Chapter 3 Chapter 1 Confronting the Legacy of History

Enlightenment from a Foreign Scientist One evening in the summer of 1995, Song Jian, who was then the State Councilor and Director of the State Science and Technology Commission of China, had dinner and walked for about an hour with his wife as usual, then returned to his study to start the night work. In the past, Song Jian sat at the desk, and his main energy was always poured into the knowledge of natural science and his professional research on cybernetics and science and social system theory.But today, there are books on social sciences such as "Historical Records", "Hanshu", "General History of China", "World History" etc. on his desk. Excerpted some fragments.In fact, as early as ten days ago, he began to devote himself wholeheartedly to the study and research of Chinese and foreign history, and a direct motivation for him to do so came from his visit to Israel.

Not long ago, Song Jian led a scientific delegation to visit the Israeli scientific community. During this visit, he met Tedmo, the vice president of the National Academy of Sciences of Israel, a famous Assyriologist, and an expert on the ancient history of the Middle East and Israel.Tedmo is over sixty years old. He is a pure Israeli, but he was born in Harbin, China.For this reason, he has always regarded China as his half hometown, and has a strong interest and affection for Chinese history and customs.Faced with the visit of Chinese officials and people from the scientific community this time, I am naturally full of enthusiasm.After some heart-to-heart and pleasant exchanges, Tedmo gave Song Jian a copy of the latest achievements in Assyriology research as a souvenir.The summary of the data is: In the middle of the nineteenth century, several scholars successfully deciphered the cuneiform characters on the clay tablets in the royal palace of Ashurbanipal (Note 1). Later scholars used these deciphered characters and astronomical theories , finally solved the precise chronology after the ancient Babylonian Akkad (Note 2) (2378-2371 BC), and the reign of the tenth king of the Babylonian First Dynasty (Note 3) The time was also calculated by astronomers based on the astronomical records of Venus recorded in the unearthed clay tablets.Based on research methods such as historical materials, archaeological remains, and carbon fourteenth dating techniques, scholars have roughly constructed the age structure of the ancient Babylonian Kingdom.

(Note 1) Ashurbanipal: Reigned from 668 BC to 627 BC, the last king of the Assyrian dynasty.He has both civil and military skills, has carried out many expeditions, and established a large library in the palace of the capital Nineveh.He sent monks and scribes to various places to collect Sumerian︱Babylonian documents, and the clay tablet documents he collected once amounted to more than 25,000 pieces.The Assyrian dynasty fell in 612 BC.A large number of clay tablets from the library of Ashurbanipal survived because they were hidden in the ruins and were excavated in 1845-1854.About 20,720 clay tablets are preserved in the British Museum.

(Note 2) Akkad: The ancient area, located in the north-central part of today's Iraq, is the hometown of the ancient Babylonian civilization.From about the second millennium BC, the rulers of the entire central region of Iraq claimed to be the kings of Sumer and Akkad. (Note 3) The first dynasty of Babylon was from 1891 BC to 1595 BC. The sixth king of the first dynasty was King Hammurabi who formulated the Code of Hammurabi. The material presented by Tedmo, although some places are difficult to understand, and the argumentation method is cumbersome and complicated, it is difficult for outsiders to fully understand the ins and outs of it.However, Song Jian obviously felt that the research methods and reference materials of this material were similar to those of the establishment of Egyptian chronology.Song Jian was particularly impressed by the fact that just before this visit to Israel, he visited Africa and stopped briefly in Egypt.On the occasion of this short stay, accompanied by Yang Fuchang, the Chinese ambassador to Egypt, he visited the world-famous pyramids and the ruins of the Luxor Temple.From the introduction of the companions and the conversations with local scholars, we know that the temple construction in Egypt has lasted more than twice as long as the pyramids, and it is almost the same as the ancient Egyptian civilization.But the ancient and great Egyptian civilization, after more than 3,000 years of ups and downs, finally in 332 BC, as Alexander the Great conquered Egypt and ended the political life of Pharaoh Egypt, the glorious Egyptian culture also dramatically changed. decline.Later, under the influence of Greek culture, Christianity, and Islam, Egyptian civilization completely declined, leaving only temples and stone-built ruins like Luxor that could not be completely destroyed by human power.

When the ancient Egyptian civilization declined for nearly 2,000 years, due to Napoleon’s invasion in 1798, especially in 1822, French genius scholar Champollion and others deciphered the hieroglyphs on the Rosetta Stone. Egyptian civilization began to revive, and after more than 100 years of hard work by archaeologists and scholars from France, Britain, Germany, and the United States, finally through comprehensive research on ancient documents, ancient ruins, ancient characters, and astronomical records, the Egyptian civilization was roughly solved. The question of the continuation of thirty-one dynasties in ancient history.Chronologists also determined the absolute age of a certain ancient Egyptian king based on the records of Sirius and the sunrise. According to the Sirius record, the famous Egyptian chronologist Pike set this year as 1872 BC.The absolute time frame of ancient Egyptian astronomy established with the Sirius date record has become an important pillar for the construction of the entire ancient Egyptian civilization.

When Song Jian was about to bid farewell to the Israel Academy of Sciences, Tedmo said to him: China, Egypt, Babylon, and India are recognized as the world's oldest independently developed four ancient civilizations, and they occupy a pivotal position in the long history of world civilization. .If Chinese academic circles can focus on exploratory dating research on the early history of Chinese civilization, their achievements will not be inferior to those of narratology and Egyptology, and the achievements will not only benefit China, but also study the history of civilization in the world as a whole. It will have a huge contribution and far-reaching impact.Tedmo said that if necessary, he is willing to do his part to establish a chronology of the early history of Chinese civilization with Chinese scholars, just like participating in the study of Assyriology, with enthusiasm and sincerity for Chinese history. .

