If China's 5,000-year-old civilization is regarded as a long relay race, it is undoubtedly the Yellow Emperor who took the lead in running the first leg.
Starting point, across time and space, misty and rainy, fuzzy appearance.
As evidenced by the earth, when Emperor Huang stepped onto the historical stage five thousand years ago, his posture was vigorous and his steps were firm.
This is the statue of the Yellow Emperor in Wuliang Temple in Shandong Province in the Eastern Han Dynasty, and it is the earliest statue of the Yellow Emperor discovered so far. He wore the crown of the son of heaven and a belt of praise. His right hand was raised to his waist, his left hand was raised, his feet were forward and he looked back sideways. Have a handsome face and a strong physique.
The image of the Yellow Emperor is dynamic and full of vitality, which is obviously different from other emperors.
I can't imagine the identity and position of the portrait author, and I don't know what kind of creative intention the author is, but the author must know that the Yellow Emperor opened an era and opened a civilization.
What the portrait conveys to people is a kind of guidance and a kind of call.
Before the Yellow Emperor, the ancestors who lived in this land, after a long period of primitive accumulation, formed large and small tribes scattered in this land.
Low productivity and inefficient agricultural cultivation; Fishing, hunting and nomadic life are full of dangers; More dangerous is the fighting and killing between tribes.
The tribe where the Yellow Emperor was born is called Xiongshi. There is a Hercules named Shaodian who hunts in the forest. He met a big bear and asked him for help. Shaodian pulled a strong bow and shot the monster that preyed on the bear. The giant bear immediately crawled at the foot of Shaodian and guarded Shaodian clan from now on. Later, other clans called Shaodian clan bear. There is the title of bear, which outlines the vigorous figure of ancestors hunting in the dense forest for future generations.
Huangdi was clever and ambitious since he was a child. He witnessed the people around him being killed by wild animals in a hunting; Seeing that the tribe was trapped by food and clothing and died of poverty and illness; He also saw tribes fighting for territory, means of subsistence and women, and fighting for generations.
The Yellow Emperor has a simple wish to let his people live a good life.
The Yellow Emperor ascended the throne of the tribe at the age of twenty.
(2) Take on heavy responsibilities
In the era when the Yellow Emperor lived, the climate was very different from now.
Nowadays, environmental archaeology explores the secrets of prehistoric environment through plant spores and pollen buried deep underground.
About 1 1000 years ago, the earth's climate entered a warm period, and the Central Plains and North China were covered with dense forests and grasslands, forming beautiful subtropical scenery. Abundant rainfall and peaceful sunshine provided convenient conditions for the survival of primitive people.
The global climate has a hot and cold cycle. Every time the temperature drops by one degree, the subtropical vegetation in the northern and southern hemispheres will shrink back to the equator by about 300 kilometers. From about 5000 years ago, the global temperature began to drop, and by about 3000 years ago, the subtropical vegetation shrank by 600 kilometers. The Yellow River basin has become cold and dry, forming a temperate continental climate, and its phenological appearance is similar to ours today.
When the global climate gets cold, another disaster will follow. The rain is obviously less than in the past, and the grain production has been greatly reduced. If there is a drought, the situation will be even worse. Insect disasters followed the drought, madly sweeping through people's little harvest in the past.
In the face of natural disasters, human beings seem small and helpless. Hunger claimed many lives. In the crisis, the law of the jungle, looting and killing followed.
Emperor Yan was the most powerful tribe at that time, but he was always overbearing and unable to bear the heavy responsibility of resisting disasters. Yan Di tribe took the lead in attacking. He attacked two tribes, Alex and Flint. According to the naming habits of the ancients, Akers is probably a tribe that is good at building stone axes. Xiang, that is, incense wood is fire, is a tribe that is good at taking fire and using it. Shennong chopping axe is the first war record in China history books.
The evaluation of the initiator by later generations is not too high. In Epilogue III of the History of Song Dynasty, it is said that the reason why Emperor Yan crusaded against axe tribes was only because they were unwilling to provide things for themselves.
Sima Qian's evaluation of Emperor Yan was more direct, saying that Emperor Yan "wanted to invade the princes".
In the year of catastrophe, Emperor Yan threatened to pay tribute by force, which caused panic among other tribes.
Great men are born in troubled times.
After the Yellow Emperor became a tribal leader, his management and leadership skills were quickly demonstrated, showing extraordinary political wisdom. He complied with the weather, appeased the people in distress, planted grains and shared the famine. Huangdi tribe shows a scene of peaceful farming life, such as sunrise in the east, which is full of vitality.
Emperor Yan robbed the emperor, and many tribes came to the Yellow Emperor for fear of being punished, further intensifying the contradiction between Yan and Huang.
Between the old and new overlords, one is making progress every day, the other is bullying, and a duel is about to be staged.
(3) Emperor Yan conquered Chiyou and unified China.
Between war and peace, the Yellow Emperor seems to have no choice. The Yellow Emperor had to purge armaments to quell chaos, and the Yanhuang War finally broke out in Hanquan.
Perhaps it doesn't matter where Han Quan is, it is a deep imprint of history.
Yanhuang fought three wars in Hanquan, which ended in the victory of the Yellow Emperor.
From then on, the Yellow Emperor's war against Chiyou was equally thrilling.
The productivity level of Chiyou tribe is higher than that of Yanhuang tribe. According to Yulan and Zuopian of Shiben, Chiyou "used gold as a weapon." Body: "The person who makes the rules is Chiyou." Volume 78 of "Peaceful Magnolia" quoted "Dragon Fish River Map" as saying: "Eighty-one Chiyou brothers (say' seventy-two') talked with orcs and ate sand and stones." The so-called copper head and iron forehead means that Chiyou uses metal weapons.
