Agriculture emerged in China around 10,000 years ago, and the Chinese civilization began to take shape over 5,000 years ago, which largely coincides with the appearance of agriculture and the rise of civilizations in Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt. Such exchanges documented a process of mutual learning between cultures and promoted the development of civilization. The political power and cultural influence of the Shang Dynasty stretched from the coast in the east to Longshan Mountain in the west, beyond the Yangtze and Hanshui rivers in the south, and as far as the Yanshan Mountain range in the north. Political, economic, cultural, and social development continued, and a mature writing system, represented by the oracle-bone script, took shape. The level of productive development revealed by these materials demonstrates that the surplus labor of the time was enough to support institutions of public power, thus enabling a portion of the population to devote themselves to management and spiritual affairs away from production. Kings emerged to assume military and religious power, and early states appeared in which governments were formed under the control of kings to exercise state power through establishing social norms and resorting to violence. However, studies around the world have shown that several of the world's early civilizations did not conform to this "three-basic element" criterion. This standard would mean that the Chinese civilization has a history of just 3,300 years. In the lower Yangtze River region, plowing and large-scale rice fields appeared around 5,300 years ago. Fourth, social stratification intensified, and a ruling class began to emerge. Some large and medium-sized settlements were surrounded by trenches more than 10 meters wide and several meters deep, which were evidently used for defense. In the Zhudingyuan area in Lingbao City, Henan Province, several large settlements with a scale of up to one million square meters were discovered. Millet cultivation techniques spread from the Yellow River Basin to the Yangtze River Basin, and rice cultivation spread north to the Hanshui River Basin and the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River. In Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt, gold, precious stones, magnificent stone temples, pyramids, and large burial chambers were used for this purpose. These discoveries by Chinese archaeologists provide ample material evidence to prove that China's entry into civilization had its own distinctive characteristics. Cities had high-grade buildings such as palaces for kings, high-grade tombs for deceased kings and members of the ruling class, and ceremonial vessels and systems to emphasize the status of the ruling class. During the golden age of the Spring and Autumn Period (770–476 BC) when numerous schools of thought flourished in China around 2,600 years ago, the Axial Age of humanistic enlightenment played out in ancient Greece and India. 1) bronze wine container; 2) bronze tripod vessel with lattice pattern; 3) turquoise-inlaid bronze plate with an animal mask design; 4) dragon-shaped turquoise object; 5) jade knife with seven holes; 6) yazhang or ceremonial blade. In addition, through exchanges and mutual learning, it spread to surrounding countries and regions and became an important concept for Eastern civilization. Findings and Insights from Research into the Origins of the Chinese Civilization The development of the Chinese civilization witnessed wars, numerous competing powers, and breakaway vassals. This development process and the achievements it has produced constitute the source of our cultural self-confidence today. Yet our forebears courageously overcame all difficulties and obstacles in a spirit of self-reliance and self-improvement and finally completed the creation of our great civilization, which took its place among the four great ancient civilizations. Millet and rice farming, jade manufacturing, and silk-making embody our Chinese ancestors' wisdom and creativity and represent important contributions to human civilization. From a historical materialist point of view, we proposed that civilization is an advanced stage of human cultural and social development. The Chinese civilization has, like all civilizations of the world, traveled a distinct path of development and created a unique heritage. Yet under the guidance of a unified core and through the development of productive forces and social progress, a unified nation was ultimately established under the Qin and Han dynasties. All regions saw the emergence of a class that had extricated itself from physical labor and became specialized in managing social affairs. Advanced handicrafts, such as jade, turquoise vessels, fine pottery, and lacquerware production were specialized and under the control of the ruling class. Chinese scholars, therefore, are in a better position to offer their definitions for civilization. Guided by Marxist theory, Chinese scholars have used historical documents and ancient legends as references. The warm and humid climate enabled rice farming to spread northward to the lower reaches of the Huaihe River, while millet farming became popular along the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River and in the north and south of the Yanshan Mountains. A