Although Song Jian only responded politely to Tedmo's sincere feelings, but the incident itself stimulated and enlightened him, and at the same time it was deeply imprinted in his heart.A few years ago, Song Jian went to India for a state visit.During this period, Mr. Torba, an Egyptian who was the executive director of the United Nations Environment Program at the time, and Song Jian were invited to attend the welcome banquet held by the Indian minister. At the banquet, Mr. Torba gave an excited and proud speech: We, the world The representatives of the three greatest ancient civilizations in the world gathered here, which is of historic significance, because protecting the environment is the essence of our ancient civilization. Listening to Mr. Torba's generous speech, Song Jiandun felt excited and proud of the nation Spontaneously.

Undoubtedly, the four ancient civilizations that once ruled the world in history, among which Egypt, Babylon and Indian civilization, due to various complex reasons, have successively experienced dynasties, decay or complete destruction in the process of development and continuation.Only the Chinese civilization has a history of 5,000 years and continues continuously.In the long river of history, neither wars, tyranny, foreign invasion, nor floods, droughts and epidemics have been able to separate and stop its continuation and progress.It is under the nourishment and nurturing of this continuous civilization that the great national spirit has been cultivated, and the Chinese descendants in the east of the world have stood firm among the nations of the world with their perseverance and extraordinary creativity. However, Such a nation that has made outstanding contributions to human beings in the world lags far behind ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia in terms of chronological research, and the biggest shortcoming is that since Sima Qian, it has not been able to establish the characteristics of ancient Chinese civilization. The three-generation chronology, which is the most important for prosperity, has not officially announced the chronological reference system before the first year of the Western Zhou Dynasty (841 BC).

After Sima Qian, the first three chapters of the "Historical Records" written by this great father of history, namely "Five Emperors", "Xia Benji" and "Yin Benji", as well as other "Books", "Rituals", etc. " and other ancient literature records, or believe, or doubt, or explain, or completely deny, this kind of divergent debate has not stopped until the modern times more than two thousand years after Sima Qian.For example, Guo Moruo, a great modern historian, asserted in 1929: "Shangshu" began with Tang Yu, and "Historical Records" began with Huangdi, but these are unreliable, and the Shang Dynasty is the real beginning of Chinese history.In the "General History of China" edited by Fan Wenlan, another historian of the same era as Guo Moruo, he regarded the Five Emperors and the Xia Dynasty as legends, and used them after the Xia Dynasty and the Shang Dynasty?Expressed doubts, all remains of the Xia Dynasty were regarded as hypotheses.

Perhaps, it is the confusion and chaos of the Chinese academic circles that led to the emergence of the Japanese theory of obliteration of Yao, Shun and Yu, and the western theory of Chinese culture that Westerners think.As early as the 1930s, the Swedish archaeologist Andersen (Note 4) advocated that Chinese painted pottery production technology was first matured in the West before being introduced to China."World History" edited by Starr and others at the University of Illinois in the United States and published in 1964 claimed that the origin of ancient Chinese civilization was later than that of Mesopotamia, and it developed under the influence of the latter.Chinese bronzes appeared around 1500 BC, and ironmaking technology was introduced from the West after 1000 BC.Ancient Chinese civilization developed rapidly after the Shang Dynasty. The Shang Dynasty was from 1523 to 1027 BC. The cultural relics unearthed in Anyang area are the only physical evidence.

(Note 4) Johann Gunnar Andersson: 1874-1960, Swedish geologist and archaeologist.In 1914, he went to China as a mining consultant and did archaeological exploration work.In 1921, exquisite painted pottery was discovered in Yangshao Village, Henan Province, which provided the first evidence for Chinese Neolithic culture.At the same time, many similar ruins were found in the Yellow River Basin, and compared with the cultures of Southwest Asia, the time was determined to be from 3000 BC to 1500 BC.Based on the quartz fragments he saw in Zhoukoudian, he predicted that human fossils would be found.Six years later, as expected, fossils of Chinese ape-man (Peking Man) were found there. In "History of the World" published in 1993, Roberts, an Englishman who held the same view as Starr and others, stated that China's Shang Dynasty ruled about 40,000 people in Henan around 1700 BC. square miles (104,000 square kilometers), smaller than the size of Britain today.The Shang Dynasty is the only civilization east of the ancient civilization of Mesopotamia for which there is evidence. It was probably destroyed by the Zhou Dynasty in 1027 BC.Roberts also said: It is unanimously recognized that the history of Chinese civilization begins with Shang, which is the basis for long-term research on Chinese history.Because China only records the years after the eighth century BC, and