- 6 hours ago
Documentary, China's Beginning - Xia Dynasty (2070 - 1600 BC) 夏朝
Category
📚
LearningTranscript
00:00According to legend, the first Chinese dynasty, the Sia, was founded by the survivors of a natural disaster shortly before 2000 BC.
00:13The Yellow River burst its banks and caused terrible floods for a number of years, leaving only a handful of survivors.
00:20Facing up to this deluge was one man, immediately designated as a providential leader,
00:26the founder of the first great oriental civilization, Yu the Great.
00:31For a long time, this fable enabled the Middle Kingdom authorities to legitimize their centralized power.
00:38The Sia were therefore the common ancestors of all the Chinese people, according to legend.
00:44But in 2001, archaeologists discovered the remains of a city ravaged by the floods in 2000 BC.
00:51The dates coincided.
00:53The discovery of the victims' bodies submerged in torrents of mud indicated that the legend was based on reality.
01:01A simple question therefore had to be posed.
01:04If the floods did in fact happen, would the Sia themselves not have existed too?
01:09In their pursuit of this legendary dynasty, historians would delve back to the very sources of Chinese civilization,
01:17rediscover the greatest of Neolithic cultures, and solve a mystery some 4,000 years old.
01:23To grasp the power of a nation, we often have to explore its history.
01:35China is no exception, and has no end of fascinating secrets to reveal.
01:39For the first time, the Middle Kingdom is opening its doors for a journey back to the very roots of Chinese civilization.
01:53A journey through 2,000 years of antiquity, beyond legend, to the discovery of greater dynasties,
02:01of incomparable works of art, and of flourishing civilizations that nevertheless died out and disappeared.
02:08A journey to the heart of an unknown and secretive China.
02:13A land of extraordinary colors, heir to a multitude of cultural influences.
02:18An odyssey to the sources of a great power, born in antiquity.
02:24.
02:54The history of modern China is still being written.
03:15Despite, or perhaps because of its cultural and linguistic diversity,
03:19China seeks to assert its unity.
03:24Even at elementary school, young pupils learn their lessons well.
03:54The origin of the term Hua Xia is unknown.
04:06The name Xia was that of the first line of sovereigns who had settled along the Yellow River Valley.
04:11At a time when China is increasingly imposing its dominion,
04:16this reference shows the authorities' determination to root itself in the country's ancient history.
04:22And yet, the existence of the Xia has never been proved.
04:26According to the records of the Grand Historian, written in the 1st century B.C. by Sima Qian,
04:33there were three successive royal dynasties based in the middle reaches of the Yellow River Valley.
04:38There were the Xia, between 2,000 and 1,600 B.C.
04:45The Shang, between 1,600 and 1,1050.
04:51And the Zhou, between 1,1050 and 2,21 B.C.
04:56For traditional historians, these three dynasties embodied the civilized world,
05:02formed in the cradle of Chinese civilization along the Yellow River.
05:07Archaeological digs undertaken by the Chinese in the early 20th century,
05:11confirmed the existence of the Shang and Zhou dynasties,
05:14notably due to the discovery of early bronzes.
05:18At around the same time, westerners too were looking into the history of the Middle Kingdom.
05:23The Frenchman, Edouard Chavan, translated Sima Qian's records of the Grand Historian.
05:29A Chinese collector and antique dealer, Mr. Lu,
05:33began to familiarize westerners with Chinese art.
05:37In 1920, he even built a pagoda in the middle of Paris.
05:41More and more French archaeologists became interested in China,
05:45particularly when excavations revealed a new treasure,
05:48the first examples of writing.
05:50Writing appeared in China around the middle of the 13th century B.C.,
05:57so towards the end of the Shang dynasty.
06:01For this period, we do have some written records
06:04that enable us in part to corroborate Sima Qian's chronicles concerning the Shang era.
06:09But on the other hand, before that period, for the whole first part of the Shang dynasty,
06:16we have no writing, and so we can only rely on archaeological remains.
06:21With no written proof, it is difficult to establish the existence of the Sia dynasty,
06:26a veritable missing link between the end of the Neolithic period and the following dynasties.
06:31Only the archaeological digs can help solve this mystery.
06:42All the excavation campaigns were interrupted in 1937.
06:46Occupied by the Japanese, a large part of the country was in the midst of a brutal war.
06:51Archaeology was not a priority.
06:53The sites lay dormant until the People's Republic was founded in 1949.
07:01Archaeology became a state affair and was now run with a Marxist ideology.
07:08Dig work resumed and revealed new cultures, sometimes quite far from the Yellow River.
07:13But the Chinese Communists would, for a long time, remain skeptical about this diversity.
07:19They believe China should be one,
07:21and that Chinese civilization developed only in the Central Plains
07:25before conquering its barbaric neighbors.
07:30In 1995, the government launched a vast project
07:34to scientifically establish the chronology of ancient China
07:37and to confirm the existence of the Sia dynasty.