period of great climate warming occurred between 8,000 and 6,000 years ago. The emergence of agriculture led to the creation of small village settlements in various places, thus laying the foundations for the creation of a civilization. Cultivated rice, pottery, and stone tools have been excavated from the Shangshan site in Pujiang County, Zhejiang Province. Then 10,000 years ago, people domesticated millet—the Setaria italica and Panicum miliaceum species—in northern China, and rice began to be cultivated in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. Findings and Insights from Research into the Origins of the Chinese Civilization At the ruins of Wadian in Yuzhou City, Henan, which belong to the same period, various traces of sacrifices, including human and animal remains, have been identified on the large rammed-earth platform. These findings show that just before the founding of the Xia Dynasty (2070–1600 BC), class divisions were particularly pronounced in northern Shaanxi, and a state ruled by a king with great military power had emerged. In the city, several sacrificial pits containing young female skulls were discovered. Findings and Insights from Research into the Origins of the Chinese Civilization Fourth, what characteristics define the Chinese civilization's emergence, taking shape, and development? And how did the trend toward a unified whole led by the dynasties on the Central Plains arise, given the Chinese civilization's diverse sources of origin? This information facilitated comprehensive cross-disciplinary research on the emergence, taking shape, and early development of the Chinese civilization from multiple perspectives and levels. It thus holds a unique and important place in the history of human civilization. The city's heart consists of a platform dozens of meters in height, believed to be the foundation of a palace complex. Nearly 100 items have been unearthed from burial tombs, including drums covered with alligator skins, stone chimes, jade axes, and a large ceramic tray with painted dragon patterns. The period from 4,300 to 4,100 years ago witnessed significant climate change, marked by abnormal temperatures, erratic rainfall, and frequent flooding, greatly influencing the progress of civilization in all regions. Around 4,300 years ago, a shift occurred in the civilization process in various parts of China. As a result, the Chinese civilization underwent a unique development process, which originated at multiple points and featured cultural collision, exchange, and integration. The Chinese civilization emerged, took shape, and achieved early development largely in step with the other three major ancient civilizations of the world, and its achievements are on par with theirs. The process of refining advanced cultural concepts continued throughout the Xia, Shang, and Zhou civilizations, eventually giving rise to a set of mainstream values with rites as the key tenet. Painted pottery was also popular in China's central and eastern regions, and rapid progress was made in jade craft, lacquer painting, and architecture. Establishing how the Chinese civilization emerged, took shape, and developed in the early stages and providing material evidence for its over 5,000 years of history Representative artifacts excavated from large secondary burial tombs in the northern section of the Gangshang ruins in Tengzhou, Shandong Province. Findings and Insights from Research into the Origins of the Chinese Civilization Project researchers regard the emergence of a civilization and the shaping of a civilization as distinct albeit interconnected. There is considerable debate among scholars in China and abroad about defining civilization and other related concepts. Putting forward a Chinese approach to defining civilization and setting criteria for a society's entry into civilization After 20 years of work, the project to trace the origins of the Chinese civilization has scored impressive achievements. Second, how did the Chinese civilization first emerge, take shape, and develop? In the spring of 2002, a national-level project to trace the origins of the Chinese civilization was launched. As President Xi Jinping has said, the origins of Chinese civilization are an important subject for Chinese scholars and an enduring focus for international researchers. In addition, through exchanges and mutual learning, it spread to surrounding countries and regions and became an important concept for Eastern civilization.This development process and the achievements it has produced constitute the source of our cultural self-confidence today.As a result of the development of productive forces, this stage gives rise to the social division of labor and social stratification, which produce classes, kingship, and states.Putting forward a Chinese approach to defining civilization and setting criteria for a society's entry into civilizationMore importantly, we have a rich trove of archaeological materials obtained over the course of a century to shed light on the profound historical and cultural accumulation of the Chinese civilization and the unique path of development it has traveled.Fourth, what characteristics define the Chinese civilization's emergence, taking shape, and development?However, studies around the world have shown that several of the world's early