Chapter 4 Chapter 1 The Stage of History-2

five cities Chinese cities, like cities in any other country with a long history, are constantly changing in value.Important modern cities often have no place in history.Like Shanghai, the largest port in the east, it was a desolate fishing village in the seventeenth century.Yining on the western frontier did not become an important town until it was included in the territory of China in the eighteenth century.Chongqing, famous all over the world for its heavy smog, was the wartime capital of China during the Second World War in the 20th century. It was just a closed and rugged mountain city before.However, cities that have played a very important role in history have mostly withered in modern times.Dali City in Yunnan Province was once the capital of the Dali Empire for 516 years.Acheng City in Heilongjiang Province was the capital of the Jin Empire in the twelfth century, and Zhao Jifu, the emperor of the Song Yu Dynasty, prostrated under its simple palace.

Let's introduce the ancient capital first: From the 27th century BC, when the first head of state of China, Ji Xuanyuan, the first emperor of the Yellow Emperor Dynasty, to the 20th century, when Puyi, the last emperor of the Qing Dynasty in China, was expelled from the Golden Luan Palace, there were 4,643 years. Eighty-three regimes of different sizes and life spans emerged in China, with five hundred and fifty-nine male and female emperors—among them, 397 were emperors and 162 were kings.Eighty-three regimes have established a total of ninety-six national capitals, that is to say, there are as many as ninety-six cities that have served as places for issuing orders.We use the following table to list the top ten with the longest capital history:

The earliest and oldest capital of China is Xinzheng, which ranks tenth.Xia County, which ranks fourth, was built in the 23rd century BC.Shangqiu, which ranks eighth, was built in the 18th century BC.Jiangling, which ranks sixth, was built in the seventh century BC.But this series of powerful centers of power in ancient China, although there are still cities with the same name, it is difficult to find the remnants of the past glory. Xi'an has long been the first capital city.The Weihe River Basin and Guanzhong area where it is located are the essence of ancient China.In the eighth and ninth centuries, it was attacked by the Tubo Kingdom and rebels, the irrigation system was destroyed, the people fled, and it was unable to maintain an economic unit, so it lost its qualification to continue as the capital.But the twentieth century revived it as one of the centers of heavy industry.It has the most historical sites, from the ruins of Changle Palace built by the Western Han Dynasty in the second century BC, to the Huaqing Hot Spring where the peerless beauty Yang Yuhuan bathed, all of which make people feel nostalgic.

The same is true of Luoyang, which ranks second. In the eleventh century BC, the Zhou Dynasty built two twin cities here, 20 kilometers apart: the west city is called Wangcheng, and the east city is called Chengzhou—Chengzhou is also called Luoyi, Luoyang, which soon became the center of national political culture, is famous for its beautiful women and peonies.But it is located on the western edge of the Great North China Plain, connecting with the Guanzhong area, and became a battleground in the civil war. It was repeatedly burned by fire, so that after the tenth century, it finally fell into a narrow and rough town. It was not until the end of the 20th century that it gradually regained its former glory.It has as many historic sites as Xi'an, and the Mang Mountain between Luoyang City and the Yellow River hides countless historical stories.

Beijing, which ranks third, is the diamond among ancient Chinese cities.Since the 13th century, it has been the seat of the central government in the era of China's unification.Beijing dialect was designated as the standard Chinese language at the beginning of the 20th century. The humble attitude and profound cultural quality of Beijing residents are praised throughout the country.The historic sites it has are all modern, not as old as Xi'an and Luoyang, so they are relatively well preserved.There are two reasons why Beijing has shown its importance in modern Chinese history: First, its location can not only take care of the troubled northern Xinjiang, but also has sufficient heat to radiate to the Heilongjiang River Basin in the far northeast and the northwestern region. Xinjiang.Before the threat of aggression from the north disappears, the national capital is located in Beijing, which is a stubborn attitude to face the challenge.The second is the psychological state of the people. Beijing has been the political and cultural center of the country for hundreds of years. People have a kind of longing for centripetal force, which increases the strength of national unity and unity.

Nanjing, which ranks fifth, was built at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty in the third century.But the era when it served as the capital was almost always an era of division.Moreover, every dynasty has undergone changes in a short period of time, including tragedies that will be regretted by future generations.In the past, China's population was concentrated in the Central Plains north of the Yangtze River. Unlike now, the population density in the south of the Yangtze River was relatively high. Therefore, making Nanjing the capital had its difficulties in the past. Kaifeng, which ranks seventh, is the ancient capital with the worst geographical conditions.There is not even a relatively dangerous pass around it, which can be used as an initial resistance to foreign troops and to wait for reinforcements.If the enemy attacks from any of the three directions, east, west, and south, they can drive straight in and reach the city.Although there is the Yellow River in the north, the Yellow River will freeze, which is more conducive to the enemy's march.And in the non-freezing period, the enemy can burst the dike and flood the city at any time.Therefore, almost all regimes with Kaifeng as their capital end in massacres.