07:40Proving the existence of the Sia dynasty,
07:48notably through archaeological digs and research,
07:51constitutes, in a sense,
07:53the materialization of the Chinese people's aspirations
07:56to know more about their roots.
07:58The project brings together eminent specialists
08:09in archaeology, botany, and astronomy,
08:11but it is not exempt from certain nationalist preconceptions.
08:16To find the Sia,
08:17it is necessary to go back to the original sources
08:20and discover the legends recounted by Sima Qian.
08:23A very long time ago,
08:33the land was submerged beneath great floods.
08:37Try as they might,
08:38the kings could not stem the flow of rivers running wild.
08:42The people were living in appalling conditions.
08:45One day, a young man was chosen to attempt to control the floods.
08:50He was called Yul.
08:52As he put the well-being of his people above all else,
08:55he tirelessly led his companions to every corner of the land
08:59to accomplish his mission
09:00and to try and stop the deluge of water.
09:05During this formidable battle,
09:07his young body grew weak
09:08and he became like an old man.
09:11He could barely stand up any longer.
09:15But despite the pain,
09:17Yul continued his combat.
09:21Thirteen years went by.
09:34Finally, Yul managed to dominate the rivers.
09:38And once the land had dried out again,
09:41the people began to prosper.
09:50With his companion's support,
09:53Yul became king.
09:54He was the founder of the first dynasty,
09:56the Sia.
09:57Yu the Great is the main character in numerous legends,
10:12still very much alive in many Chinese regions.
10:20The inhabitants of the village of Long Sisiang
10:22in the Sichuan province
10:24belong to one of China's 56 ethnic minorities,
10:27the cheng.
10:30One of their shamanic dances
10:31has been passed down from one generation to the next
10:34since time immemorial.
10:36The dancers hop from one foot to the other.
10:56The steppe is supposed to repel evil spirits
11:00and to bring prosperity.
11:12The story goes that the choreography
11:15was created to pay homage to Yul the Great,
11:18whose legs became so weak
11:19as he battled against the torrential floods.
11:21We pass on the story of the Shia
11:36from one generation to the next.
11:38Since the dawn of time,
11:40every year we offer our most sincere prayers
11:42so that we are protected from disasters
11:45caused by floods.
11:46The veneration for Yul the Great
11:54goes far beyond the borders of Sichuan.
11:58Monumental statues of the master of the floods
12:00rise up throughout China,
12:02on islands in the middle of rivers,
12:04in parks,
12:05or at crossroads.
12:06They are all testament to the exploits
12:10of the founding father of the first dynasty
12:12and enable the Chinese
12:14to forge durable links
12:15to the extraordinary figure
12:17of the guardian of their history.
12:20In the propaganda,
12:21Yul the Great is a reminder
12:22of their common ancestry,
12:24the Sia dynasty.
12:27The scientist's mission was clear,
12:29to transform the legend into reality.
12:40Archaeological discoveries
12:41throughout the 20th century
12:43enabled several cultures
12:45from the end of the Neolithic period
12:46to be identified.
12:48Their development was closely linked
12:50to the great rivers
12:51that have shaped the Chinese landscape,
12:54the Huanghe, or Yellow River,
12:56and the Yangtze,
12:57in the center of the country.
12:59It was in the Yangtze Delta
13:01that an original culture developed
13:03between 3400 and 2250 BC,
13:06the Liangchu.
13:08It was one of the most powerful
13:10of the times,
13:11as revealed in digs
13:12that began in 1936.
13:16This is the latest discovery
13:19in Liangchu,
13:20the city ramparts.
13:21I'm standing in front
13:22of a very well-preserved part of it.
13:24As you can see,
13:25the layers of earth
13:26are clearly visible.
13:27These are the first ramparts
13:28that date back
13:29to the Liangchu culture
13:30that have been found
13:31in the Yangtze Delta.
13:36Over several years,
13:38the remains of this enormous construction,
13:40some 5,000 years old,
13:42have emerged from the ground.
13:44They demonstrate the power
13:45of a society
13:45from the new stone age.
13:47Professor Bin Liu
13:48is in charge
13:49of the excavation work.
13:50The northern wall
13:53is the best preserved
13:54of the four walls
13:55in the enclosure.
13:57These are the stone foundations.
14:00Detailed analysis
14:01of the ground
14:02and of these stones
14:03has revealed
14:04that they came from a mountain
14:05situated several kilometers
14:06from here.
14:08Four meters
14:08have been preserved,
14:09but we think the wall
14:10was much higher.
14:11by studying the type
14:14of construction,
14:15we've realized
14:16that it was built
14:16using traditional methods
14:18by hand.
14:21The outer wall
14:22measured almost
14:23seven kilometers.
14:25The town would have covered
14:26some 750 acres.
14:31The number of pottery pieces
14:33found on the site
14:33reveals the size
14:35of the local population
14:36and their daily activities.
14:54The inhabitants
14:55live from agriculture,
14:57notably from rice growing,
14:59as indicates the presence
15:00of carbonized grains
15:01found during excavations.
