Legends linger in ruins of Shang
Historic site draws visitors to the mythical origins of Chinese civilisation. Reports by Sascha Matuszak
The Shang archaeological site in Zhengzhou is one of the oldest known. Even older than Anyang's, the Shang site is rich in artefacts, weapons, oracle bones and other items that describe the civilisation that ruled here about 3,000 years ago.
The Shang, also known as the Yin, are believed to be the first "Chinese" dynasty and are therefore the common ancestors of all Chinese states. The society before them, the Xia, are almost completely lost to antiquity, while the society that followed the Shang, the Zhou, were a well-documented dynasty that lasted for centuries. This places the Shang into the special realm between myth and history.
The Shang still exert a powerful influence in Chinese culture due to their half-myth, half-truth status. As the progenitors of the Chinese civilisation, the Shang are believed to have invented or at least used all the basic tools and techniques needed to make a society grow and thrive. Skills such as writing, agriculture, ceremony, warfare and political organisation are all attributed to this first state.
The Shang basically form the political and social reality of China's creation myth, which revolves around the Yellow Emperor, Huangdi, and his role in helping the Shang (Yin) dynasty overcome challenges and rise to pre-eminence in central China. The fact that the Shang ruled the region around the Yellow River is also significant, because this river is China's mother river, and the first civilisation to have lived and died here is the first civilisation of the Chinese people.
Today, most people are unclear about precisely when the Shang flourished, whom they replaced, and how the Zhou came to defeat them and take their land. The dates and details are important to scholars and history buffs, but not necessarily to the people who simply see this dynasty as the first Chinese state. To them, the Shang represent the start of their civilisations and culture. When the oracle bones are read out, and the Yellow Emperor is invoked, people in China believe that this is the first Chinese emperor speaking from the distant past.
The exploits and history of the Shang dynasty are also recorded in several of China's most prominent historical recordings, including perhaps the most famous of them all, the Records of the Grand Historian, by Sima Qian. The creation myth and the history of the dynasty provide an anchor in a constantly shifting world.
