Shuxian Ye

This book analyzes and summarizes the narrative motifs of Chinese mythology, before tracing their material and cultural elements using the new classification of Big Tradition and Small Tradition theories of culture from the field of literary anthropology, as well as related interdisciplinary theories from literary anthropology and archaeology. China’s history reaches back more than 5,000 years, while the earliest known Chinese character system, oracle bone script, was created over 3,000 years ago. Following up on a reference to black jade in The Classic of Mountains and Rivers, the author conducts an extensive survey of black jade ritual articles in the Yellow River and its tributaries, supported by the new archaeological discoveries of black jade battle axes, the primal jade ritual article used in the Central Plains 5,300 years ago. The author then establishes a chain of evidence, using quadruple-evidence methods to validate the Black Jade Age as the first age of the jade culture in the Central Plains. His goal in doing so is to flesh out the myth-enshrouded age of Emperor Yan, Emperor Huang, and Warrior Chiyou, transform it into a substantiated landscape of the origin of the Central Plains Civilization, and offer evidence-based reasoning for this two-thousand-year gap. By doing so, it arrives at unprecedented insights into the origin of Chinese civilization. Methodologically speaking, the book adopts quadruple-evidence methods from the field of literary anthropology, emphasizes intellectual exploration beyond documentary records, combines the living cultural inheritance with newly discovered cultural inheritance that has long been lost underground, makes full use of the method of physical evidence, and employs a series of physical images to form a far more complete and systematic chain of evidence, so as to successfully reconstruct the cultural contexts of China’s 5000-year history.

This book is the first monograph of its kind in the academic world which comprehensively expounds the new methodology of humanities. The quadruple-evidence method is one which integrates quadruple-evidences to open up new horizon for interpretation of ancient culture in the three-dimensional manner. The first layer of evidence refers to documents passed down from the past; the second layer of evidence refers to local written materials; the third layer of evidence includes oral legends of anthropology and folklore and etiquette in the living folk customs; the fourth layer of evidence refers to those ancient objects and images either unearthed in archaeological excavations or handed down from the past. The book consists of theoretical explorations and their applications in individual cases. While the first part studies the academic evolution, theory and methodological value of the quadruple-evidence method, the second part, in using the method in different cases, explores different historical and cultural phenomena in the history of China, attempting to extend the frontier of the origin of civilization from the approach of mythological study

This book is the first monograph of its kind in the academic world which comprehensively expounds the new methodology of humanities. The quadruple-evidence method is one which integrates quadruple-evidences to open up new horizon for interpretation of ancient culture in the three-dimensional manner. The first layer of evidence refers to documents passed down from the past; the second layer of evidence refers to local written materials; the third layer of evidence includes oral legends of anthropology and folklore and etiquette in the living folk customs; the fourth layer of evidence refers to those ancient objects and images either unearthed in archaeological excavations or handed down from the past. The book consists of theoretical explorations and their applications in individual cases. While the first part studies the academic evolution, theory and methodological value of the quadruple-evidence method, the second part, in using the method in different cases, explores different historical and cultural phenomena in the history of China, attempting to extend the frontier of the origin of civilization from the approach of mythological study

Is the lion the symbol of China? Or should it be the dragon or the phoenix? This book makes a provocative interpretation of the Chinese ancient totems such as the bear and the owl. Taking a mythological approach, it explores the origin of Chinese civilization using the quadruple evidence method, which integrates ancient and unearthed literature, oral transmission, and archeological objects and graphs. It testifies to the authenticity of unresolved ancient myths and legends from the origins of Chinese Jade Ware (6200BC-5400 BC) to the names of the Yellow Emperor (2698–2598 BC) and the legends from the Xia (2010BC-1600BC), Shang (1600BC-046BC), Zhou (1046BC-771BC), and Qin (221BC-206BC) Dynasties. The book lays the foundation for a reconstruction of Chinese Mythistory. With well over 200 photographs of historic artifacts, the book appeals to both researchers and general readers.

Is the lion the symbol of China? Or should it be the dragon or the phoenix? This book makes a provocative interpretation of the Chinese ancient totems such as the bear and the owl. Taking a mythological approach, it explores the origin of Chinese civilization using the quadruple evidence method, which integrates ancient and unearthed literature, oral transmission, and archeological objects and graphs. It testifies to the authenticity of unresolved ancient myths and legends from the origins of Chinese Jade Ware (6200BC-5400 BC) to the names of the Yellow Emperor (2698–2598 BC) and the legends from the Xia (2010BC-1600BC), Shang (1600BC-046BC), Zhou (1046BC-771BC), and Qin (221BC-206BC) Dynasties. The book lays the foundation for a reconstruction of Chinese Mythistory. With well over 200 photographs of historic artifacts, the book appeals to both researchers and general readers.

Drawing on the sun, moon, dragon, phoenix, Nuwa, Yandi, Huangdi and other widely circulated cultural elements as examples, this book addresses the development and evolution of the most representative Chinese creation myths regarding nature, totems, ancestors and saints. The book not only interprets key creation myths, but also elaborates on the connection between the myths and some of the core values and concepts in Chinese civilization. For example, the long and jade culture is rooted in the Yellow Emperor’s revered jade weapon. Further, the book reveals the kernels of truth in the myths by presenting new research findings and research methods.

Drawing on the sun, moon, dragon, phoenix, Nuwa, Yandi, Huangdi and other widely circulated cultural elements as examples, this book addresses the development and evolution of the most representative Chinese creation myths regarding nature, totems, ancestors and saints. The book not only interprets key creation myths, but also elaborates on the connection between the myths and some of the core values and concepts in Chinese civilization. For example, the long and jade culture is rooted in the Yellow Emperor’s revered jade weapon. Further, the book reveals the kernels of truth in the myths by presenting new research findings and research methods.

This book analyzes and summarizes the narrative motifs of Chinese mythology, before tracing their material and cultural elements using the new classification of Big Tradition and Small Tradition theories of culture from the field of literary anthropology, as well as related interdisciplinary theories from literary anthropology and archaeology. China’s history reaches back more than 5,000 years, while the earliest known Chinese character system, oracle bone script, was created over 3,000 years ago. Following up on a reference to black jade in The Classic of Mountains and Rivers, the author conducts an extensive survey of black jade ritual articles in the Yellow River and its tributaries, supported by the new archaeological discoveries of black jade battle axes, the primal jade ritual article used in the Central Plains 5,300 years ago. The author then establishes a chain of evidence, using quadruple-evidence methods to validate the Black Jade Age as the first age of the jade culture in the Central Plains. His goal in doing so is to flesh out the myth-enshrouded age of Emperor Yan, Emperor Huang, and Warrior Chiyou, transform it into a substantiated landscape of the origin of the Central Plains Civilization, and offer evidence-based reasoning for this two-thousand-year gap. By doing so, it arrives at unprecedented insights into the origin of Chinese civilization. Methodologically speaking, the book adopts quadruple-evidence methods from the field of literary anthropology, emphasizes intellectual exploration beyond documentary records, combines the living cultural inheritance with newly discovered cultural inheritance that has long been lost underground, makes full use of the method of physical evidence, and employs a series of physical images to form a far more complete and systematic chain of evidence, so as to successfully reconstruct the cultural contexts of China’s 5000-year history.