15:03The Liangzhu culture
15:08developed between
15:083,400 and 2,300
15:11before our modern era,
15:13a period that corresponded
15:14to the oldest
15:15Egyptian dynasties.
15:17And if we look
15:17at the size of it,
15:19the town certainly
15:19holds its own
15:20compared to Egyptian towns
15:21at the time.
15:33On the site,
15:35the archaeologists
15:36travel back in time.
15:38They have deciphered
15:39the flourishing town's past.
15:51One level
15:52has even provided
15:53some vital information.
16:00I'm on the level
16:01where the inhabitants
16:02of Liangzhu lived.
16:05During the final days
16:06of the town,
16:07floodwaters buried it all
16:08beneath mud and sand.
16:10This strata corresponds
16:12precisely to that event.
16:16The lighter sedimentary layer
16:18is made up of silt.
16:20It proves that several floods
16:22washed over the city.
16:24It is known today
16:25that there were
16:26significant climate changes
16:27between 3,000 and 2,000 B.C.
16:30temperatures dropped
16:32and rainfall levels
16:33increased dramatically.
16:35Flooding caused the city
16:36and its treasures
16:37to be swallowed up.
16:41In the graves
16:42of Liangzhu dignitaries,
16:44archaeologists have found
16:45Song,
16:47ritual cylinders
16:48made from jade,
16:49a semi-precious stone.
16:50The presence of these objects
16:58in graves
16:59tells the scientists
17:00a good deal
17:01about the wealth
17:02and power
17:02of the Liangzhu notables.
17:06The precise function
17:08of the song
17:08is a mystery,
17:10but their rarity
17:11suggests the jade cylinders
17:12belonged only
17:13to an elite few.
17:15The decoration
17:16is similar
17:17to what can be seen
17:18on Shang Dynasty bronze wases
17:20a thousand years later.
17:28During prehistory,
17:30jade was first of all
17:31used decoratively,
17:33but then around 3,000 B.C.,
17:35it began to be used
17:37by nobles
17:37during rituals
17:38as an emblem
17:39of their authority.
17:43The stone acquired
17:44a certain social standing aspect.
17:48It became a symbol
17:49of power,
17:50of piety,
17:51of the upper classes.
17:57Much later,
17:58eminent characters
17:59such as Confucius
18:00gave jade
18:01an even greater
18:02social significance.
18:05So during this process,
18:06from being a simple stone
18:07with a magnificent gleam,
18:09jade became an object
18:10of worship
18:11for the Chinese,
18:12an historic
18:12and political symbol.
18:14of the
18:16the
18:17The
18:35inhabitants of the
18:36autonomous
18:36Xinjiang region
18:37in the extreme west
18:39of the vast
18:39Chinese Republic
18:40still dig into
18:41the mountains
18:42looking for the stone
18:43whose popularity
18:44and value
18:45have never waned.
18:49Since antiquity,
18:50these mines
18:51have supplied
18:52some of the finest
18:52jade to be found.
18:54The market is flourishing.
18:56On seller stalls,
18:57prices of the finest pieces
18:59have increased
18:59a hundred times
19:00over the past 10 years.
19:02This is real
19:11cotan jade.
19:11How much is that worth?
19:14It could be worth
19:156,000 euros.
19:26It's a profitable business
19:28if you can distinguish
19:29between a piece of jade
19:30and a simple pebble.
19:31At the end of the Neolithic era,
19:34this was the case.
19:36The locals developed
19:38and perfected
19:38distribution networks
19:39and techniques
19:40for sculpting
19:41the very hard gemstone.
19:43The Liangzhu culture
19:50embodied jade art
19:52at its height.
19:542,000 years B.C.,
19:55a highly stratified society
19:57developed
19:58in the Yangtze Delta.
20:01Dignitaries controlled
20:02a vast territory
20:03and no doubt
20:04presided over
20:04religious ceremonies.
20:06But they could do nothing
20:08about natural disasters.
20:09in 2250 B.C.
20:17the Liangzhu culture
20:19disappeared.
20:20And so it cannot be
20:22assimilated
20:22with the first dynasty.
20:24To find the Sia,
20:26we have to look elsewhere.
20:31First identified
20:32by archaeologists
20:33in 1928,
20:35the Longshan culture
20:36was based
20:37in northern China.
20:39Between 2500
20:40and 1700 B.C.,
20:42it occupied
20:43the Yellow River Valley
20:44in a region
20:45the Chinese still regard
20:46as the original cradle
20:48of their civilization.
20:56The land that stretches
20:57as far as the eye can see
20:59is composed of loess,
21:01which has traveled far.
21:03It is windblown sediment
21:04from the deserts
21:05of Central Asia.
21:08In winter,
21:09peasants try
21:10to stabilize the soils.
21:13A civilization
21:13has never been
21:14so defined
21:15by the land
21:16which gave birth to it.
21:18A land whose fertility
21:19enabled millet
21:20to be grown,
21:21the main cereal
21:22in northern China.