civilizations did not conform to this "three-basic element" criterion. The convergence and integration of various civilizations filled the Chinese civilization with vitality and enabled it to develop sustainably. Thus, China entered the civilization stage as a unified state, marking a new phase of developing a unified multi-ethnic country. The Western Zhou Dynasty was a critical period in the course of the Chinese civilization, characterized by a feudal system, patriarchal clan system, and system of music and rites. Bronze ceremonial vessels belonging to the Shang system have been excavated across a vast area, demonstrating that the Shang Dynasty played a leading role in the evolution of the Chinese civilization and the development of culture and society in many places. The ancient city of Liangzhu, a sprawling metropolis in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, had inner and outer sections of nearly 3 million square meters and 6.3 million square meters, respectively.Although all civilizations are materially and spiritually distinctive, they share similarities in how institutions of royal power and states emerge, differing only in how royal power is subsequently manifested and the forms states take.The warm and humid climate enabled rice farming to spread northward to the lower reaches of the Huaihe River, while millet farming became popular along the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River and in the north and south of the Yanshan Mountains.Project researchers regard the emergence of a civilization and the shaping of a civilization as distinct albeit interconnected.They constitute separate stages in the genesis and formation of a civilization, in which a quantity of civilizational factors first accumulates before a qualitative social change occurs.The Chinese civilization is one of the world's four great ancient civilizations and the only one that has developed in an unbroken chain up to the present day.These sites best reflect the social development and building of central power in that period.The development of the Chinese civilization witnessed wars, numerous competing powers, and breakaway vassals. Findings and Insights from Research into the Origins of the Chinese Civilization Recent discoveries at the Shi'ao and Maoshan sites in Zhejiang Province dating to the Liangzhu period reveal a checkerboard pattern of expansive fields lined with ridges made from tree branches, bamboo, and disused canoes. These discoveries demonstrate that the development of farming and the mastery of grain storage were matters of great importance for Liangzhu. Fields and irrigation ditches were organized in regular patterns, and rice farming techniques matured. To protect it from mountain floods, more than 10 kilometers of low and high dams were built north of the city. Around 5,300 years ago, central cities and primitive religious shrines of more than a million square meters were built in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, and the Xiliao River Basin. During this period, technologically advanced handicrafts such as fine jade, pottery, lacquerware, and turquoise ornaments appeared in numerous places. However, this stage still constituted an accelerated process in the emergence of a civilization; states had not yet been formed, and society had not entered into a civilization. The Taosi site covering an area of 2.8 million square meters is about 4,300 to 4,000 years old. The civilization along the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River declined, while that in the middle reaches of the Yellow River surged ahead. Human skeletons scattered in garbage dumps, forming the foundations of large buildings, and buried in large tombs as sacrifices indicate that some people began to enslave others. As the ruling class accumulated authority based on military power, clan leaders became kings who exercised total power. Jade, lacquerware, and exquisite pottery vessels were excavated from high-grade burial tombs in various places.Millet and rice farming, jade manufacturing, and silk-making embody our Chinese ancestors' wisdom and creativity and represent important contributions to human civilization.This process endowed the Chinese civilization with inexhaustible vitality and turned the Chinese nation into an indivisible community.After roughly 200 years of development, during its later stage, the Xia Dynasty continued to accumulate strength, thus gradually giving rise to the leading position of the Central Plains, which exercised an influence that was unprecedented in scope.The emergence of agriculture led to the creation of small village settlements in various places, thus laying the foundations for the creation of a civilization.Yet under the guidance of a unified core and through the development of productive forces and social progress, a unified nation was ultimately established under the Qin and Han dynasties.The period from 5,500 to 5,000 years ago was critical in the history of the Chinese civilization, as areas along the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River successively entered into a civilizational stage.A period of great climate warming occurred between 8,000 and 6,000 years ago.Thus, China entered the civilization stage as a unified state, marking a new phase of developing a unified multi-ethnic country. Findings