there is no earlier chronology like that of Egypt. Regarding these views of foreigners, all the descendants of Chinese people who know their motherland is a country with an ancient civilization of 5,000 years cannot agree.As early as the mid-1950s, the Chinese historian Yin Da refuted Andersen’s advocacy of Chinese culture; Li Ji, another master of archaeology, severely criticized the ethnicity and ethnicity of Westerners. Value prejudice, he said in his speech: For example, when it comes to the (Chinese) age, when Westerners choose two possible ages, they always prefer the later one.For example, when King Wu defeated Zhou, the archaeologist Dong Zuobin set it at 1111 BC, while Westerners (and a few Chinese) must set it at 1027 BC, obliterating the earlier BC One eleven one year.The same is true for the age of Pekingese in Zhoukoudian, so that they can arrange it freely when discussing culture, race and direction of activities.On the issue of the bronze knives unearthed in Anyang, some American sinologists believe that the Chinese copper knives are related to the northern ones, and in terms of age, the Chinese ones are later than the Siberian ones.I believe this is the main basis for them to set the date of King Wu's defeat of Zhou at 1027 BC.Pull China down by decades, and bring Siberia back by decades, so it can be proved that Chinese culture comes from them. While exposing and criticizing the racial and value prejudices of some Westerners, Li Ji also put forward thought-provoking insights into the history of ancient Chinese civilization. The Importance of a New First Chapter of Reliable History" mentioned: Since the early 1920s, that is, the short period known as the Chinese Renaissance, a very important group of people in the intellectual circles claimed to be the Scholar of Antiquity.These agnostics doubt the entire ancient Chinese tradition, claiming that the so-called Yin Dynasty, whatever it entails, is still in the Stone Age.Most of these anti-ancient sects were trained under the famous Zhang Binglin, but they rebelled against their teachers in the wave of the Renaissance, but they did not make many positive contributions.However, this period of ideological confusion was not without any social value, at least it gave birth to scientific archaeology in China.Although scientific archeology later proved that Zhang Binglin and his rebel students were wrong on this issue of ancient China.With the disclosure of Anyang's discovery, those who doubted the ancients stopped uttering some of the most violent nonsense.In fact, almost all the names of the emperors recorded in the "Yin Benji" in Sima Qian's "Historical Records" can be found in the newly discovered archaeological specimens and inscriptions, thus reaffirming the records Sima Qian wrote in "Historical Records" more than 2,000 years ago. authenticity of the original material. Of course, those who have full confidence in the reliability of ancient historical materials did not start with the discovery of the oracle bone inscriptions in Anyang. In fact, there have been many people since Sima Qian.Zhang Shoujie, a famous scholar of the Tang Dynasty, in his "Historical Records of Justice", believed that the Chinese civilization began clearly from the Yellow Emperor, and calculated that the four years from the Yellow Emperor to the Western Han Dynasty were 2,413 years, which is the first year of the Yellow Emperor. 2510 BC.This thesis of Zhang Shoujie has been recognized by many politicians and historians for more than a thousand years after the Tang Dynasty, but different revisions have been made in the chronological coordinates.For example, Sun Yat-sen established the Tongmenghui in 1905. In order to draw a clear line with the Qing Dynasty, the "Minbao" founded in Tokyo, Japan, switched to the chronology starting from the Yellow Emperor. According to the calculations of Tokyo historians, the era of the Yellow Emperor began in the Western Yuan In 2698 BC, based on this deduction, the 31st year of Guangxu in the Qing Dynasty (1905) was set as the 4603rd year of the founding of China, and the first ancestor of the Chinese nation, the first in the world, was printed on the front page. A portrait of the great nationalist Yellow Emperor.After the success of the 1911 Revolution in 1911, Sun Yat-sen was elected as the provisional president, and it was officially decided that the Republic of China would switch to the Yellow Emperor calendar calculated by the "Minbao", and the first year of the Republic of China was set as the Yellow Emperor 4609.After the telegram was sent out, due to Sun Yat-sen's prestige, this chronological method was accepted by most revolutionaries, all provinces responded, and most newspapers switched to the new era. However, amidst the triumphant songs that have changed the world, there are also various voices. For example, according to the calculations of local historians, those in power in Jiangsu insisted that 1911 should be the year 4402 of the Yellow Emperor, the first year of the Republic of China. Because of this number, the newspapers in Jiangsu used their own calculated date, which was 207 years later than the legal date.In addition, a historian named Huang Zao edited a book called "The Soul of the Yellow Emperor". The era of the Yellow Emperor calculated by historians sets the first year of the Republic of China as the year 4622 of the Yellow Emperor, which is 13 years earlier than the statutory one.It can be seen from this that, although