Hangzhou, which ranks ninth, is one of the most beautiful cities in China.But it is more to the southeast than Nanjing. In the past when transportation was inconvenient, the situation was the same as Chengdu, and it could only serve as the center of gravity of a region in the era of division.The West Lake on its outskirts is one of the most beautiful scenic spots in China. The lakeside is full of fascinating historical sites and places of interest. Almost every tomb and every small bridge is an epic. In addition, in order, there are the following nine ancient cities, which have served as the capital of the country for more than a hundred years.

Eleven Inner Mongolia Bahrain Left Banner, known as Linhuang in ancient times, is the capital of the Liao Empire.Same as Xinzheng, it lasted 205 years. Twelve Anyang City, Henan Province, was called Yinyi in ancient times.It served as the capital of the Shang Dynasty for two hundred and four years.In the 19th century, farmers in the nearby Xiaotun Village dug up many carapaces and bones inscribed with strange ancient characters while plowing the fields, only to discover that they were the ruins of an ancient capital 3,000 years ago.In order to study the ancient characters on the oracle bones that have been unearthed continuously, archaeologists have established a special study called "Oracle Bone Science", which makes an in-depth discussion on the social form of the Shang Dynasty in the 12th century BC.

Thirteen Yinchuan City, Ningxia, was called Xingqing in ancient times.Served as the capital of the Xixia Empire for one hundred and ninety-six years.However, Xixia’s cultural level was too low, and it was completely destroyed when it fell to the Mongols. It is now difficult for us to find the remains of the ancient city of Xingqing. 14 Chengdu City, Sichuan Province.It was the darling of China's separatist era, intermittently serving as the capital of some short-lived regimes under the separatist regime, which lasted a total of 160 years, but it is one of the cities with the most preserved monuments, especially those from the Three Kingdoms era.Chengdu is famous for its hibiscus flowers, so it is also called Jincheng, or Rongcheng.

Fifteen Zibo City, Shandong Province, served as the capital of the Qi Kingdom in the Warring States Period for 139 years.It was one of the two super giant cities in China in the fourth century BC (the other was Xianyang, the capital of the Qin Kingdom).The dense population of it is described in historical records as: "Exhale into clouds, sweat like rain." Sixteen Xingtai City, Hebei Province, was called Xiangguo in ancient times.It served as the capital of the Shang Dynasty and then the Zhao Empire for a total of 135 years. Seventeen Xianyang City, Shaanxi Province, served as the Qin Kingdom in the Warring States Period and even the capital of the Qin Dynasty for a total of 133 years.Xianyang is located 25 kilometers northwest of Xi'an, another famous capital. It is the capital of China's first emperor to win the government.But when the Qin Dynasty fell, Xiang Yu, the strongman who overthrew it, burned the most magnificent Afang Palace into a piece of scorched earth, and Xianyang Jin lost his qualification to be the capital forever.

