Research On Yao And Shun Age

The Yao and Shun age is an important stage in the ancient history. She holds important status in the Chinese civilization history. Both Confucius and Mencius inherited the thoughts of Yao and Shun. Si ma Qian say that the entire world's Ming'de is from Shun. Cui Shu said that Yao and Shun was the ancestor of the Confucian orthodoxy, the ancestor of the law and the ancestor of the article in Tang Yu kao Xin Record. Materials indicated that the age of the Yellow Emperor was the origin of the Chinese civilization while the Yao and Shun age is the incubation period of Chinese civilization. So, it is self-evident to say that the Yao and Shun age is important in the discussion of the Chinese civilization origin and the early country formation.During the Yao and Shun age the Chinese characters had not been formed. But the historical events and figures of that time could be passed down orally. The Yao and Shun's legend had gradually been seen in the document records after West Zhou Dynasty. Myth elements were gradually added to these documents by the following dynasties. For all this, the scholar of ancient times still approved the Yao and Shun age. But in the 1920s and 1930s, Mr. Gu Jiegang proposed"accumulation creates the ancient history", which finally forms'the ancient history to distinguish'faction. The faction of ancient history distinguishes regarded Yao and Shun as the character of myth and legend. So it never existed. For this reason, the 5000 years' Chinese civilization history was shorter.I think we should understand the relation between myth, legend and the history correctly. The legend has historical fact. The historical record has legend. We should analyze the truthfulness and the value of the documents that had been handed down from ancient age from the history perspective. Marx had once pointed out the historical significance of legend. He said that the reality in the past was reflected in the incredible myth. It is not important that the characters were the mythical characters, because the legend has exactly reflected the clan system. Moreover, archaeology excavating has provided the source of material for the research of history. The discovery of the Troy city proved that the truthfulness of the early Greek history legend. The archaeology workers had discovered the TaoSi ruins at Xiangfen coutry in the Shanxi at the end of 1970's. The relative age of TaoSi ruins is equal to the Yao and Shun age which provided the basis of the study of the Yao and Shun age. Based on the above facts, I explain and expound the Yao and Shun age by using the double evidence regulations and culture anthropology theory.The essay is divided into three major parts, namely introduction, the main text and conclusion.The introduction part: First, I introduce the background of the Yao and Shun age and define the relations between legend and history, civilization and culture at the same time. Next, I review and summarize the previous research results of the topic, and sum up the value of research and the insufficiency. Finally, I expound the research significance, the research method and the basic mentality so that we can know the basic questions that we need to solve.The first chapter is about the analysis of the basic documents about the legend of the Yao and Shun age and the archaeology extrapolation guesses. The essay first analyzes the basic documents of pre-qin, the Qin and Han Dynasty about the Yao and Shun legend age. Next,I discuss the Tao Si site which were found at Xiangfen county in Shanxi, involving the age of Tao Si site, its stages and excavated things. And I also speculate which clan the Tao Si site belongs toThe second chapter is the ideological trend of doubts the ancient and the reflection of the faction of ancient history distinguishes. This chapter mainly discusses views of the ancient scholars, the modern scholars, the Japanese scholars and the doubt ancient history faction in the Yao and Shun age. Finally, the essay appraises the historical merit of doubt ancient history faction.The third chapter is the brief biography of Yao and Shun. This chapter elaborates Yao and Shun's main deeds, and distinguishes the capital city and grave of Yao and Shun, simultaneously elaborated Yao and Shun's lineage and descendant.The fourth chapter is the material civilization, the system civilization and the spiritual civilization of the Yao and Shun age. This chapter mainly discusses the civilization degree of development in the Yao and Shun age. First, the author clarifies the degree of material civilization development from the perspectives of agriculture, raising industry handicraft industry, and architecture. Next, this chapter analyzes the system civilization, such as norm of etiquette,"official system",astronomy, calendared system and legal system. Finally, this chapter analyzed the development of spiritual civilization, involving writing, drawing, and music.The fifth chapter is the social form of the Yao and Shun age. This chapter mainly inspects the social organization and evolution of the Yao and Shun age. First, the author has proven that the social organization was the association of clans in the Yao and Shun age. Second, by using the social theory of evolution, the author proved the Yao and Shun age belongs to the later period of chiefdoms during which the country would be founded. At the same time, the author analyzed the system of abdication. Finally, the author elaborated how the Chinese early countries were founded.The sixth chapter was the research of Yao and Shun sacrificial offering culture in ancient age. The author first briefly review the sacrificial offering of four stages which include the pre-qin, the Qin; Han Dynasty, the Wei; Jin; Southern and Northern Dynasties, the Sui; Tang; Song; Yuan; Ming and Qing Dynasties. This chapter analyzed also the characteristics of each stage. Then the author explains the classification and the ceremony of sacrificial offering and also narrates the construction and maintenance of the Yao and Shun temples in all dynasties. Finally, the essay elaborates the essence of the Yao and Shun sacrificial offering culture.The conclusion part makes a summary to this essay and generalizes the major and creative viewpoint of it.