historians from all over the world have full confidence in the historical data on the exact date of the Yellow Emperor, they still have different opinions and it is difficult to reach a consensus. Perhaps it is for this reason that the Yellow Emperor Era was finally declared aborted. Go out of the study to find a bosom friend With this thought in mind, Song Jian always tried his best to find some books and materials related to the study of ancient civilizations to study in his spare time, except for his busy daily affairs and some inescapable entertainments, for more than ten days in a row. Knowing that China is different from foreign countries after all, how feasible is it to turn the thoughts in my heart into a practical plan or implementation plan?How much manpower and material resources are needed?What is the final outcome?These may not be what he can grasp at present.Because he's not a social scientist after all. But at this time, Song Jian was no longer satisfied with sitting alone under the lamp and looking through history books and materials. He wanted to get out of the study, jump out of the circle he was familiar with, and integrate into scholars of social science and natural science. At the same time, see if you can turn the lingering thoughts into practical plans. A few days later, through historian Zhu Xuewen, Song Jian successively found five first-class scholars including historian Li Xueqin, archaeologists Yan Wenming, Yu Weichao, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and astronomer Xi Zezong, and carbon 14 dating technologist Qiu Shihua.On the morning of September 29, 1995, five academic giants came to the small conference room of the State Council in Zhongnanhai. Song Jian hosted a symposium to discuss whether it is possible to construct a chronology of ancient Chinese civilizations. According to the opinions of the five scholars, as far as the study of ancient Chinese civilization is concerned, the problem of chronology is the most difficult problem in the pre-Qin history, but it is undoubtedly a problem that needs to be solved urgently.The study of ancient history is inseparable from the chronological coordinates. If there is no such coordinates or the coordinates are inaccurate, many issues will always be in chaos and debate.When Sima Qian was writing "Historical Records", he compiled the "Chronology of the Twelve Princes" and pushed the chronology up to the first year of the Western Zhou Dynasty. However, for the previous Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties, he believed that it was not easy to choose because of different records, so he had to give up. , so although "Historical Records" has "Three Generations of Generations", it does not have a clear date.Since Sima Qian, scholars of successive dynasties, such as Liu Xin in the late Western Han Dynasty, Qiao Zhou in the Three Kingdoms period, and Huangfu Mi in the Jin Dynasty, have been making continuous efforts to try to estimate the date before the first year of the Republic of China (841 BC).For example, Liu Xin stated in his famous book "Shi Jing" that the year of Xia Dynasty was 432 years, 629 years of Shang Dynasty, and 867 years of Zhou Dynasty. In 751, the year when King Wu defeated Zhou was equivalent to 1122 BC and so on.Since Liu Xin and his father Liu Xiang served as school secretaries in the Western Han Dynasty and made contributions in both academic and cultural aspects, many scholars believe that his inference is more credible, but some scholars such as Chen Zhong believe that it is not true. letter.Regarding whether Liu Xinzhi's theory is right or wrong, there has been no definite conclusion in the two thousand years of debate in the academic circle. Since the late nineteenth century, due to the discovery of Shang and Zhou bronze inscriptions and oracle bone inscriptions, there has been new basis and hope for restoring the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties.Since then, Chinese and foreign scholars have used this information to study the Xia, Shang and Zhou chronology, and have obtained many important results.Since the 1920s, with the rise and development of modern archaeology in China, scholars have found a way to study ancient civilizations other than literature. Sites and relics discovered by scientific archaeology.It is precisely because of the cultural information provided by these ruins and relics that the Yangshao Culture (about 3000 BC), the Dawenkou Culture (about 2800-2400 BC), the Longshan Culture (approximately 2800-2000 BC) and Erlitou Xia Dynasty Culture and other archaeological cultures have been deciphered and understood more accurately, and provided a new perspective and a new perspective for the study of ancient Chinese civilization in chronology. evidence.Because of the rapid development of archeology since then, a large number of ruins and tombs of the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties have been discovered. With the deepening of research, the archaeological culture of this period has been more clearly understood. Since the end of the 1950s, radiocarbon fourteenth dating research began in mainland China, and scientific and technological archeology has gradually developed. technology has accumulated a wealth of experience.Since the 1980s, Peking University has built an advanced accelerator mass spectrometer (AMS). If it is further improved, it is expected to reach the international cutting-edge technology level. Therefore, it has become