and Insights from Research into the Origins of the Chinese Civilization Another sign of social development during this period was the emergence of ceremonial instruments and the initial formation of ritual systems.The Chinese civilization has, like all civilizations of the world, traveled a distinct path of development and created a unique heritage.Recent discoveries at the Shi'ao and Maoshan sites in Zhejiang Province dating to the Liangzhu period reveal a checkerboard pattern of expansive fields lined with ridges made from tree branches, bamboo, and disused canoes.Advanced handicrafts, such as jade, turquoise vessels, fine pottery, and lacquerware production were specialized and under the control of the ruling class.Third, why did the Chinese civilization follow a path featuring diversity amidst unity, continuous history, and unbroken development?However, this stage still constituted an accelerated process in the emergence of a civilization; states had not yet been formed, and society had not entered into a civilization.Openness, inclusiveness, exchange, and mutual learning are the driving forces for the development of civilization. This was the largest water control system in the world during this period and reflected the ability of the Liangzhu rulers to organize large-scale public construction projects. Jade, lacquerware, and exquisite pottery vessels were excavated from high-grade burial tombs in various places. The excavation site on the palace complex platform at the Shimao ruins in the city of Shenmu, Shaanxi Province. Numerous ceramic eagles of over 50 centimeters to 1 meter in height were also excavated from the platform and are thought to be related to beliefs and worship. The site is composed of an outer and inner city, as well as an imperial complex, and has various defensive facilities. It is between 4,100 and 3,900 years old and has an area of four million square meters. A mountainous city built of stone blocks, Shimao was discovered 10 years ago. Institutional differences even governed garment colors, clothing styles, jade ornaments, horse-drawn carriages, and types and quantities of chimes and other musical instruments. The existence of the Xia Dynasty has thus not only been richly documented in literature since pre-Qin period but also proven by archaeological findings. In the lead-up to the founding of the Shang Dynasty, the Xia Dynasty was the only powerful political entity in the Songshan Mountain region where the Erlitou Culture was based. The set of bronze and jade ceremonial vessels used by the Erlitou Culture was inherited in full by the Shang Dynasty. The influence of the Erlitou Culture was unprecedented, with its ritual vessels and ceremonial systems, represented by jade yazhang, a type of ceremonial blade, spreading to the vast surrounding areas. Looking at the early evolution of the Chinese civilization, we can see the rich and varied nature of the cultures in the various regions of China. The integration of diverse elements is an inexhaustible source of vitality for the Chinese civilization. This refers to the unification of China by the First Emperor of Qin in 221 BC based on an administrative system of prefectures and counties and a unified system of laws. Findings and Insights from Research into the Origins of the Chinese Civilization They also joined in the activities to exchange views on the conservation of mountain biodiversity, climate change, air pollution, green agricultural development and South-South cooperation. It shows that every civilization is unique, should be appreciated in its own right, and can flourish side by side. After the formation of a unified multi-ethnic state, national unity became the highest value and ideal of the Chinese people. The cradle of the Chinese civilization comprised a vast region with diverse environments. History shows that national unity is not only an essential attribute of the Chinese civilization but a fundamental guarantee for its continuity. This profound concept exerted extensive influence, leading to the development of a civilization in the vast surrounding regions. Cultural soft power is a proven way for the creativity and influence of the Chinese civilization. The Chinese civilization has actively sought to learn from and absorb the achievements of other civilizations and has made innovations accordingly. Openness, inclusiveness, exchange, and mutual learning are the driving forces for the development of civilization. During the period, participants visited the Permanent Biodiversity Exhibition Hall in Kunming, an important part of the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity. As one of the founding member states and a country with a significant mountainous terrain, China has long been committed to the cause of sustainable mountain development in the region, achieving remarkable results. The social hierarchy becomes institutionalized, and people's social conduct becomes standardized to create a system of rites.The level of productive development revealed by these materials demonstrates that the surplus labor of the time was enough to support institutions of public power, thus enabling a portion of the population to devote themselves to management and spiritual affairs away from production.As President Xi Jinping has said, the origins of Chinese civilization are