Abstract
More than eight decades ago, the distinguished Chinese scholar Hu Shi (1891–1962) wrote an essay titled ‘My Views on Ancient History’, in which he said: <blockquote>My outlook regarding ancient history is, for the present, we should shorten the study of ancient history by two or three thousand years, and start our researches from the Book of Odes. When archaeology has become well developed, then we can slowly extend [our understanding of ancient history before the Eastern Zhou dynasty, using excavated historical evidence.<sup>1</sup></blockquote>Today, over eighty years later, Chinese history before the Eastern Zhou dynasty has been steadily reconstructed, step by step, from archaeological discoveries, without which, even the well-recognized deserved brilliance of ancient history, since the Eastern Zhou dynasty, would be dimmed.
Highlights
More than eight decades ago, the distinguished Chinese scholar Hu Shi (1891–1962) wrote an essay titled ‘My Views on Ancient History’, in which he said: My outlook regarding ancient history is, for the present, we should shorten the study of ancient history by two or three thousand years, and start our researches from the Book of Odes
One simple example demonstrates the importance of archaeology for any understanding of Chinese history
BCE), began his masterwork, Records of the Historian, by narrating the earliest phase of Chinese prehistory as the ‘Basic Annals of the Five Patriarchs’, and using some 4660 characters. He followed this with other historical narratives about three pre-imperial dynasties, comprising the ‘Basic Annals of Xia’, the ‘Basic Annals of Yin’ and the ‘Basic Annals of Zhou’, and using 4171, 3661 and 10400 characters, respectively.[2]
Summary
Since the discovery of the oracle bone inscriptions and the Dunhuang manuscripts in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Chinese scholars have deliberately undertaken research to link their archaeological discoveries to ancient documents. The study of ancient China’s economy, culture, society, science and technology, or even politics and thought, cannot exist independently of archaeology.[8] The earlier the period, the more reliant we are on archaeology. In this brief paper, I cannot detail all of the important archaeological discoveries, and their contributions to the understanding of Chinese history, made during the sixty years since the founding of the People’s Republic. I hope that readers of this paper will communicate their views about it back to me
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