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The Birth of China - Hunters on the Yellow River (20000 BCE to 7000 BCE)

Sep 1, 2025

Overview

This lecture explores the prehistoric origins of Chinese civilization, focusing on the transition from Paleolithic hunter-gatherers to the early stages of plant and animal domestication, and sets the stage for the rise of Neolithic communities.

Imperial China and Its Predecessors

  • Beijing has served as China's capital during the Ming and Qing dynasties.
  • The Forbidden City and the Summer Palace were key imperial residences.
  • Chinese emperors claimed legitimacy through the Mandate of Heaven.
  • The imperial system, lasting over 2,000 years, ended with the 1911 Xinhai Revolution.
  • Modern knowledge often focuses on China's rulers and monumental architecture.

Early Chinese Civilization and the Archaeological Record

  • Chinese civilization predates the first imperial dynasty by over a millennium.
  • Early complex societies emerged before written records, known mainly through archaeology.
  • Chinese myth credits legendary figures and early dynasties with foundational roles.
  • The transfer of power from the (semi-mythical) Xia to Shang dynasty set the precedent for dynastic succession.

Paleolithic China: Environment and Hunter-Gatherers

  • Around 20,000 BCE, much of China was cold and arid during the last glacial maximum.
  • Hunter-gatherer societies were mobile, using flaked stone tools and tailoring clothing.
  • Sites like Shui Donggou and Longgu show artistic expression and early trade.
  • Social structures were likely egalitarian.

Regional Variation: North and South

  • Northern China: Microblade tools adapted to harsh environments, diverse animal hunting, and emerging plant processing (grindstones for wild seeds and nuts).
  • Southern China: Cave sites reveal broad diets and the world's earliest pottery (as early as 18,000 BCE), likely used for cooking and special occasions.

Climate Change and Early Sedentarism

  • Post-glacial warming expanded wild rice in the south and edible grasses in the north.
  • The "collector’s strategy" emerged: longer occupation of sites, more use of pottery, and formalized burials.
  • Polished stone tools began to be used, reflecting more woodworking for building.

Domestication and Permanent Settlements

  • Evidence of millet domestication appears at Nanchuangtou (9500-9000 BCE).
  • Earliest domesticated dogs found in China from this period.
  • Shangshan in the south, dating 9400-6600 BCE, is considered China’s first village, with potential rice domestication.
  • Pottery became more common, sometimes used for boiling with heated stones.

End of the Paleolithic and Transition to Neolithic

  • By 7000 BCE, settlements were larger and more permanent, but hunting and gathering remained dominant.
  • Social structures remained simple, with no clear elite.
  • The Neolithic period, marked by true agriculture and complex villages, was about to begin.

Key Terms & Definitions

  • Mandate of Heaven — the divine right claimed by Chinese emperors to rule.
  • Paleolithic — the early Stone Age marked by hunter-gatherer societies and stone tool use.
  • Microblade — small, sharp stone tools used for composite weapons.
  • Domestication — selective breeding of plants and animals for human use.
  • Neolithic — "New Stone Age," characterized by farming and permanent settlements.

Action Items / Next Steps

  • Review the emergence of Neolithic cultures in the Yellow and Yangtze river valleys for the next lecture.