21:23in northern China.
21:29In recent years,
21:32important discoveries
21:33have been made
21:33at the Tausa site,
21:35the birthplace
21:36of the Longshan
21:37Neolithic culture.
21:40Nine large tombs
21:41have revealed
21:42significant grave goods.
21:44The dead
21:44were accompanied
21:45by colored pottery artifacts.
21:47their remains
21:55were decorated
21:56with pieces of jade.
22:02Archaeologists
22:02have also unearthed
22:03some small bronze objects
22:05testifying to a
22:06burgeoning metal industry
22:08in ancient China.
22:12Excavations are still going on
22:14throughout the region.
22:15In the past 50 years,
22:21archaeologists
22:21have gathered
22:22tons of ceramics,
22:23including both rare pieces
22:25and ordinary
22:26everyday pottery objects.
22:28But their latest discovery
22:29was a major surprise
22:31for the scientific community.
22:37We were a little surprised.
22:40It was quite unexpected
22:41or even unthinkable
22:43at that point
22:43that such an ancient
22:45culture
22:45had accomplished
22:46something like that.
22:47What can we say
22:48apart from that
22:49it's really exceptional?
22:52In 2003,
22:54Professor Neu's teams
22:55dug up a strange structure.
22:58Some archaeologists
22:59consider it to be
23:00the oldest observatory
23:01in the world.
23:03It was built
23:04on the lower slope
23:05of a sacred mountain
23:06to the east
23:07towards the rising sun.
23:08The architectural layout
23:24was composed of 14 pillars
23:26at least 4 meters high,
23:28aligned in a semicircle
23:29around a very carefully
23:31defined central axis.
23:32when the sun rose
23:35from behind the mountain,
23:36the light fanned out
23:37among the columns.
23:40The direction of the rays
23:41and shadows varied
23:42according to the date
23:43and the season.
23:45The structure was built
23:46according to the astronomical events
23:48that still determine
23:49our modern calendars,
23:51equinoxes and solstices.
23:53It is a solar observatory
23:55some 4,200 years old.
24:06Thanks to this calendar,
24:08the longshan could determine
24:09the key periods
24:10in the farming year.
24:11Notably,
24:12the dates were sowing the cereal
24:14that was essential
24:15to their survival
24:16in this region,
24:17millet.
24:17The king was able
24:25to control his people
24:26by monopolizing
24:27all the information
24:28concerning the movements
24:30of heavenly bodies.
24:35If you didn't obey the king,
24:37he could refuse to tell you
24:38when to plant your seeds
24:39or to harvest your crops.
24:45So not only did he possess
24:46the means to starve
24:48the population,
24:49but he also had a way
24:50to save them
24:51and to keep them
24:52under his control.
24:57And yet,
24:59the latest excavations
25:00have revealed
25:01that this power
25:01was fragile.
25:03The nobles had to face up
25:04to violent rebellions.
25:07Archaeologists have found
25:08skeletons that had been
25:09thrown into rubbish heaps.
25:11Some of the victims
25:12had been tortured.
25:16The remains of a woman
25:31was found in a pit
25:32filled with cow and pig bones.
25:36Analysis of her teeth
25:37and bones
25:38has provided information
25:40about her diet.
25:41She appears to have
25:44belonged to one
25:44of the wealthier classes
25:45of the population,
25:47but this didn't stop her
25:48from being decapitated.
25:54Her attackers also
25:56stuck a cow horn
25:57into her abdomen.
25:58She was tortured
26:06before she was killed.
26:09The colony must have
26:10undergone a revolt.
26:12The people were able
26:13to rise up
26:14against their oppressors.
26:16They probably took
26:17their revenge
26:17on the aristocracy
26:18by massacring
26:19this noble woman
26:20as well as other individuals
26:22of similar social status
26:23and then throwing their bodies
26:25into piles of waste.
26:28After the 3rd millennium BC,
26:33several ethnic groups
26:34which had developed
26:34along the Yellow River Valley
26:36and the Yangtze
26:37established contact.
26:39These exchanges
26:40brought about
26:41technical improvements
26:42and cultural changes.
26:44But neither the Longshan culture
26:46nor the Liangzhu culture
26:47can be assimilated
26:49with the legendary
26:49Sia dynasty.
26:52In 1958,
26:54the remains of a new culture
26:55were found in Erlitou
26:57in Henan province.
26:59Could this be the key?
27:04Two dig campaigns
27:05in 1973 and 1983
27:08revealed a number
27:09of discoveries.
27:11A short distance away
27:12from the present village
27:13and the river,
27:14archaeologists found
27:15the remains
27:16of some imposing edifices
27:18made of wood
27:19and packed earth.
27:20They were palaces.
27:27The scale of the remains
27:44is unusual.
27:46Neolithic cultures
27:47did not have
27:47such vast residences
27:49and the best
27:51was yet to come.
28:04Move, move,
28:04out of the way.
28:05Be careful.