Eighteenth Linfen City, Shanxi Province, was called Pingyang in ancient times.It served as the capital of Yiqi Fangxun, the sixth emperor of the Yellow Emperor Dynasty, and the Han and Zhao Empires in the era of the Great Split, for a total of 110 years. In addition, Yao Chonghua, the seventh Emperor Shun of the Yellow Emperor Dynasty, served as the capital of Yongji City, Shanxi Province (Linfen 170 kilometers southwest), is also the Garden of Eden praised by the Confucian school. Nineteen Wuwei City, Gansu Province, known as Guzang in ancient times.It is also the darling of China's split era, the political and economic center of the Hexi Corridor, and the capital of four short-lived regimes in the Great Split era for a total of 108 years. In addition to these ancient capitals, we introduce some other cities.In fact, most of these cities are also ancient capitals. If any country has ninety-five ancient capitals like China, you will find that cities with a small scale have had this glory. Lanzhou City, Gansu Province, the earliest name is Jincheng, one of the ancient capitals, the Western Qin Kingdom established its capital here for thirteen years during the Great Split.Lanzhou is the geographical geometric center of modern China, but before the 20th century, the country's development area was limited to the southeast, so Xi'an included, has always been regarded as a desolate northwest border town.Xi'an was once designated as Xijing, and Lanzhou was 500 kilometers away from Xijing.After the twentieth century, it showed its important value. Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province is also one of the ancient capitals.The Southern Han Empire established its capital here for fifty-five years during the small split era.It is one of the earliest commercial seaports in China that came into contact with foreigners. It has huge wealth and prosperity from trade. It didn't shrink until the dark age came in the 14th century.In the 19th century, the huge Western ships and guns first knocked on China's tightly closed door here, and then it became the second largest port in China after Shanghai. Yangzhou City, Jiangsu Province, known as Guangling and Jiangdu in ancient times, is a purely commercial city. It is located where the North-South Grand Canal flows into the Yangtze River. Although it has been continuously damaged by wars, it has always maintained its unique prosperity.Yang Guang, the pretentious seventh-century Sui Dynasty emperor, had such a strong affection for Yangzhou that he chose it as the execution ground for his hanging. Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province, known as Gusu in ancient times, served as the capital of the Wu Kingdom in the Spring and Autumn Period for 88 years.In the 5th century B.C., King Fuchai of the Kingdom of Wu built a city here. Since then, he has been famous all over the country for his beautiful women.There is a proverb that says: "There is heaven above, and Suzhou and Hangzhou below." It refers to the beauties of Suzhou and the beautiful scenery of Hangzhou. Lhasa, Tibet, the largest city on the roof of the world, was called Luoxie City in ancient times. It was the capital of the ancient Tubo Kingdom and the holy land of Lamaism.It is as mysterious as the magic palace where witches live in fairy tales.The "princess and marriage" policy adopted in ancient China has received unexpected results here.The mighty Tibetans were finally tamed by the Buddhism that the married Chinese princess believed in. Now there is still a palace built by the Tubo king for the Chinese princess in Lhasa. Liaoyang City, Liaoning Province, is the oldest city in Northeast China. It was called Xiangping in ancient times, and it was also called Liaodong.It was built as early as the fourth century BC. At that time, the 800-kilometer-long Great Wall of the Yan Kingdom started from Shanggu (Huailai, Hebei) in the west and passed through the north of the city in the east.It served as the capital for five years before the fall of the Yan Kingdom.In the era of the Great Split, it was once occupied by the Goguryeo Kingdom on the Korean peninsula, which led to Yang Guang's three failed conquests.Later, the three great empires of Liao, Jin, and Mongolia all designated it as the accompanying capital and called it Tokyo.At the beginning of the rise of the Qing Dynasty in the 17th century - it was called the Houjin Khanate at that time, and it also established its capital here for four years.All other cities in Northeast China are its descendants. Dunhuang City in Gansu Province also belongs to the group of ancient capitals. It served as the capital of the Xiliang Kingdom for eight years during the Great Split.In the 18th century, Yu was always an important town on the western border of China. Now Dunhuang is 1,700 kilometers away from the Pamir Plateau to the west of the border.In the past, Dunhuang was only a hundred kilometers away from the border line to the west.Just 70 kilometers northwest of Dunhuang, there is a fortress called Yumenguan. Ban Chao, an explorer and king of kings in the Western Regions, missed his hometown in his old age and longed to return home. The Eastern Han government at that time relied on him to appease the Western Regions and refused to retire. He once begged He said: "I don't dare to look forward to returning to Jiuquan County, but I only wish to enter Yumen Pass in my lifetime." Later, the Kumtag Desert and Lop Nur moved south, and the road to the west of Yumen Pass was cut off.So 50 kilometers southwest of Dunhuang, Yangguan, another fortress, was built to replace Yumenguan as the gateway to the west. A poet of the Tang Dynasty once described: "Advise you to have a glass of wine and leave Yangguan with no friends." Shows the history of Dunhuang on the situation. At the end of this section, we found that in the Chinese civilization system, architectural civilization seems to be the poorest link.In addition to the purely military engineering of the Great Wall, ancient China lacked majestic cities, majestic palaces, and even less majestic folk houses.Although religious monasteries and temples have a large scale, they are dark and suffocating. They are only suitable for ghosts and gods to huddle together, not suitable for normal human life.The so-called flying eaves and glazed tiles, carved beams and painted buildings, and the ingenious