an important subject for Chinese scholars and an enduring focus for international researchers.In the lead-up to the founding of the Shang Dynasty, the Xia Dynasty was the only powerful political entity in the Songshan Mountain region where the Erlitou Culture was based.Human skeletons scattered in garbage dumps, forming the foundations of large buildings, and buried in large tombs as sacrifices indicate that some people began to enslave others.The Taosi site covering an area of 2.8 million square meters is about 4,300 to 4,000 years old.As a result, the Chinese civilization underwent a unique development process, which originated at multiple points and featured cultural collision, exchange, and integration.The Chinese civilization has stood and will always stand tall among the world's civilizations.The Chinese civilization has actively sought to learn from and absorb the achievements of other civilizations and has made innovations accordingly.Specialization in advanced handicrafts is an important sign of the social division of labor. Another sign of social development during this period was the emergence of ceremonial instruments and the initial formation of ritual systems. Archaeologists have discovered large-scale water management systems around the site of the ancient Liangzhu city, along with mounds of 200,000 kilograms of carbonized rice on the south side of the Mojiaoshan site in the heart of Liangzhu city. The period from 5,500 to 5,000 years ago was critical in the history of the Chinese civilization, as areas along the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River successively entered into a civilizational stage. In recently discovered tombs at the Gangshang site in Tengzhou City, Shandong Province, the highest-ranking male nobles were generally buried with one large and one small jade axe. Burial tombs at the Liangzhu sites of Fanshan and Yaoshan contained jade axes with wooden handles, possibly serving as symbols of military power. In almost all regions, large tombs with elaborate weapons in the form of jade axes began to appear in this period. The ancient city of Liangzhu, a sprawling metropolis in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, had inner and outer sections of nearly 3 million square meters and 6.3 million square meters, respectively. At Jiahu and Xinglongwa, located in Aohan Banner, Inner Mongolia, as well as other sites, a small number of large-scale tombs containing jade or turquoise vessels have been discovered, which suggests that society had begun to stratify, paving the way for the rise of a civilization. Agriculture during this period led to population growth, an increase in the number of villages, the development of handicrafts, and social progress. In China, power was displayed through exquisite jade ceremonial vessels, bronze ceremonial vessels, large palaces made of wood and earth, and tombs imitating architecture on the ground. Although all civilizations are materially and spiritually distinctive, they share similarities in how institutions of royal power and states emerge, differing only in how royal power is subsequently manifested and the forms states take. More importantly, we have a rich trove of archaeological materials obtained over the course of a century to shed light on the profound historical and cultural accumulation of the Chinese civilization and the unique path of development it has traveled. Around 6,000 years ago, the rise of the Chinese civilization began to pick up speed. Inhabitants of the Jiahu site in Wuyang County, Henan Province, located on the upper reaches of the Huaihe River, cultivated rice, raised pigs, made wine and turquoise utensils, and invented a bone flute with seven finger holes. Stone and bone shovels unearthed at ancient sites indicate that slash-and-burn agriculture had already given way to settled farming. Records refer to the Yi-Luo River Basin, where the Erlitou site is located, as the central region of the Xia Dynasty. The Erlitou site covers an area of more than three million square meters and is between 3,800 and 3,500 years old. After roughly 200 years of development, during its later stage, the Xia Dynasty continued to accumulate strength, thus gradually giving rise to the leading position of the Central Plains, which exercised an influence that was unprecedented in scope. The discoveries signal the start of a new stage for the Chinese civilization centered on the Central Plains. History shows that national unity is not only an essential attribute of the Chinese civilization but a fundamental guarantee for its continuity.Burial tombs at the Liangzhu sites of Fanshan and Yaoshan contained jade axes with wooden handles, possibly serving as symbols of military power.Kings emerged to assume military and religious power, and early states appeared in which governments were formed under the control of kings to exercise state power through establishing social norms and resorting to violence.With national unity, ethnic solidarity, and social stability, the Chinese civilization is sure to attain even greater achievements.A mountainous city built of stone blocks, Shimao was discovered 10 years ago.In the spring of 2002, a national-level project to trace the origins of the Chinese civilization was launched.Fourth, social stratification intensified, and a ruling class began