28:07Take it easy there.
28:09Leave it to me.
28:10It's all right.
28:11Don't worry.
28:13A multitude
28:14of small pieces
28:15of turquoise
28:16form a strange figure.
28:25It's a dragon.
28:27One of the key symbols
28:29in Chinese culture.
28:31This legendary animal
28:32embodied the authority
28:33of Chinese emperors
28:34up until the early
28:3620th century.
28:37Modern day Chinese
28:38still worship
28:39this allegorical
28:40image of power.
28:43The dragon
28:44in Erlito
28:45is the earliest
28:46example to have
28:47been found.
28:53Archaeologists
28:54haven't been able
28:55to identify
28:55the function
28:56of this bronze plaque
28:57studded with turquoise
28:59representing the face
29:00of a monster
29:01with globulous eyes.
29:03It was placed
29:04on a corpse's chest
29:05next to a small
29:06bronze bell.
29:07The same alloy
29:09was used to make
29:10one of the most
29:10important pieces
29:11found in Erlito,
29:13a short tripod
29:14vessel,
29:15a jui.
29:15around 2000 BC,
29:24a number of bronze
29:25objects were produced.
29:27In China,
29:27the early to culture
29:28wasn't the first
29:29to smelt bronze.
29:32In fact,
29:32at the end
29:32of the third millennium
29:34BC,
29:34there were a certain
29:35number of cultures
29:36which are regarded
29:37as Neolithic,
29:38but which produced
29:39bronze objects.
29:40We have only a few
29:44such objects
29:45and they're
29:46generally small
29:47and the difference
29:49we can see
29:49with the Erlito culture
29:51is that in Erlito
29:53they moved
29:54onto another level
29:55in the production
29:56of bronze
29:57and in particular
29:58they started
29:58to make vases.
29:59This object
30:05is testimony
30:06to the Erlito culture's
30:08level of sophistication.
30:10But was this city
30:11the capital
30:12of the Sia dynasty?
30:21One study
30:22demonstrates
30:23the power
30:24of the lords
30:24who ruled
30:25over Erlito.
30:27Professor Irau Yoshimitsu
30:28has traced
30:29the origin
30:30of the copper ore
30:31used with tin
30:32to make
30:33the bronze alloy.
30:36The copper
30:36always contains
30:37small proportions
30:38of lead
30:39with quantities
30:40varying according
30:41to the place
30:42it was extracted.
30:54Even 4,000 years later,
30:56analysis enables
30:57the provenance
30:58of the copper ore
30:59to be accurately
31:00determined.
31:03The study
31:04shows which sites
31:06provided the ore
31:07for the Erlito smithies.
31:09The furthest mine
31:10was situated
31:10in the Leoning province
31:12more than
31:131,000 kilometers
31:14from Erlito.
31:18An analysis
31:19of the lead
31:20could reveal
31:20whether Erlito
31:21only had regional power
31:23or if on the contrary
31:25or if on the contrary
31:25the city possessed
31:25the power attributed
31:26to a dynasty
31:27such as the Sia
31:28with influence
31:29over a much
31:29vaster area.
31:31The fact
31:31that they brought
31:32in the lead
31:32from far away
31:33even from the
31:34Bohai Gulf
31:34on the Yellow Sea
31:35shows that
31:36these people
31:37had been able
31:37to establish
31:38a system
31:38of alliances
31:39with other peoples.
31:40The influence
31:48and power
31:49of the Erlito
31:49culture
31:50appears to have
31:51extended well
31:52beyond the city walls
31:53and yet
31:54one question
31:55remains unanswered.
31:58How was the
31:59Erlito site
31:59able to prosper
32:00whereas other cultures
32:02in the late
32:02Neolithic era
32:03succumbed
32:04to natural disasters?
32:08An environmental
32:09study campaign
32:10has been launched
32:11to answer
32:12this very question.
32:14Scientists
32:14carry out
32:15core sampling tests
32:16to examine the soil
32:18at depths
32:18between 1
32:19and 3 meters.
32:21They are looking
32:22for the residue
32:22of seeds
32:23some 4,000 years old.
32:39The results
32:40of their analysis
32:41are surprising.
32:48They find
32:49two principal varieties
32:50of millet.
32:51One is called
32:52foxtail
32:53due to its
32:54characteristic panicle.
32:56Both types
32:56have been grown here
32:57for a long time
32:58but that's not all.
33:01Samples contain
33:02wheat seeds
33:03generally found
33:04further to the
33:04northwest
33:05in the upper
33:06Yellow River Valley
33:07as well as
33:08soy bean seeds
33:09selected from
33:10a wild variety.
33:14Finally,
33:15the scientists
33:16are surprised
33:16to find rice seeds
33:17introduced
33:18to Erlito
33:19from the Yangtze
33:20from the Yangtze
33:20Delta
33:20much further south.
33:24In most
33:24agricultural areas
33:25the population
33:26tends to grow
33:27a single cereal
33:28but the inhabitants
33:30of this region
33:30grow no fewer
33:32than five.