a high-precision age determination for specimens unearthed from ancient sites. possible.Due to the use of modern scientific and technological calculation methods, the study of ancient astronomical calendars has also made great progress. Any regular records of ancient astronomical phenomena can be calculated very quickly by computers.For example, Zhang Peiyu, an astronomer and chronologist at the Purple Mountain Observatory, has compiled the book "Astronomical Phenomena in 3,500 Calendar Days" through the results of computer calculations.This book records the calendar days and astronomical phenomena from 1500 BC to 2052 AD. It is not too difficult to calculate the calendar days and astronomical phenomena during five hundred years.Paleographology, which specializes in the study of oracle bones and bronze inscriptions, has made great progress and development in recent years, and new results have been published in the phased research and interpretation of oracle bones from Yin Ruins, Zhouyuan oracle bones, and Western Zhou inscriptions.If these results are combined with the study of astronomical calendars, the calendars of the late Shang Dynasty and the Western Zhou Dynasty can be constructed.If some typical oracle bone specimens are selected, through high-precision carbon fourteenth dating experiments, the data will correspond and be linked with the king years of the Shang and Zhou dynasties. This is a revolutionary breakthrough for the establishment of ancient chronology. In addition, the discovery of ancient ruins and the development of archaeology have enabled historians to make new assessments of the authenticity of some handed down documents in the study of philology, and these new assessments are different from any previous era, and they are The study of archaeology and astronomy and calendar provides more and more solid foundations. It is precisely because of the above conditions that it is possible to rebuild Chinese civilization.However, from a historical point of view, the history of civilization of more than 2,000 years, which still lacks chronology, roughly includes the era of the Five Emperors and the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties. The Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties were the foundations, and the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties were an important turning point for the formation of characteristics and prosperity of ancient Chinese civilization.Therefore, at the end of this symposium, the five scholars, according to the laws of academic research and realistic conditions, suggested that the Xia, Shang and Zhou chronology research should be carried out with the ultimate goal of exploring the origin of ancient Chinese civilization.If the shock of the Spring and Autumn Period produced "Zuo Zhuan", and the evolution of the Warring States, Qin and Han Dynasties created the "Historical Records", then in such a great period of national rejuvenation, the establishment of the Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties will fall in China across the century. On the shoulders of scientists, as long as scientists from all walks of life in natural sciences, humanities, and social sciences work together and cooperate closely, ancient Chinese civilization can certainly be rebuilt. After a morning's discussion, after everyone initially reached a consensus on related issues, Song Jian proposed that if this work is carried out, it should be named the Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties Project. After this symposium, Song Jian and Li Tieying, member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Mainland and State Councilor, co-chaired the meeting many times, solicited opinions from experts more extensively, contacted relevant ministries and committees, and jointly brewed the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties project plan to further clarify Research objectives. On December 21, 1995, Li Tieying and Song Jian presided over the meeting, at which it was decided: 1. The Xia-Shang-Zhou dating project is listed as a major national scientific research topic, and the research work should insist on focusing on myself, and adopt the methods of government support, expert research, and authoritative academic institutions publishing the results.The subject started in 1996 and was required to be completed before October 1, 1999 (the 50th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China), and the phased research results should be published. 2. Li Tieying and Song Jian served as special consultants for the project.In order to strengthen the unified leadership of the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties project and facilitate the coordination and cooperation of relevant disciplines, a project leading group was established to manage funds, approve work plans, listen to reports regularly, and report work deployment and other major issues to the State Council.The State Council listens to the report of the project leading group once a year. The members of the leading group are: Team leader: Deng Nan, Deputy Director of the State Science and Technology Commission. Deputy head: Chen Jiaer, deputy director of the National Natural Science Foundation of China. Wei Yu, Deputy Director of the State Education Commission. member: Lu Yongxiang, vice president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Teng Teng, vice president of the Academy of Social Sciences. Zhang Dele, director of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage (later changed to Zhang Wenbin, the new director). Liu Shu, Secretary of the Secretariat of the China Association for Science and Technology. Gan Shijun, director of the Social Development Science and Technology Department of the State Science and Technology Commission. 