to emerge.This information facilitated comprehensive cross-disciplinary research on the emergence, taking shape, and early development of the Chinese civilization from multiple perspectives and levels.During this period, technologically advanced handicrafts such as fine jade, pottery, lacquerware, and turquoise ornaments appeared in numerous places. Specialization in advanced handicrafts is an important sign of the social division of labor. Such discoveries show that at Liangzhu, an early state was built upon a foundation of religious, political, economic, and military development. Prehistoric paddies and farming systems discovered quite far from Liangzhu attest to the astounding scale of rice agriculture in the early stage of Liangzhu and the strength of its economy. They also joined in the activities to exchange views on the conservation of mountain biodiversity, climate change, air pollution, green agricultural development and South-South cooperation.At Jiahu and Xinglongwa, located in Aohan Banner, Inner Mongolia, as well as other sites, a small number of large-scale tombs containing jade or turquoise vessels have been discovered, which suggests that society had begun to stratify, paving the way for the rise of a civilization.Political, economic, cultural, and social development continued, and a mature writing system, represented by the oracle-bone script, took shape.This standard would mean that the Chinese civilization has a history of just 3,300 years.This refers to the unification of China by the First Emperor of Qin in 221 BC based on an administrative system of prefectures and counties and a unified system of laws.All regions saw the emergence of a class that had extricated itself from physical labor and became specialized in managing social affairs.And where does the Chinese civilization stand in world civilizational history? A body that enforces public power known as the state emerges, exercising the main function of social management. By a civilization taking shape it refers to a stage in which material, spiritual, and cultural institutions advance considerably. They constitute separate stages in the genesis and formation of a civilization, in which a quantity of civilizational factors first accumulates before a qualitative social change occurs. As a result of the development of productive forces, this stage gives rise to the social division of labor and social stratification, which produce classes, kingship, and states. And where does the Chinese civilization stand in world civilizational history? This grand process ultimately produced a system that unified the entire country under one ruler and fostered the political ideal of great harmony. With national unity, ethnic solidarity, and social stability, the Chinese civilization is sure to attain even greater achievements. The Chinese civilization has stood and will always stand tall among the world's civilizations. The formation of the Chinese civilization was marked by myriad trials such as climate disruptions and social turmoil. These sites best reflect the social development and building of central power in that period. This process proves that civilizations have different paths of development. As such, the development of the Chinese civilization also constituted a process of creating a unified multi-ethnic country. Based on the characteristics of the Mesopotamian and ancient Egyptian civilizations, international scholars generally considered writing, metallurgy, and cities as the three basic elements of a civilization. Third, why did the Chinese civilization follow a path featuring diversity amidst unity, continuous history, and unbroken development? The Chinese civilization is one of the world's four great ancient civilizations and the only one that has developed in an unbroken chain up to the present day. This process endowed the Chinese civilization with inexhaustible vitality and turned the Chinese nation into an indivisible community. A civilization led by a central core and characterized by unity amidst diversity thus began to develop. The patterns on the seals of the Harappan civilization in the Indus Valley were also not recognized as writing. For example, the Mayan civilization in Central America did not have metallurgy, while the Inca civilization in South America lacked a writing system. A supreme ruler or king emerges, monopolizing power over military command and religious and sacrificial ceremonies. The social hierarchy becomes institutionalized, and people's social conduct becomes standardized to create a system of rites. Following the Qin and Han dynasties, the concept of rites was carried forward and further promoted and enriched to become a core value of the Chinese civilization. Only by being open and inclusive and drawing inspiration from diverse sources can we ensure that the Chinese civilization maintains its liveliness and enjoys lasting vitality. Exchanges and mutual learning have been crucial to the enduring prosperity of the Chinese civilization and are vital ingredients in its distinctive charm. The cultures of all regions in China positively contributed to the formation of the Chinese civilization. The cultures of the middle reaches of the Yellow River openly absorbed a diverse range of civilizational factors, and eventually integrated with the cultures of other regions.