33:33A polyculture
33:34that perhaps
33:35made a difference.
33:37For example,
33:38if a region
33:38is affected
33:39by a period
33:40of drought
33:40the peasants
33:41have foxtail millet
33:42which can put out
33:43with such conditions
33:43perfectly well.
33:44If the land
33:45is flooded
33:46by persistent rains
33:47they can plant rice.
33:48They always have
33:49something to harvest.
33:50They are safe
33:50from all natural disasters.
33:52Only a society
33:54with a highly advanced
33:55agricultural system
33:56can resist climate change.
34:06Peasants
34:07in the village
34:07of Erlito
34:08still plant
34:09the five seeds
34:10used by their ancestors.
34:14The land
34:15is exploited
34:15through a crop
34:16rotation system.
34:18Every summer
34:19certain wheat fields
34:20are flooded
34:21after the harvest
34:22to plant rice.
34:24Others are planted
34:24with soybean seeds.
34:26In both cases
34:27the wheat stems
34:28stay in the soil
34:30to fertilize it.
34:35Thanks to such methods
34:36the Neolithic city
34:38was able to develop
34:39into one of the biggest
34:40urban areas
34:41of its time.
34:42but what did the town
34:49look like?
34:53The discovery
34:54of certain
34:54building foundations
34:55and ground surveys
34:56have enabled
34:57a reconstruction
34:58using CGI.
35:04The whole town
35:05is much more structured
35:06than one might have
35:07imagined.
35:08peasant shacks
35:11generally covered
35:12an area of only
35:13about seven square meters.
35:16They form a village
35:18on the edge
35:18of the urban area.
35:24Not far away
35:25are buildings
35:26surrounded by fences.
35:28These were the workshops
35:29where specialists
35:30smelted the bronze.
35:31buildings.
35:33Unlike previous cultures
35:35production in Erlito
35:36was on an extensive scale.
35:39To the east
35:40a zone with the houses
35:41of the nobility.
35:43In the center
35:44palaces
35:45and a temple
35:46dedicated to the ancestors
35:47of the royal line.
35:49The ensemble
35:50was surrounded
35:50by colonnades
35:51and an outer wall.
35:53It was the town's
35:54political
35:54and administrative center
35:56reserved for the king
35:57priests
35:58and the aristocracy.
35:59Archaeologists
36:02estimate
36:02that the town
36:03had a population
36:04of around 20,000
36:05at the time
36:07one of the biggest
36:08in the world.
36:16The architecture
36:17in China then
36:18was made of wood
36:19and packed earth.
36:21For this reason
36:22the constructions
36:23are generally
36:23not well preserved
36:24but we can find
36:26traces of them
36:27in the ground.
36:27The buildings
36:29were on terraces
36:30of compacted earth
36:32in which they
36:32stuck wooden posts
36:34to support the roof.
36:40The loess
36:41the fine sediment
36:43imported from
36:43Central Asia
36:44by the wind
36:45constitutes
36:46the basic material
36:47along with wood
36:48used in Chinese
36:49construction.
36:51The peasants' houses
36:51the king's palaces
36:53and the first
36:54fortified walls
36:55were all made
36:56using loess
36:56sometimes mixed
36:58with clay.
36:59Packed and compressed
37:00the fine particles
37:01form a mass
37:02as solid as stone.
37:04Even today
37:05farmers in the north
37:06of China
37:07use the same method
37:08to build walls
37:09around their fields.
37:15Packed down
37:16within a wooden frame
37:17the loess
37:18dries and hardens
37:19acquiring the same
37:20qualities as brick.
37:21for the scientific
37:36team leader
37:36Professor Hsu
37:38the layout of the city
37:39provides valuable
37:40information about
37:41the political system
37:42that oversaw
37:43its day-to-day
37:44organization.
37:44this is where
37:47the main palace
37:48was.
37:50The archaeologist
37:51notes that the
37:52building has certain
37:53architectural
37:53characteristics
37:54that were unknown
37:55among other cultures
37:56during the
37:57Neolithic era.
37:58The palace city
37:59was an enclosed
38:00area with a
38:01strict hierarchy.
38:10The entrance
38:11is via a gate
38:12to the south.
38:13the inner courtyard
38:14is surrounded
38:15by a covered
38:16gallery.
38:18A huge building
38:19dominates the
38:19esplanade.
38:23For Professor Hsu
38:25the magnificence
38:26of the construction
38:27reflects the
38:28political power
38:29of the monarchs
38:30who lived there.
38:31Could they have
38:32been the Sia
38:32that Simit Qian
38:33mentions in his
38:34chronicles?
38:38From an
38:39archaeological point
38:40of view
38:40it seems obvious
38:41that Early Toh
38:42was the capital
38:43of the oldest
38:44Chinese dynasty.
38:47You could say
38:47that it was
38:48China's first
38:49real heart.
