East-West Cuitural-Exchanges From Prehistory To The 12th Century In Northern China

Since the 1990s, the increasing number of archeological findings and the introduction of new and high technological means in archeological excavations and researches, and, in particular, the liberalized academic environment, have enabled us to take a broader and fresher perspective in examining and judging the historical and cultural phenomenon as demonstrated in archeological findings. It is commonly recognized that cultural exchange is one of the key drivers of social progress, and it is also an undisputed fact that interactions and cultural exchanges among different ethnic groups have played a major role in promoting social development and evolution in ancient China. But it is worth serious research and discussion as to their specific role and the extent of impact on the Chinese history. As we know, northern grassland is "an arena where most of key historical events take place from early Qin Dynasty to the Ming and Qing dynasties". Northern China is unique in a sense that agriculture and husbandry are equally essential to this area, making it different from the more agricultural-based Central Plain and the far northern areas occupied by grassland nomads. The geological location has put northern China in a unique position in facilitating communications and exchanges with its neighboring ethnic groups. However, there have been relatively few records in official historical data about ethnic groups in northern China. Hence, it is extremely important that we explore such cultural exchanges among different ethnic groups in northern China via archeological findings, which is the exact purpose of this thesis.Concerning northern China' s nomads and Eurasia steppe contacts and cultural exchanges in antiquity, most of the researchers focus their topics on comparative studies of different cultural genres. With little touching upon the prehistory East-West cultural exchanges, most of the studies and articles concentrate on the period from the Bronze Age to the early of the Iron Age.After Zhang Qian went to the Western Regions as a special envoy of Western Han, the Silk Road has linked the Chinese culture with the Western countries. However, scholars and specialists view the issue mainly from the perspective of the Central Kingdom (the Chinese imperial court) while somewhat neglecting the special role the nomadic ethnic peoples from both northern China and Eurasia steppe regions had played in the economic and cultural exchanges between the East and the West.I have based my thesis on the materials of archeological findings from prehistory to 12th both the East and the West. I have made references from scores of archeological books and journals published over recent years, and consulted academic works written by scholars from both home and abroad.I have taken great advantage of being a staff working with the department of cultural heritage for quite a few years. My work has provided me with lots of opportunities to come into contact with a large amount of cultural relics scattering widely in the society and rich archeological materials that have not been published yet. In my paper, I have put forward some of my academic viewpoints on the phenomenon of East-West cultural exchanges in antiquity.I have divided my paper into 4 parts that are arranged either in time order or according to the different types of cultural relics. I have focused my study on the period from the late Old Stone Age to the Liao Dynasty. My thesis aims to reveal through archeological discoveries the indispensably important role that the nomadic ethnic groups in northern China have played in the history of East-West cultural exchanges, In the process of selecting topics for my thesis, I have given major considerations to amount of archeological materials available, whether I can explicitly present my theme andviewpoints, and the length of my thesis.I have completed my thesis on the basis of researching works of predecessors. In this paper, I tried to elaborate my view on the role of China' s northern nomadic ethnic groups in promoting East-West cultural exchanges during the ancient times. What is new in my thesis is that I have been able to utilize some of the latest and first-hand materials of archeological discoveries in analyzing and expounding my point that the ancient nomadic groups from northern China had played an important role in the history of East-West cultural exchanges. In other words, the Eurasia steppe has always been a main route of East-West cultural exchanges. The important passage linking the East and West has never lost its position regardless of changes of times or the rise and fall of imperial dynasties in the Central Plain. It is an inevitable result thanks to the nature of nomadic peoples and their special way of life and production. The most direct consequence of interactions and exchanges between ethnic groups from the Central Plain and the nomadic peoples in northern China is that the latter had injected the vigor of Eurasia steppe cUltures into the traditional Chinese culture and thus enriched and developed the ancient civilizations of the Chinese nation.The melting of the essence of both Eastern and Western cultures has greatly enhanced the creativity of the Chinese nation, and the blending of cultures has pushed forward social progress and development. As one of the key driving forces of cultural exchanges, the nomadic peoples in northern China has played a due role and made significant contributions in the process.The significance for writing this thesis is that through analysis of cultural relics unearthed so far related to the various nomadic ethnic groups living in northern China during ancient times, we have been able to overcome the lack of records about these ethnic groups in China' s official historical materials and gain a more comprehensive and direct understanding of their prominent contributions in promoting East-West cultural exchanges, thus raising their due historical status in pushing forward China' s social and historical progress, and facilitating the formation and evolution of the Chinese civilization.