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Cultural Heritage丨A plain that echoes with legends

CHINADAILY · 公众号 · 时评 · 2025-02-28 11:04

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The overwhelming popularity of the animated film Ne Zha 2 has piqued public interest in its source material, the 16th-century classic Fengshen Yanyi (Investiture of the Gods).

▲ A bird's-eye view of the Wangjiazui area of Zhouyuan Site, in Baoji, Shaanxi province, with the No 1 building (left) dating back over 3,000 years.

If one strips away its mythical veil — an act that in European terms is akin to stripping away the mythology surrounding the Trojan War — it is possible to question the historical reality behind the depiction of King Wu's decision to overthrow the Shang Dynasty (c. 16th century-11th century BC). But how did the Zhou leader rise to become the "supreme ruler of all under heaven" depicted in the story?

Recent archaeological studies in Baoji, Shaanxi province, have gradually helped the heroic saga emerge from myth, revealing its true form. From at least the time of the Western Zhou Dynasty (c. 11th century-771 BC) and even earlier, clues existed about the way power was incubated during this pivotal period of early Chinese history.

The Zhouyuan Site covers about 33 square kilometers. As its name, which means "plain of Zhou", indicates, this tableland to the south of the Qishan Mountains has long been seen as key to decoding Zhou culture. Archaeological research began here as early as 1942 and large-scale excavations were conducted twice in 1980 and 2000.

▲ Some relics of the Western Zhou Dynasty (c. 11th century-771 BC) that were excavated from the Zhouyuan Site: an oracle bone with inscription recording a Zhou king's assembling order for vassal state leaders. China Daily

"However, archaeologists still lacked high-level remains from the pre-Zhou culture, and the layout of settlements could not be clearly seen," says Chong Jianrong, director of the Shaanxi Academy of Archaeology.

"Pre-Zhou" refers to the period when the Zhou still paid allegiance to the Shang Dynasty and prospered in present-day Shaanxi, before taking up arms against the Shang ruler and replaced it. The last Shang king was notorious in history for his cruelty and debauchery.

Chong's mission has been to find the physical evidence to fill in concise historical descriptions.

He says that in recent years, exploration of the Zhouyuan Site has focused on uncovering the settlement structure of the Shang and Western Zhou periods.

By emphasizing the search for wall systems and large-scale buildings belonging to pre-Zhou culture, through extensive tracking, drilling and targeted excavations at key sites, researchers have discovered a large pre-Zhou rammed earth building complex in Wangjiazui in the southwest of the site.

"For a long time, many scholars believed that Zhouyuan is where the ancestors of the Zhou people settled after moving to the Qishan Mountains," Chong explains. "But some questions remain unanswered due to lack of clear evidence."

Now, a belt of large rammed earth pre-Zhou structures has been discovered. It runs 150 meters from north to south, and two large buildings have been fully unearthed.

The No 1 building is composed of a gatehouse, east and west wing rooms, front hall, rear chamber, and front and rear courtyards. It occupies an area of some 2,500 square meters.

"It is the largest and most complete large-scale pre-Zhou rammed earth building discovered to date, and provides crucial evidence that confirms speculation that Zhouyuan was the Zhou capital at the time," Chong adds.

▲ An imagery picture of the southern gate of the palace city on Zhouyuan Site, based on archaeological findings. China Daily

City of wonders

Last week, the findings from Zhouyuan were included in the Top 6 List of New Archaeological Discoveries of 2024, which was released by the Institute of Archaeology with Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Recent physical evidence also indicates a truth: This "capital city "not only functioned as a center from which the Zhou ended a chaotic era and overthrew Shang rule, it also continued to prosper as a hub ruling over a vast territory after the war.

Chong's team also discovered triple-layered city walls dating to the Western Zhou Dynasty, a palace city that occupies 500,000 sq m, a "small"1.75-square-kilometer city around it, and a "large" city that covers a further 5.2 sq km.

It is the biggest Western Zhou city ruin ever found. So far, the southern gate of the palace city and the eastern gate of the "large" city have been excavated. Chong says they reveal the "aura of a king's capital", as the grand scale and complex structures were not only impressive for its time, but would still have been extraordinary compared to other cities a few centuries later.

▲ Some relics of the Western Zhou Dynasty (c. 11th century-771 BC) that were excavated from the Zhouyuan Site: pottery vessels. China Daily

For example, the "large" city gate tower is 95 meters long and 10 meters thick. Entry roads into the city were more than 30 meters wide and linked to a network of urban traffic. Fortified barbicans can be seen on both gate ruins.

Outside the western wall of the palace city, there is a north-south road with a three-layered surface. The two lower layers are paved with large stones and small, densely packed pebbles. Wheel ruts are still visible. Along the edge of the wall, archaeologists have also found pottery drainage pipes.

"The findings not only advance our understanding of the form and nature of the Zhouyuan settlement, but also provide indispensable research material for the history of urban development in China," Chong says.

Zhao Hui, a professor at Peking University, comments: "The greater significance lies in the fact that the site provides a framework that enables us to better understand past discoveries. These cities mark a new era in the field archaeology of Zhouyuan."

▲ A moat ruin by the southern wall of the palace city. China Daily

Oracle marvels

Although the Zhou may have disagreed with the Shang on many aspects of state governance, they shared one thing in common: oracle bones, the inscribed animal bones and turtle shells used for fortunetelling and recording events.

As the earliest-known established writing system for Chinese characters, Shang Dynasty oracle bone inscriptions have become a key cultural icon, but the understanding of its development in the ensuing Western Zhou period is insufficient. For example, scholars previously believed the practice had disappeared by the middle period of the Western Zhou.

Now 206 oracle bones, including 29 inscribed with characters, have recently been unearthed at Zhouyuan. The inscriptions include those related to astronomy, calendar systems, historical geography, military warfare, and numerical divination.

Cultural Heritage丨A plain that echoes with legends

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