38:51A good number
38:52of experts
38:53are convinced
38:54that it was
38:55the capital
38:55of the Sia dynasty
38:56that we've read
38:57about.
38:59For them
38:59Early Toh
39:00means the Sia.
39:01Professor Hsu
39:09believes that
39:10the plan
39:11and layout
39:11of the royal
39:12residence
39:12in Early Toh
39:13could have
39:14influenced
39:14all the palaces
39:15built later.
39:17He wants
39:17to check out
39:18his theory
39:18by visiting Japan.
39:22It's the first
39:23time that
39:24scientists
39:24from Japan
39:25and China
39:25have worked
39:26together
39:26on the subject.
39:28The meeting
39:29takes place
39:29at Kyoto
39:30University.
39:35Professor Okamura
39:36is an expert
39:37on late
39:38Neolithic
39:38cultures
39:39and particularly
39:40the Early Toh
39:41culture.
39:42The two experts
39:44have examined
39:44the similarities
39:45between the main
39:46palace,
39:47the foundations
39:47of which have been
39:48found in Early Toh,
39:50and palaces
39:50from subsequent
39:51dynasties.
39:52There's a
39:56covered gallery
39:56all the way
39:57around,
39:57is that right?
39:59That's right.
40:02This design,
40:04integrating
40:04a covered gallery,
40:06is really
40:07very similar
40:07to the type
40:08of construction
40:09we see
40:09in certain palaces
40:11later on
40:11in Chinese history.
40:15There's really
40:15no difference
40:16with the plan
40:17that was still
40:17used in China
40:18up to the
40:1820th century.
40:19A more thorough
40:23study of the
40:24Early Toh plans
40:25reveals that
40:26they served
40:26as the basis
40:27for every
40:28later construction.
40:29In Beijing,
40:51an aerial view
40:52of the
40:52Forbidden City
40:53built for the
40:54Ming Dynasty
40:55emperors
40:55confirms the
40:57hypothesis.
40:57The main palace
40:59is part
40:59of a walled
41:00enclosure
41:00with the doors
41:01opening to the
41:02south.
41:03The plan
41:04of the building
41:04itself
41:05is similar
41:06to that
41:06in Early Toh.
41:08A vast
41:09covered gallery
41:09surrounds the
41:10building,
41:11whose facade
41:11looks over
41:12an esplanade
41:13where the
41:13emperor would
41:14walk.
41:15The inhabitants
41:16of Early Toh
41:17therefore
41:17invented an
41:18architectural form
41:19that would
41:20last for
41:204,000 years.
41:22We have a very
41:25good example
41:26in Early Toh
41:27of the
41:28principle of
41:28a building
41:29which is
41:29organized around
41:30different inner
41:31courtyards.
41:33And so this is
41:34something we can
41:35see today.
41:36And the most
41:37famous example
41:38is no doubt
41:38the Forbidden City.
41:40But it should
41:41also be said
41:42that this is
41:43the traditional
41:43design for houses
41:45in the Peking area.
41:46The houses
41:49were also
41:49built and
41:50organized
41:51around inner
41:51courtyards.
41:53So the techniques
41:55evolved
41:56and materials
41:57were used
41:58later that
41:58weren't present
41:59in Early Toh
42:00but the principles
42:01behind this
42:02organization
42:03can be found
42:03at the Early Toh
42:04site.
42:08There are no
42:09texts claiming
42:10that the inhabitants
42:11of Early Toh
42:12were the Sia
42:13that the ancient
42:13historians talked
42:14about but they
42:15clearly belonged
42:16to a culture
42:17that was much
42:17more powerful
42:18than any
42:19of its predecessors.
42:21The Early Toh
42:22peasants developed
42:23a prosperous
42:23agricultural system.
42:26The metal workers
42:27imported ore
42:27from distant regions
42:28to produce
42:29sophisticated bronze
42:30objects.
42:32They transformed
42:33Chinese metallurgy
42:34into a specialized
42:35and highly codified
42:36art.
42:38In Early Toh,
42:39bronze already
42:40played an essential
42:41role in the expression
42:42of power and
42:43authority.
42:43What we can see
42:47quite clearly
42:48is the link
42:49between the production
42:50of bronze
42:50and the importance
42:52that rights could
42:53have in Early Toh,
42:54in particular
42:55for the elite
42:55because we have
42:57to remember
42:57that for a significant
42:58part of antiquity
43:00bronze was above
43:01all linked
43:01with the elite.
43:04And this is
43:04very important.
43:06The production
43:07of bronze
43:08in Early Toh
43:08was mainly
43:09reserved for
43:10making bronze
43:11vases
43:11for use
43:12in a ritual
43:13context.
43:21Certain archaeologists
43:23even think
43:23that the lords
43:24of Early Toh
43:25could have invented
43:26the court rituals.
43:27But what could
43:28they have been like?
43:31Until the early
43:3220th century,
43:34grand ceremonies
43:34enabled emperors
43:36to reinforce
43:36their links
43:37with their vassals.
