5000 Years of Chinese History: Myth or Reality?

5000 Years of Chinese History: Myth or Reality?
Sep 13, 2010 By Susie Gordon , eChinacities.com

One of the most frequently quoted (and often derided) tenet about China revolves around its claims to five millennia of history. Even the China National Tourist Office prefaces its operations by claiming that “China, with a recorded history of 5000 years, was one of the world’s earliest civilizations… [and] one of the countries where economic activity first developed”. But is this actually true? Or are the historical boasts exaggerated and couched in cultural insecurity?

A recent poll on ChinaHistoryForum.com asked members to postulate when Chinese history began. Of 91 votes cast, 52.75% believed that China can date its history back to the reign of the Yellow Emperor around 3000 BC. The date 4075 BC – the start of the mostly undocumented Xia Dynasty – appealed to 13.19% of voters, while 2.2% thought that the year 2026 BC seemed more likely as the era of Qin unification. What emerges from the poll is that opinions are most certainly divided, and it is nigh on impossible to set a date in stone for the dawning of Chinese history.

The earliest records date from jiaguwen (oracle bones) from the reign of Pan Geng during the Shang Dynasty; there is no written evidence for the existence of Huang Di and later emperors Zhuan Xu, Di Ku, Yao and Shu. The Xia Dynasty itself is veiled in mystery, and its emperors are legendary figures. So with inadequate written proof, perhaps architectural relics can shed light on the issue. The earliest evidence of advanced civilization was found in Erlitou in Henan Province, where artifacts from an Early Bronze Age urban society were discovered. The site dates from 2000 BC. However, skeptics are loath to call this the beginning of Chinese history, because China was not a unified nation at that stage.

If we compare ancient China to other early civilizations, it is no match where chronology is concerned. The city states of the Near East are much older. The Sumer culture of Mesopotamia (modern Iraq) is nicknamed the “cradle of civilization”, and developed agriculture, advanced architecture, art and writing well before China did.

Many defendants of China’s longevity claim that it has the longest continuous history, since other civilizations like the Ancient Egyptians, Romans and Sumerians were wiped out. The opposing view holds that it is impossible to separate ancient Sumeria from modern Iraq, as the old has an undeniable influence on the modern country. In any case, some claim, Chinese history is not one long, uninterrupted line. The gaping lacuna of the Cultural Revolution is impossible to ignore. Scholars estimate that the vast majority of China’s cultural artifacts, old books, and antiques were destroyed in the decade-long purge of anything leaning towards the liberal bourgeoisie. When a nation is stripped of its cultural heritage, perhaps it is no wonder that its people look into the distant past to regroup and re-root.

What surprises and angers many critics who are faced with the ‘5000 years’ claim is the fact that China seems so hell-bent on destroying what is left of its ancient relics. One need only consider the wholesale destruction of Beijing’s hutong and Shanghai’s shikumen to see how rampant modernization stops at nothing. Many skeptics are irritated by dogged insistence on China’s long and illustrious history, which is not seen in other “old” countries like India.

So why does China cling so stubbornly to its historical lineage? The ‘5000 years’ timescale was apparently promulgated at the start of the PRC to whip up patriotism. Compare this to Korea’s jingoistic blusterings about their own 8000 years of history, and a certain cultural rivalry becomes apparent.

Perhaps it is also the fetishization of Chinese culture by the West (‘Orientalism’ and ‘chinoiserie’) that allows and encourages the claims. “Foreigners see China as mysterious and exotic,” says Lisong, a 28-year-old marketing director from Fujian. “Personally, I’m not sure why 5000 years of history is such a big deal, but it seems to be part of the Chinese identity.” Perhaps it is simply explained by China’s ancestor worship. Although eradicated by the PRC, this veneration of elders has never gone away; looking to the past has always been an important part of life for Chinese people.

The effects of the Cultural Revolution still weigh heavily. It is difficult to imagine a nation’s history and culture being wiped out so thoroughly, but the longstanding hangover of 1966 - 1976 is probably what is to blame for the 5000 years claim. That, and a generous dose of national pride bolstered by China’s economic boom.

Since it is impossible to date the dawn of China’s history exactly, we are able only to speculate. This, in itself, is a source of lively debate.
 

Related links
The Godfathers: Inside Old Shanghai's Underworld
Instant Expert: A Quick Guide to China’s Dynasties
The Fabric of History – A Century of Chinese Flags and the Stories Behind Them (Part 2)

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Keywords: history of Chinese civilization Chinese history myth or reality China 5000 year history

4 Comments

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cy185

Non sense?? There are artifacts, pottery, writings , paintings that prove China civilization could date back at least 8000 years ago and as far back as 10,000 years . No one is stretching history, there are physical proof. For some reasons, you people are jealous of China , painting them as liars.

Some white historian decided that we have only 5000 years of history because that was when we had our first tribal leader. A culture starts when there is writings , pottery , and other artifacts.

...if anyone care to read the latest research paper, the first human was from central China, not Africa.

Sep 19, 2012 12:12 Report Abuse

jixiang

I just want to say that I think there is some logic to saying that China is the longest continuous civilization. The idea of China as a country with a distinct identity has been around for millenniums. Mesopotamia may have had civilization first, but the country called Iraq is a recent invention. There was no such thing as "Iraqi identity" at the time. And modern Egypt also just has no relation to ancient Egypt.

Oct 19, 2011 17:44 Report Abuse

Traveller

Australian Aboriginals were reported by Australian Geographic (Sep 2011) to be the oldest existing continuing culture on Earth. It is estimated to be older than 40,000 years, which makes China's claimed 5,000 years seem relatively short by comparison. Some related tribes in Africa may also be older still.

Sep 25, 2011 08:33 Report Abuse

xing

Non sense?? There are artifacts, pottery, writings , paintings that prove China civilization could date back at least 8000 years ago and as far back as 10,000 years . no one is stretching history, there are physical proof. For some reasons, you people are jealous of China , painting them as liars.

Some white historian decided that we have only 5000 years of history because that was when we had our first tribal leader. A culture starts when there is writings , pottery , and other artifacts.

Sep 19, 2012 12:10 Report Abuse