The Yellow Emperor was defeated in nine wars, and finally Zhuolu fought and finally captured Chiyou.
At this point, the Central Plains, Dongyi and Jiuli regions have been unified.
(d) National integration of Germany with the world.
The Yellow Emperor's victory over Yan Di is not the end, but the story of Yanhuang has just begun.
After the war of Hanquan, Huangdi's desire to strengthen production and lead everyone to fight disasters was initially realized. Tribes such as axe elephants have joined the ranks of the Yellow Emperor, and they can make tools for people's production and life with peace of mind.
Emperor Yan and his tribe did not perish in this war.
Emperor Yan, known as the god of agriculture, mastered the most advanced farming techniques through sowing, farming and harvesting.
The metal manufacturing technology of Chiyou tribe also spread to the Central Plains.
If there is no such collision, communication and integration, then there will be no prosperity of the Chinese nation.
In today's xinzheng city, there is a Mount Juz. There is also a story circulating among the local people. After the Yanhuang War, they climbed Mount Jutz to shake hands.
This year, the weather was good in China, and ears of millet actually grew in the field, so people called the magic ears of millet "Yanhuang Harmonious Grass".
In the next 5,000 years, the story of harmony after World War I continued to be staged in the history of China. Regardless of dynasty changes or ethnic disputes, China's history and culture are still developed and passed down in the tolerant spirit initiated by the Yellow Emperor.
From primitive tribes to a nation, from a nation to a big family of 56 nationalities now, cultural tolerance and integration have never ended.
All wars of mankind are legends of brothers fighting in the same room and living in harmony, expressing people's desire for peace and staying away from war. However, in the era of the Yellow Emperor, wars will still occur, and the crisis of survival has not been solved, and sometimes it is even more tragic. However, the thought of the Yellow Emperor Xiu De is a pioneering work in the history of China's thought, which has been handed down from generation to generation.
(5) Developing productive forces
This is a legend about China's agricultural invention.
One day, when a beautiful bird was flying in the sky, the ears of wheat in its mouth fell right next to Emperor Yan of Shennong. Shennong thought it was a gift from heaven, and was reluctant to eat it, so he buried it in the soil. Half a year later, the ears of wheat actually grew into a big piece. Therefore, under the understanding and teaching of Shennong, people learned to farm.
After the integration of the Chiyou tribe in Yanhuang, various farm tools were invented and farming techniques were improved, which gradually entered the era of intensive cultivation.
With the great integration of nationalities and the progress of technical exchanges, Chinese civilization has entered the era of great creation.
According to Taiping Yu Lan in Song Dynasty, Huangdi invented cauldron, a kind of pottery used for cooking food.
According to Yuan Jian Han Lei's records in Qing Dynasty, "Huangdi built a palace to avoid cold and dampness". In Dadiwan, Tianshui, Gansu Province, architectural relics dating back 5000 years were discovered. Surprisingly, the composition of the ground is very similar to that of concrete today.
"Han Shu" records that "the boat of the Yellow Emperor can't help." Some people say that the name of Xuanyuan came from this.
"Lu Chunqiu" records that "the Yellow Emperor used Linglun as the method of the past"-there are seven scales.
According to the Song Dynasty's Taiping Yulan, "Qi Bo, the minister of the Yellow Emperor, ordered Qi Bo to taste plants, herbs and teach medicine."
According to the Book of the World in the Warring States Period, "The Yellow Emperor asked Cang Xie to write books." This is a record of the invention of writing.
The wife of the Yellow Emperor was named Lei Zu, the ancestor of planting mulberry and raising silkworm, and was called the first silkworm queen by the later Buddha. To this day, some places in China still retain the custom of commemorating Lei Zu.
It is a historical necessity that so many inventions emerged in the era of the Yellow Emperor.
In this era of great change, great integration and great creation, the idea of "ruling the country by virtue" has taken shape initially, and the "universal" ideal has begun to sprout. It is the forerunner of Chinese civilization and the cradle of Chinese descendants' dreams.
(6) Enlighten the present and illuminate the future.
Historical changes in the Yanhuang era, similar changes have appeared many times in the 5,000-year civilization.
It was an exciting and turbulent time. There are many tribes and stars.
The three most powerful tribes are undoubtedly Yan Di, Huangdi and Chiyou. Despite the technological progress, tribes such as axe and flint are relatively weak.
Emperor Yan is the defender of the old order, eyeing the emerging forces, but the climate, technology and concepts have changed, and history is advancing, and no one can stop it; Chiyou boasts advanced weapons, bravery and ruthlessness, and despises the world order; Only Xiu De, the Yellow Emperor, rallied and developed productive forces, but he came from behind and made brilliant achievements.
In addition to external reasons such as climate change and technological progress, there are three internal reasons for the success of the Yellow Emperor: First, the Yellow Emperor has a strong desire to strengthen the tribe and change the world; Second, it has Xiu De's political wisdom to comfort the people and integrate the world; Third, superb ability to use external resources.
History is not gossip. Only by figuring out what the past is and where it came from can we find our present position and plan our future. History is a science that helps people understand the future by understanding the past. In this sense, history is a futurology.
Perhaps the great changes in the Yanhuang era are too far away, but in the near future, with the continuous development of archaeological technology, the fog of the Yanhuang era will be unveiled and presented to the world.
The image of the ancestor hero who bravely raised the first civilized baton five thousand years ago will be clearer.
Because the Yellow Emperor is a hero and a mortal.