43:39By studying them,
43:41archaeologists
43:41have imagined
43:42how ceremonies
43:43in the palace
43:43in Early Toh
43:44may have taken place.
43:45at dawn,
44:09nobles
44:10and certain
44:10chiefs
44:11from surrounding
44:11villages
44:12are allowed
44:13to enter
44:13the palace grounds.
44:14they are no doubt
44:16carrying a number
44:17of offerings.
44:25And so,
44:26as the faithful
44:27wait
44:27gather together
44:28on the esplanade,
44:30the king himself
44:31only appears
44:31at the last moment.
44:33In his hand,
44:43he has a jang blade,
44:45a tablet
44:46sculpted
44:46from the purest jade.
44:53The jang blades
44:54were sacred objects
44:55that the inhabitants
44:56of Early Toh
44:57probably borrowed
44:58from the mountain peoples
44:59in the western regions.
45:00by adopting
45:02these symbols
45:03of devotion
45:04from other regions,
45:05the kings
45:06would have reinforced
45:07their personal authority.
45:18Still facing
45:19the participants,
45:20the king suddenly
45:21raises up
45:22an object
45:22that glistens
45:23like gold.
45:24It is a libation cup,
45:29a jouet,
45:30a vessel
45:30whose shapes
45:31and forms
45:31have inspired
45:32other cultures.
45:37Finally,
45:38a handful of aristocrats
45:40joined the king
45:40on the platform.
45:42It is time
45:43to share
45:43the alcohol
45:44made from local cereals.
45:46This exchange
45:47marks the hierarchy
45:48established
45:49in Early Toh society.
45:50It symbolizes
45:52the social
45:52and political framework
45:54that presides
45:54over the population
45:55of the town.
45:58I think
45:58the Siyah dynasty
46:00put a certain emphasis
46:01on the relations
46:02between people.
46:04Fundamentally,
46:05I think divine power
46:06had less influence
46:07than the power
46:08of the sovereign.
46:10Obviously,
46:11rituals took place
46:12to reinforce spirituality,
46:14but instead
46:15of revering deities,
46:17the faithful
46:17honored their ancestors.
46:18this means
46:21that the Siyah dynasty
46:22concerned itself
46:22more with men
46:23than with gods.
46:37Each spectator
46:38of the ceremony
46:39is aware
46:40of the sovereign superiority,
46:42of his status
46:43at the summit
46:44of all worldly things.
46:46The ritual
46:47also seems destined
46:48to strengthen
46:49the relations
46:49among the members
46:50of the community.
46:57Early Toh culture
47:00spread over
47:01an extremely vast area,
47:03but I'm convinced
47:04that it wasn't
47:04the result
47:05of military domination,
47:07but of a more gentle culture,
47:09in fact,
47:10of a cultural power.
47:12In essence,
47:13the capital
47:14of the Siyah dynasty,
47:15the early Toh
47:15was the first cultural center
47:18in the Far East.
47:23The Chinese still visit
47:25the temple
47:25in the town of Kaifeng
47:26to pay homage
47:27to Yu the Great.
47:30Legendary images
47:31blend into historical reality.
47:34Beyond the myth,
47:36Yu the Great
47:36represents the founding father
47:38of modern China.
47:39But with no written testimony,
47:41it's hard to say
47:42if the early Toh culture
47:43can be assimilated
47:45with the Siyah dynasty.
47:48One thing is certain.
47:50This culture
47:50is a missing link
47:51between the late
47:52Neolithic societies
47:53and the Shang
47:55and Zhou dynasties.
47:562,000 years before
48:03our modern era,
48:05the kings of early Toh
48:06invented a system
48:07of government
48:08and established
48:09a theory of authority
48:10and religion.
48:12Their power
48:12was materialized
48:14through bronze objects
48:15that became
48:16a mode of expression
48:17for the elite.
48:19The early Toh culture
48:20announced the emergence
48:22of civilization.
48:24Toward 1600 B.C.,
48:25the Shang dynasty
48:27established itself
48:28along the Yellow River.
48:30It would take
48:31the art of bronze working
48:32to its height
48:33and develop writing
48:34used in divinitary rites.
48:39In 1045 B.C.,
48:41the Zhou replaced the Shang.
48:44They forged alliances
48:45with their neighbors
48:46and set up a feudal system.
48:49Obviously,
48:50at this time,
48:51China was not yet
48:52called China.
48:53but the unification process
48:55was underway.
48:57Within the cradle
48:58of the central plains
48:59on the banks
49:00of the Yellow River
49:01and the Yangtze,
49:02all the ingredients
49:03were brought together.
49:06The history
49:06of a future
49:07great power
49:08could begin.
49:09the
49:22good
49:22and the
49:23good
49:25is
49:26a good
49:27good
49:27to see you.
Recommended
49:59
14:06
55:29
40:38
58:42
43:05
1:54
40:38
44:23
59:11
52:34
46:21
25:25
46:04
25:36
21:27
46:04
47:23
49:00
52:02
Be the first to comment