Let us present our scenario thus far. The Yangshao culture, possibly influenced by Kansu culture in the west, develops a typical Neolithic culture, agriculturally based, non-stratified, non-centralized, and craft oriented in northwest China on the Yellow River. Then the Longshan culture emerged along the coast and the lower Yellow River. This culture probably emerged in the conflict with the Mongolian and Manchurian herding cultures to the north. The Longshan culture was a typical transitional culture between the Neolithic and the Bronze. They were agriculturally based, but had taken a defensive posture of necessity. With this aggressive climate, they had begun building fortifications around their cities. The family clan and with it the male war leader emerged with greater importance. Society began its stratification process. With the success of the agri-culture and the subsequent population pressures, the relatively small groups came increasingly into contact and conflict with one another.
For whatever reasons, which we shall explore, between these two cultures emerged a third culture with distinctive cultural patterns. This culture was the most centralized and militaristic. In time honored fashion, this culture presumably attacked, dominated, and enslaved the soft peaceful agricultural culture of the north west, the Yangshao, causing first a degeneration of their forms and then the subsequent disappearance of their culture. Similarly the Longshan culture was absorbed and dominated by the same culture. This was the Shang dynasty.
Prior to the 20th century, the Shang dynasty was considered as purely legendary. However spectacular archaeological finds throughout the 20th century have firmly established its existence. Also oracle bones have been translated, which give it the distinction of being one of the earlier historical cultures of the world, i.e. with written records.
ÒKnowledge of the Shang is based on written documents and excavated sites and artifacts, including the pictographic inscriptions that appear on oracle bones. Used to foretell the future, these fragments of tortoise shells and animal bones were often inscribed with questions and answers that reveal a great deal about the concerns of the Shang kings.Ó[1]
In our fashion before going on, let us set a geographical perspective for the Shang dynasty. The Yellow River is divided into three sections, i.e. the high plateau in the north-west where the Yangshao culture originated and thrived, the lower lying plains in the East towards the ocean where the Longshan culture was centered, and in-between where the Shang culture was centered.
ÒThis [center] area, known to the Chinese as Chung Yuan, or central plain, has always been the heartland of the ÔMiddle KingdomÕ.Ó[2]
Let us speak a bit of the Chung Yuan. The concept first arose during the Shang. Conquering the two cultures on either side of them, they became the middle kingdom. This Middle Kingdom is in the middle of the Yellow River, able to control both the higher Yellow River in the mountains and lower Yellow River towards the ocean. The aggressive Longshan culture had already spread south and north on the coast. The Shang took over the Longshan holdings and expanded them. Thus while centered in the center of the Yellow River, their influence spread to the south and north. And vice versa. As we shall see, they were influenced culturally from the south and north.
The successive Chinese dynasties were always centered in the north. The south, with its Yangtze river basin, was the bread basket, trading center, and many times cultural center, while the political center was always in the North. When the Sui dynasty lost the Middle Kingdom of North China to the barbaric Shi about 1000 AD, and had to shift the center of Chinese politics south of the Yangtze, many intellectuals in poetry and literature moaned about how painful it was to be separated from the true heart and soul of China located in the Middle Kingdom of the Yellow River.
The Shang, as the first Middle Kingdom, set up the polarity between the ruling aristocracy and peasantry that was to dominate Chinese politics unto the present day. It was this dichotomy that was at the heart of the Taoist/Confucian polarity. The Shang in its Middle Kingdom persona transcended the Longshan clan and the Yangshao farming community to rise to the level of centralized government. As Hunters, they were a different culture from both the Herding Longshan and the Farming Yangshao. They were above both the petty family/clan feuds of the Longshan or the peaceful agri-state of the Yangshao. In adopting the bronze technology of the north and west, they transcended all the local peoples militarily and were able to create a centralized state, which transcended family and became empire for the first time. In the process the family was subjugated to the state and the peasant farmer was reduced to slave/ serf status.
The Shang dynasty was the first major dynasty in a long line of Chinese dynasties. The Shang represented the beginning of state worship that was at the heart of Confucianism. The preceding Longshan culture represented the beginning of the Chinese clan or family and ancestor worship that was also to play such a big part in Confucianism. The Yangshao culture represented the decentralized artistic culture that the Taoists yearned for. Thus the interaction of these first three Chinese cultures set the stage for many of the basics of Chinese culture.
Archaeologically the Shang dynasty follows the Longshan black pottery culture. Legendarily the Chinese claim this dynasty began in 1765 BC. The Shang dynasty ruled the first great civilization of China. Although they are known for their bronze, their dynasty began before bronze technology. They were however a typical Bronze Age culture, from the beginning. They exhibited all the typical ambiguity of Bronze Age civilizations, i.e. technologically advanced, militarily based, centralized, and lack of human rights due to social stratification.
The Shang is considered the first great civilization of China. Civilization, civilized, civil, with all the connotations of refined, modern, sophisticated, good and positive. Contrast the opposites, primitive, savage, uncivilized, barbaric, all with pejorative connotations. Of course the root word of civilization is the Latin civis, which only means city. Hence civilization really only refers to large groups of cities, and, by extension, to the citification of culture. Certainly citified citizens of civilizations have added all the positive connotations of the word ÔcivilizationÕ. Indeed, as we shall see, not all groups were favored by the development of civilization. Indeed the idea of civilization as a generally forward movement for humanity tends to be a myth, especially in these ancient times.
Our cultureÕs ÔcivilizedÕ bias has extended to our general historical analysis. Let us see what a popular encyclopedia has to say about the Shang.
ÒThe Yangshao and Longshan cultures laid the foundations for the first true Chinese civilization, the Shang dynasty, which controlled a loose confederation of settlement groups in the Henan region of North China from the 16th century BC to c. 1027 BC. Shang civilization was characterized by an advanced system of writing, a sophisticated bronze metallurgy, the first Chinese calendar, and cities.Ó [3]
To show our citified bias, Grolier Encyclopedia 1997 only reports upon the positive aspects of the Shang dynasty, leaving out the militarization and social stratification of society.
This description of the Shang is typical. The Shang government presumably emerged from the preceding Neolithic cultures. They developed a high degree of civilization including writing, large cities, a calendar, and, we can add, monumental architecture, to the list. They created beautiful bronze works, never surpassed. Furthermore they controlled the flooding of the Yellow River for the benefit of the citizenry. All these developments were presumably indigenous. From this description we get the idea of an enlightened civilization emerging from within to control the forces of nature and allow the development of culture, including the arts and writing.
We can add to this list of accomplishments. In terms of the Chinese empire, the Shang dynasty expanded the influence of Chinese imperial culture. They consolidated the prior Yangshao and Longshan cultures. Further they expanded Chinese influence south into the rich Yangtze River valley. The Shang ÔMiddle KingdomÕ was the beginning of the consolidation of Imperial China under a single Emperor.