Dual-river findings shift civilization theory

Archaeologists working at uncovered ruins of ancient city get fuller understanding of intricate society, Deng Zhangyu reports.

A major flood that hit Wuhan in Central China's Hubei province in 1954 caused death and destruction. But one consequence of the disaster was the discovery of the long-buried secrets of Panlongcheng, an ancient city that had lain dormant for over three millennia.

Over the subsequent 70 years, archaeologists peeled back the layers of time to reveal the intricate details of this once-thriving metropolis. Panlongcheng, a vital nexus between the Yellow River and Yangtze River civilizations, slowly emerged from obscurity.

In the 1970s, two important archaeological projects at the Panlongcheng site uncovered ancient palaces, city walls and the tombs of nobility. A large number of exquisite bronzeware, pottery and jade artifacts were unearthed, which bore a striking resemblance to items discovered in the capital of the Shang Dynasty (c.16th century-11th century BC) in the Yellow River basin. This shifted the focus of archaeologists to the Yangtze River basin.

"Previously, many experts believed that the Yellow River basin was the cradle of Chinese civilization," says Zhang Changping, a professor at Wuhan University's School of History. "The discovery of the Panlongcheng site has greatly advanced the social recognition of both the Yangtze and Yellow River basins as cradles of Chinese civilization."

In archaeological circles, ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, ancient India and ancient China are generally categorized geographically as "Great River Civilizations", corresponding to the Nile, the Tigris and Euphrates, the Indus, and the Yellow and Yangtze rivers, respectively.

"The Yellow and Yangtze rivers are completely geographically independent yet parallel, making Chinese civilization, formed by these two river basins, the rare dual-river civilization among the world's great river civilizations," says Zhang.

Zhang is also a veteran archaeologist who has been deeply involved in archaeological work at the Panlongcheng site since 2013. His connection to the site dates back even further: In 1984, while still a student of archaeology at Peking University, Zhang made a trip to Panlongcheng.

"For me, visiting the Panlongcheng site back then was like a pilgrimage in the field of archaeology. It is incredibly significant, as it can be said to have brought Bronze Age civilization to the Yangtze River basin," the 62-year-old reflects.

In 2001, this ancient city site, which was the earliest to culturally link the Yangtze and the Yellow River basins, was named one of the "100 Major Archaeological Discoveries in China in the 20th Century".

In April, the National Cultural Heritage Administration listed the Panlongcheng site as one of China's top 10 archaeological discoveries for 2024, saying that it's an important stronghold for the rulers of the Shang Dynasty, based in the Yellow River basin, to exert control over the Yangtze River basin.

At the announcement in Beijing, Huo Wei, a professor from Sichuan University, said that in the past decade, archaeological finds have shown that by the late Xia Dynasty (c.21st century-16th century BC), the regime at the Central Plains had already extended its influence to the Yangtze River area.