3. Appoint Li Xueqin and four others as the chief scientists of the Xia, Shang and Zhou dating projects, and the leading group will hire relevant scientists to set up a Xia, Shang and Zhou dating project expert group to be responsible for organizing scientific research.Li Xueqin was the leader of the expert team, and Qiu Shihua and others were the deputy team leaders.Its members and disciplines are composed of: Li Xueqin, chief scientist, leader of the expert group, director and researcher of the History Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Qiu Shihua, chief scientist, deputy leader of the expert group, and researcher at the Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Li Boqian, chief scientist, deputy leader of the expert group, dean and professor of the Institute of Archeology and Museum of Peking University. Xi Zezong, chief scientist, deputy leader of the expert group, researcher and academician of the Institute of History of Natural Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences. 4. In order to ensure that the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties project research work is completed on schedule, the National Science and Technology Commission, the National Natural Science Foundation, the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences jointly arranged a fund of 9 million yuan, and the Ministry of Finance started in 1996. By 1999, one million yuan was allocated for support each year. Song Jian also kept sending letters to his seniors and friends in the scientific circles he was familiar with outside Beijing to jointly discuss and demonstrate this project.When he learned that Zhou Gucheng, the former vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress and a giant of contemporary historians who was recovering from illness in Shanghai, was gradually recovering, he sent a letter of greetings and reported on the Xia, Shang and Zhou dating projects.The original text of the letter reads: Mr. Zhou Gu: Knowing that you have recovered greatly, the scientific community is very pleased. Therefore, with reverence and sincerity, I take the liberty of reporting recent events as follows. In order to promote the systematic study of ancient Chinese history and promote the combination of social science and natural science, the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties project is planned to be launched in the Ninth Five-Year Plan to push the ancient Chinese era to the early Xia, compared with the first year of the Republic of the Western Zhou Dynasty recorded by Sima Qian two thousand years ago ( 841 BC) was pushed back 1400 years to shorten the gap between ancient Chinese history and Egyptology and Assyria.The natural sciences, especially astronomy, radiophysics, etc. may step in and help on a large scale.The records of astronomical phenomena in ancient books and historic sites can become the starting point for a new round of research, and precisely determine the eras of the early Xia (five stars in conjunction with pearls) and the early Zhou (daily and once again).It is possible to accurately determine the age of Yinxu and Zhengzhou Shangcheng by carbon-14 dating.Physicists report that the accuracy can reach plus or minus twenty years.The completion of this project may make up for the gaps left in the study of ancient Chinese history, thereby reducing the scope of doubts about ancient times.Four chief scientists have been hired, and contemporary young leaders and talents have been invited to participate in the work.It is hoped that the Ninth Five-Year Plan will be completed and made public. Here is a copy of the "Meeting Minutes" for your reference.Admiring the pioneers and giants in the study of Chinese history and world history, I look forward to getting your advice. It's the severe winter, and I sincerely hope to take photos of national treasures.Respectfully wish to cross the three periods, prolong life and equal Peng, and create a new peak in the age of science. Tribute Da'an Song Jian January 20, 1996 After receiving the letter, Zhou Gucheng responded to the letter with great joy: Dear Chairman Song: It is no honor to inherit the teachings.I don't want to be presumptuous, but express my joy: 1. The Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties are important and great.In the past, no one dared to mention it. Today, Song Gong, the chairman of the committee, is far-sighted and far-sighted, and his words are far-sighted. When he ascends to the top, all the historians are happy.Gu Cheng firmly supports.2. It is admirable to extend the age of ancient history to the beginning of summer.In the past, if you talked about extending upward, you would definitely be hit, but now you can speak freely.3. All tasks are difficult, but natural scientists and social scientists work together to tackle key problems, and the government supports them. Within a few years, there will be great success. First of all, I wish you the best of luck. Zhou Gucheng Founded in Shanghai in February 1996 From the correspondence between the two, we can see that if Song Jian reveals his sincerity and sincerity in every line, then the ninety-nine-year-old