Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León

Preparatoria 22
PIA
Docente: Ana Laura fragoso García
Alumnas: Neydi Vanessa Quintanilla
Pompa
Iris América elvira Paita
Matricula:2112230
2126944
2do Semestre

Cerralvo N.L a:30 de mayo del 2022

Iris Elvira

Neydi Quintanilla
 Chinese ancient culture
Long before the advent of a recognizable civilization in the region, these lands
were already occupied by hominids. Peking Man, whose fossilized skull was
discovered near Beijing in 1927, lived in the area between 700,000 and
300,000 years ago, and Yuanmou Man, whose remains were found in
Yuanmou in 1965, lived on these lands. 1,700,000 years ago. The evidence
from these finds shows that these early inhabitants knew how to make stone
tools and use fire.

Although the generally accepted theory is that humanity originated in Africa

and then spread from there to other parts of the planet, Chinese
paleoanthropologists "hold the 'regional evolution' theory of the origin of
man" (China. org), which posits the existence of a base independent of the
origin of human beings. “The Shu ape, a primate that weighed 100 to 150
grams and was about the size of a mouse, lived [in China] in the middle
Eocene 4.5 to 4 million years ago. Its discovery posed a great challenge to the
theory of the African origin of the human race” (China.org). This challenge is
considered plausible due to the genetic links between the Shu ape fossil and
other primates, both advanced and minor, so it could be a "missing link" in the
evolutionary process.

However one interprets this information (the conclusions of these China-

conducted studies have been disputed by the international community), the
solid evidence provided by other finds attests to the presence of a very ancient
lineage of hominids and homo sapiens in China, and of a high level of
sophistication in archaic cultures. An example of this is the Banpo village near
Xi'an, discovered in 1953. Banpo is a Neolithic village that was inhabited
from 4500 to 3750 BC. and it is made up of 45 houses with floors sunk into
the ground that give it greater stability. The village was surrounded by a ditch
that protected it from attack while serving as a drainage (and fence for
animals), while artificial underground caves were used to store food. The
layout of the village, as well as the artifacts found in it (such as pottery and
tools), suggest the presence of a highly advanced culture at the time of its
construction.
It is generally accepted that the Chinese “cradle of civilization” is found in the
Yellow River valley, where the first villages appeared around 5000 BC.
Although this hypothesis is disputed and it is also suggested that there may
have been a more widespread development of the communities, there is no
doubt that many villages and agricultural settlements were located in Henan
province, in the Yellow River valley.

In 2001, archaeologists discovered two skeletons “buried in a destroyed house,

under a thick layer of silt sediment from the Yellow River. In this layer of
sediment, archaeologists found more than twenty skeletons, an altar, a plaza,
pottery, and stone and jade utensils” (Chinapage.org). It is just one of many
prehistoric villages in the area.

the first dynasties

From these small villages and farming communities came centralized
government, whose first dynasty was the Xia dynasty (ca. 2070-1600 BC).
The Xia dynasty was considered largely mythological for many years, until
excavations in the 1960s and 1970s found sites that strongly suggest its
existence. Bronze artifacts and tombs clearly indicate a period of gradual
development that led from the presence of scattered stone age villages to the
formation of a cohesive civilization.
This dynasty was founded by Yu the Great, who worked hard for thirteen
years to control the floods caused by the Yellow River, which often destroyed
farmers' crops. It is said that he was so engrossed in his work that he did not
return home once in all those years (although he is said to have done so on at
least three occasions), and his dedication inspired others to follow.