Province rewrite history and prove that the beginning of Chinese civilization should be at least 4200 years ago, not 3700 years ago as previously suggested." an expert said during the opening ceremony of China's biggest ever archaeological exhibition in Beijing on Thursday.
The exhibition of over 400 cultural relics, held in the Capital Museum from July 29 to October 10, includes more than one hundred of the earliest archeological finds in China, such as cultivated rice from 10,000 years ago, panicum from 8000 years ago and an ancestor of domestic pigs. Over 70% of the cultural relics are open to the public for the first time.
Wang Wei, director of the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Science (CASS), told CRI that Chinese people are always proud of their five-thousand-year civilization, but it is often questioned by western scholars due to a lack of historical evidence.
"Based on the relics from Erlitou City in Yanshi of central China's Henan Province, the Chinese civilization is traditionally thought to have originated 3700 years ago, but now the archaeological findings from the Taosi Site (2300 BC - 1900 BC) at the exhibition put that date at least five hundred years earlier." Wang said.
"In the Taosi Site, capital of the Yao and Shun Emperors, we have found characters, ancient bronzes and a city site - the component elements of human civilization." Wang added.
He Nu, a chief archeologist of the Tao Site, told CRI that the written form of the red characters on a Taosi Site pottery flask at the exhibition are very similar to Oracle Bone Inscriptions and Bronze Inscriptions.
"There are the two earliest Chinese characters in cinnabar on the ritual vessel. One is the Chinese character "Wen", and the other was not recognized by experts. It is thought to be some character such as "Ming", "Yi", "Yao", etc., relating to one of the emperors Yao, Yu or Qi (Yu's son)." he said.
Wang also emphasized the importance of the city site for the origin of human civilization.
"Besides characters and ancient bronzes, the city site, reflecting the centralization of power, is also crucial for human civilization. At the Tao Site, we unearthed the ancient capital city, palaces and ancient tombs, making the dawn of Chinese civilization hundreds of years earlier than previously thought." Wang said.
The photo taken on Thursday, July 29, 2010 shows a pottery flask with two Chinese characters unearthed from the Tao Site in Xiangfen County of Shanxi Province during an archaeological exhibition at the Capital Museum in Beijing. [Photo: CRIENGLISH.com/Zhang Xu]
The photo taken on Thursday, July 29, 2010 shows a pottery flask with two Chinese characters unearthed from the Tao Site in Xiangfen County of Shanxi Province during an archaeological exhibition at the Capital Museum in Beijing. [Photo: CRIENGLISH.com/Zhang Xu]
The photo taken on Thursday, July 29, 2010 shows a gear-wheel-shaped bronze item unearthed from the Tao Site in Xiangfen County of Shanxi Province during an archaeological exhibition at the Capital Museum in Beijing. [Photo: CRIENGLISH.com/Zhang Xu]
The photo taken on Thursday, July 29, 2010 shows a bronze tablet-shaped ornament inlaid with turquoise unearthed from the Erlitou Site in Yanshi City of central China's Henan Province during an archaeological exhibition at the Capital Museum in Beijing. [Photo: CRIENGLISH.com/Zhang Xu]