historian Zhou Gucheng expresses his joy that this project can be implemented. .It can be said that he is full of confidence and hope for the prospect of this project.It is a pity that this famous historian passed away on November 10, 1996 in Shanghai, without seeing the results of the Xia, Shang and Zhou dating projects with his own eyes. In March 1996, Song Jian handed over the fifth revised draft of "Beyond Doubts and Out of Confusion" which he was revising, about the significance of starting the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties, to Kong Deyong, the Chinese representative to the United Nations, and transferred it to To Zhang Guangzhi, a famous professor of Chinese-American archaeology in the Department of Anthropology of Harvard University in the United States, for his opinions and suggestions on the manuscript and the Xia, Shang and Zhou dating projects.Zhang Guangzhi replied to Kong Deyong on April 4, saying that Song Jian's manuscript was the most courageous one I have seen in the field of humanities and social sciences in recent years.Regarding the method of the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties project, Zhang Guangzhi expressed his views bluntly: this topic cannot be done by one or two people, and only the power of the state can organize the financial and human resources capable of thoroughly studying the three generations. In order to solve some of the most confusing problems in ancient history research, and among these problems, the biggest and most critical key is the chronology proposed by Dr. Song.I am in favor of this proposition. On April 24, 1996, Zhang Guangzhi, who had just won the 1996 Asian Studies Outstanding Contribution Award (AAS Award), the highest award in international Asian studies, came to Beijing for an academic visit.On April 26th, at the invitation of Song Jian, Zhang Guangzhi met with Song Jian in Ziguangge, Zhongnanhai, accompanied by Li Xueqin, Xi Zezong, Zhang Changshou and other scholars from the Xia, Shang and Zhou dating engineering expert group, and emphasized the importance of the Xia, Shang and Zhou dating projects. How to implement several issues in-depth discussion.Zhang Guangzhi believes that the Chinese government will soon incorporate the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties into the most important scientific research project of the Ninth Five-Year Plan, which is of great significance.He also predicted that as long as the Chinese academic circles work together and find a suitable method to do it, there will be breakthrough contributions in the study of ancient history chronology. During the discussion, Zhang Guangzhi put forward his own views and suggestions on the issue of the first year of the three generations involved in the Xia, Shang and Zhou dating projects based on his research results on ancient Chinese archeology and ancient history.For example, regarding the boundary between the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, which is the most debated issue in the study of ancient history, the age of King Wu conquering the Shang, Zhang Guangzhi believes that this age is not only the beginning of the Zhou Dynasty, but also the basis for breaking the Xia and Shang dynasties, and it is the key to the project. .There have been dozens of different versions of this era since Liu Xin in the Han Dynasty, with a difference of more than a hundred years.These claims are mainly based on Liu Xin’s calculations on the calendar, the solar and lunar eclipses’ stems and branches recorded in oracle bone inscriptions and a few handed down documents, and the relationship between the records about Halley’s Comet and Sui Xing in ancient documents and the year of King Wu’s Conquerment of Shang, etc.The reason for the different claims is that these materials do not support each other by themselves, so there must be some wrong records in these materials.There are at least two possibilities for this kind of error: one is falsification for political purposes, and the other is corruption in the process of document dissemination.Conventionally, the unearthed oracle bone materials are generally correct, but later generations have different understandings and calculation methods of oracle bone records.With different understandings and different methods, the calculated results will also be different.The Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties project that is about to be fully launched should calculate these differences separately, and verify the calculated results with other related materials, find out the materials that are inconsistent with each other, try to find out the reasons for the differences, and gradually eliminate the wrong ones. material.This kind of research has the possibility to produce various data that are consistent with each other. Even if it cannot be produced, the chronology of ancient Chinese civilizations can reach a level that is clearer and more detailed than that of the Mesopotamia, Egypt, and India. From Zhang Guangzhi's talk, it can be seen that this famous Chinese-American scientist is full of confidence and hope for the prospect of the Xia, Shang and Zhou dating projects, just like his predecessor Zhou Gucheng in the historian circle. Break through the traditional walls After the establishment of the research project of the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties, according to the spirit of the State Council meeting in mainland China, four chief scientists including Li Xueqin, Qiu Shihua, Li Boqian, and Xi Zezong began to draft the feasibility report and fund use plan of the Xia, Shang and Zhou chronology research projects , and a list of recommended panel members. In the feasibility report drafted, the ultimate goal of the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties project is to calculate a scientifically based Xia, Shang and Zhou chronology.The specific goals are as follows: 1. The kings before the first year of the Western Zhou Dynasty (841 BC) put forward more accurate dates. 2. In the late Shang Dynasty, the kings below Wuding put forward more accurate dates. 3. In the early Shang Dynasty, a more detailed chronological framework was proposed. Fourth, the Xia Dynasty, put forward the basic chronological structure. The Xia, Shang and Zhou Dating Project is a systematic project jointly implemented by experts and scholars in the fields of history, archaeology, astronomy and dating technology.研究途徑主要有三： 一、對傳世文獻和甲骨文、金文等古文字材料進行搜集、整理、鑑定和研究，對相關的天文曆法紀錄，透過現代天文計算推定其年代。 二、對有典型意義的遺址、墓葬資料進行整理和分期研究，並作必要的發掘，取得系列樣品，進行常規和AMS（加速器質譜儀）的碳十四年代測定。 三、對各課題透過以上兩條以及其他途徑得出的結論進行綜合，進一步深化研究，得出盡可能合理的年代學年表。 有了以上三大途徑，接下來便是設置課題和專題。經過論證，夏商周斷代工程經論證當時共設九個課題，下分卅六個專題，如下表： 一、有關夏商周年代、天象及都城文獻的整理及可信性研究。負責人：楊升南 （一）夏商周年代天象文獻資料庫。主要研究人：員羅琨 （二）文獻中夏商西周編年的研究。主要研究人：朱鳳瀚 （三）有關夏商西周年代、天象的重要文獻的可信性研究。主要研究人：廖名春 （四）夏及商前期都城文獻資料的蒐集與整理。主要研究人：辛德勇 二、夏商周年天文年代學綜合性問題研究。負責人：陳久金。 （五）夏商周天文獻資料庫、計算中心和聯網設備的建立。主要研究人：孫小淳 （六）夏商周三代更迭與五星聚合研究。主要研究人：徐振韜 （七）夏商周三代大火（心宿二）星象和年代研究。主要研究人：江曉原 （八）夏商周時期國外星象紀錄研究。主要研究人：孫小淳 三、夏代年代學的研究。負責人：鄒衡 （九）早期夏文化研究。主要研究人：方燕明 （十）二里頭文化分歧與夏商文化分界。主要研究人：鄭光 （十一）《尚書》仲康日蝕研究。主要研究人：吳守賢 （十二）《夏小正》星象和年代。主要研究人：薄樹人、胡鐵珠 四、商前期年代學的研究。負責人：安金槐 （十三）鄭州商城的分期與年代測定。主要研究人：楊育彬 （十四）小雙橋遺址的分期與年代測定。主要研究人：宋國定 （十五）偃師商城的分期與年代測定。主要研究人：杜金鵬 五、商後期年代學的研究。負責人：殷瑋璋 （十六）殷墟文化分期與年代測定。主要研究人：楊錫璋 （十七）殷墟甲骨分期與年代測定。主要研究人：劉一曼 （十八）殷墟甲骨和商代金文年祀的研究。主要研究人：常玉芝 （十九）甲骨文天象紀錄和商代曆法。主要研究人：張培瑜 六、武王伐紂年代的研究。負責人：張培瑜、俞偉超 （二十）武王伐紂時天象的研究。主要研究人：江曉原 （廿一）先周文化的研究與年代測定。主要研究人：王占奎 （廿二）周原甲骨的整理及年代測定。主要研究人：曹瑋 （廿三）豐、鎬遺址分期與年代測定。主要研究人：徐良高 七、西周列王的年代的研究。負責人：張長壽 （廿四）琉璃河西周燕都遺址分期與年代測定。主要研究人：趙福生 （廿五）天馬一曲村遺址分期與年代測定。主要研究人：劉緒 （廿六）晉侯墓地分期與年代測定。主要研究人：李伯謙 （廿七）西周青銅器分期研究。主要研究人：王世民 （廿八）晉侯蘇鐘專題研究。主要研究人：馬承源 （廿九）西周金文曆譜的再研究。主要研究人：陳久金 （卅）懿王元年天再旦于鄭考。主要研究人：劉次沅 （卅一）西周曆法與春秋曆法附論東周年表問題。主要研究人：陳美東 八、碳十四測年技術的改進與研究。負責人：仇士華 （卅二）常規法技術改造與測試研究。主要研究人：仇士華、陳鐵梅 （卅三）骨質樣品的製備研究。主要研究人：原思訓 （卅四）加速器質譜儀法技術改造與測試研究。主要研究人：郭之虞 九、夏商周年代研究的綜合和總結。主要研究人：李學勤 （卅五）夏商周年代研究的綜合和總結。主要研究人：李學勤 （卅六）世界諸古代文明年代學研究的歷史與現況。主要研究人：林志純 在夏商周斷代工程實施過程中，根據研究需要和新的考古發現，又增設了以下八個專題： （一）金文紀時詞語（月相）研究； （二）甲骨文賓組、曆組日月蝕卜辭分期斷代研究； （三）商州東龍山文化分期與年代測定； （四）邢臺東先賢文化分期與年代測定； （五）禹伐三苗綜合研究； （六）新砦遺址的分期與研究； （七）周原西周文化分期與研究； （八）洹北商城的遙感與物探。 為便於組織研究，工程領導小組聘請李學勤、仇士華、李伯謙、席澤宗等四位著名學者為首席科學家，隨後由領導小組又聘任了相關學科的廿一名專家組成專家組，專家組再聘任不同學科的專家進行聯合研究。直接參與工程的來自社會科學和自然科學領域內共九大學科內的優秀學者達二百多人，主要來自中國科學院自然科學史研究所、生物物理研究所、上海天文臺、紫金山天文臺、陝西天文臺、中國社會科學院歷史研究所、考古研究所、北京市社會科學院歷史研究所、河南省社會科學院考古研究所、中國歷史博物館、故宮博物館、上海博物館、北京市文物研究所、河北省文物考古研究所、山西省考古研究所、河南省文物考古研究所、鄭州市文物考古研究所、陝西省考古研究所、北京大學、清華大學、北京師範大學、首都師範大學、南開大學、吉林大學、東北師範大學、哈爾濱師範大學、上海交通大學、南京大學、南京師範大學、煙臺大學、四川大學、西北大學等單位。 工程專家組主要人員除李學勤、仇士華、李伯謙、席澤宗等四人外，分別是： 馬承源，上海博物館研究員。 馬福臣，國家自然科學基金會地球科學部副主任、研究員。 朱鳳瀚，中國歷史博物館副館長、教授。 安金槐，河南省文物研究所名譽所長、研究員。 嚴文明，北京大學考古文博院教授。 鄒衡，北京大學考古文博院教授。 辛德勇，中國社會科學院歷史所副所長、研究員。 張長壽，中國社會科學院考古所研究員。 張培瑜，中國科學院紫金山天文臺研究員。 陳久金，中國科學院自然科學史所研究員。 陳鐵梅，北京大學考古文博院教授。 俞偉超，中國歷史博物館研究員、中國考古學會常務理事。 原思訓，北京大學考古文博院教授。 殷瑋璋，中國社會科學院考古研究所研究員。 郭之虞，北京大學重離子物理研究所副所長、教授。 彭林，清華大學思想文化研究所教授。 裘錫圭，北京大學中文系教授。 至於工程課題、專題部分主要成員的資歷如下： 楊升南，中國社會科學院歷史所研究員。 羅琨，中國社會科學院歷史所研究員。 廖名春，清華大學思想文化研究所副教授。 鄭傑祥，河南省社科院考古研究所研究員。 徐振韜，中科院紫金山天文臺研究員。 江曉原，上海交通大學科學史系主任、教授。 胡鐵珠，中科院自然科學史所副研究員。 吳守賢，中科院陝西天文臺研究員。 方燕明，河南省文物考古研究所副研究員。 鄭光，中國社科院考古研究所研究員。 楊育彬，河南省文物考古研究所研究員。 杜金鵬，中國社科院考古研究所研究員。 宋國定，河南省文物考古研究所副研究員。 楊錫璋，中國社科院考古研究所研究員。 劉一曼，中國社科院考古研究所研究員。 常玉芝，中國社科院歷史研究所研究員。 王占奎，陝西省考古研究所副所長、副研究員。 曹瑋，陝西省考古研究所副所長、副研究員。 徐良高，中國社科院考古研究所副研究員。 劉緒，北京大學考古文博院教授。 趙福生，北京市文物研究所副研究員。 王世民，中國社科院考古研究所研究員。 劉次沅，中科院陝西天文臺研究員。 陳美東，中科院自然科學史研究所研究員。 彭裕商，四川大學歷史系教授。 林志純，東北師範大學教授。 吳振武，吉林大學研究生院副院長、教授。 劉雨，故宮博物院古器物部主任、研究員。 羅新，山西省考古研究所副所長、副研究員。 黃天樹，北京首都師大中文系教授。 李朝遠，上海博物館副館長、研究員。 蔣漢英，中科院生物物理所研究員。 劉健，中國社科院世界歷史所博士。 為了協助專家組進行項目的總體設計和實施中的組織協調，經夏商周斷代工程領導小組批准，設立專案辦公室，並聘歷史學家朱學文為主任、周年昌為祕書長、王肅端為副主任負責日常事務及有關工作。 一九九五年五月十五日，在經過數次修訂後，《夏商周斷代工程可行性論證報告》經過大陸十九位專家學者評審之後，通過施行。 一九九六年五月十六日，李鐵映、宋健在中南海主持會議，參加這次會議的有夏商周斷代程領導小組、專家組專案辦公室以及有關單位及專家學者近五十人。會上，李鐵映、宋健聽取了夏商周斷代工程領導小組組長鄧楠、專家組組長李學勤等有關人員的彙報，並頒發聘書給參加工程的廿一位專家組成員。宋健在題為《超越疑古，走出迷茫》的發言提綱中指出：中國的史學界有一個重要的任務，就是提高自己的勇氣與信心，要充分發揚中華民族的創造精神與創新精神。中國的歷史科學要想在世界上獲得其應有的地位，中國的歷史學家首先要站起來，要敢做大題目，使歷史科學成為中華民族的支柱性科學，而夏商周斷代工程可能正是一種綱領性的工作。廿世紀即將結束，我們不能把古史上的迷茫就這樣傳給下一代。自晚清封建帝制崩潰直至進入廿一世紀的一百多年來，經過數代人的努力，特別是建國後四十多年卓有成效的工作，中國的古代史研究已取得極其豐富的成就，處世紀之交的九五期間，應該做一個總結，對三代紀年這個關鍵問題歸納出一個輪廓。 對於工程的具體實施，宋健還向與會者提出四點建議： 一、要突出重點，有所為，有所不為，集中精力於關鍵問題。應集中精力於總結近幾十年考古發掘、甲骨金文、竹書等新的考古和歷史科學研究成就。必要時，可部署新的發掘，對重點遺跡文物，集中力量進行研究。 二、提倡社會科學與自然科學相結合。毫無疑問，完成此工程主要靠歷史和考古學家，自然科學有關專業應參與協同。可綜合調度使用我國已建成的物理、化學、地學、天文學等現代設施。除確係必要的以外，能不新建的不必新建。計畫定得太大，會影響預定目標的實現。 三、實施斷代工程，宜集中注意力於任務目標，不再引發大的辯論。 四、堅持重大科學問上的民主集中制原則。我贊成成立三個工作組，分別研究夏、商、周三代。工程後期每一工作組都應提出一份研究報告。再由專家組在首席科學家的主持下，提出綜合報告。應盡量達成一致意見。如有異議，允許保留，不必強求一致，以多數通過為準。最後提交全國性學術團體討論，多數通過後發布，報國家備案。這大致是地質學斷代標準檔的起草、討論和通過發布的程式。地質學界的做法行之有效，很值得參考。 對於以上四點建議，宋健強調，不能設想這會是最後的真理。它只能是對中國古代史最新研究的一個總結。經多數科學家通過並發布後，即可為今後的國內外的歷史研究、教學和社會各方面提供一個到目前為止比較可靠的、可使用的系統紀年。如果以後有新的發現、新的證據或新的研究結果，隨時可以透過類似方式予以修改，向全社會公布新表。 繼宋健之後，李鐵映在發言中強調：提高中華民族的凝聚力與自信心，是這一項目的意義之一。從各種條件來看，現在我們有大量的考古發掘，有現代的科學技術，又有國外的研究可以借鏡，我們的條件不比德國人研究埃及史的條件更差，我們完全有能力、有信心完成這一課題。創新是一個民族的靈魂，是一個民族前進的動力，創新本身也是一種科學的態度。夏商周斷代問題，兩千多年來沒有得到解決，說明它有難度，所以，無論在理論上還是在方法上，都要去掉一切迷信，一切因循守舊，在工程開始之時，就要有一種大無畏的科學精神，開拓這一研究的新局面。 五月十六日的會議，象徵著夏商周斷代工程全面啟動。中華古文明也將以此為起點，在時代激流的撞擊與震盪中一步步揭露它的真面目。