courtyard arrangement of pavilions and pavilions, compared with the majestic heart and the courage to swallow mountains and rivers that a huge empire like China should have, it seems that a giant is wearing a hat as small as a bean, which is very disproportionate. .In fact, until the beginning of the twentieth century, we can still see that almost all folk buildings are very short and simple, not much different from uncivilized barbarians.One thousand years earlier than Xinzheng, the earliest ancient capital of China, the city of Nosas, the capital of the Kingdom of Minos in Crete, is a hundred times more spectacular than any city in China in the 19th century.Gothic, Greek, and Roman buildings of the European style, such as the Pantheon in Athens and St. Peter's Church in Rome, never existed in ancient China. Why is this so? The reason lies in the political form under the ideology of absolute monarchy. Because of insisting on respecting the monarch, the houses of the people are not allowed to be higher or better than the houses of government officials, and the houses of government officials are not allowed to be higher or better than the houses of the emperor. official.For nearly two thousand years at least since the end of the first Golden Age, the Great Golden Age, the government has prohibited the people from making any changes in architecture and pursuing any progress.All dynasties have a kind of building code, which stipulates the maximum and widest limit of people's houses, and also stipulates what materials, colors and patterns are only allowed to be used. If someone does not abide by this regulation, or rejects the traditional short and simple form, If he uses his imagination and creativity to build a tall, spacious and airy building, he will violate the "violation" clause and will be punished the same as treason. In the most severe case, the whole family, young and old, may be executed.This suppression of deformities continued until the nineteenth century.One year before the outbreak of the Opium War, the Qing government at that time also issued an order to prohibit the people from imitating the West to build buildings with more than two floors. Another phenomenon also surprises us, that is, the emerging regime in Chinese history has a strong interest in burning the buildings of the old regime.Once the armed forces that succeeded in the mutiny captured a larger city (especially the capital), the first thing they did was almost arson.For example, in the third century BC, King Xiang Yu of the Western Chu Kingdom burned Xianyang (Xianyang, Shaanxi), the capital of the Qin Dynasty, and the fire continued for three months.The purpose of arson is to show that they love the people, so the products under the tyranny must be completely cleaned up.But of course the upstarts don't want to live in the open air, and soon after burning it down, they justifiably rebuilt their own more luxurious palaces.Wait until the next mutiny is successful, and then be burned. As a result, almost all of China's ancient cities and buildings were destroyed, and very few remained.Nosas City is still there, and Xinzheng has been reduced to ruins several times.The city of Rome is still there, while Xi'an and Luoyang, except for some excavated tombs of emperors, rarely belong to the monuments on buildings.The palace of the Song Dynasty in Kaifeng in the 10th century, only a high brick platform remained in the early 20th century.Nanjing, a palace of the Ming Dynasty in the 14th century, became an airport named "Ming Palace" in the early 20th century.Only the city and palaces in Beijing still remain, but they are all built after the fifteenth century, and its narrowness and darkness are also disappointing. These man-made taboo spells were finally torn up after the Opium War. The impact of the emerging culture originated in the West revived the spirituality of the Chinese people. In the streets of modern China, where there are many huge buildings, we can't imagine the narrow and crowded scene of the ancient city. Six geographic regions Each country has historically accumulated recognition of its own territory, which is the customary name.In principle, it is based on natural mountains and rivers and human conditions, but mainly on the track of historical development.Therefore, the division of regions is not necessarily completely reasonable, and there is no clear boundary.So is China.We must introduce it one by one, and then we will not be confused by this irregular geographical area when describing historical activities. There are nine main geographical areas in Chinese history: One Hexi Corridor (central and western Gansu) Two Western Regions (Xinjiang) Sanhetao (Ikezhao League, Inner Mongolia) Sisaibei (central part of Inner Mongolia) Wumobei (Outer Mongolia) Six Northeast (Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang provinces, and Inner Mongolia East Second League) Qiyun-Guizhou Plateau (Yunnan, Guizhou) Ba Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (Roof of the World) Nine China Headquarters To be explained separately: The Hexi Corridor is located in the central and western part of China. To the north is the small deserts at the western end of the Hanhai Desert Group and a series of smaller mountain systems called "North Mountains". To the south is the Qilian Mountains we have introduced, also known as "South Mountains". .This corridor starts from the eastern end of the Tianshan Mountains, obliquely to the southeast, and ends at Lanzhou in western China. It is 1,100 kilometers long, but the width of the narrowest waist is only 100 kilometers.Like a horse, linking together a series of precious stones - Wuwei, Zhangye, Jiuquan, Dunhuang and other big cities, it is the only international road from ancient China to the western countries.In the 7th century, fertile land was connected to each other, and it was described as "Jiangnan beyond the Great Wall".But later, in the hands of scattered tribes after the collapse of the Tubo Kingdom and the Huihe Khanate, it became a desolate and poor area.It wasn't until the 20th century that traffic roads and water conservancy projects were rebuilt that this dilapidated horse train shone brightly again. The Western Regions refer to what is now Xinjiang and the eastern part of Central Asia, as well as the Kashmir region.But in most cases, it only refers to Xinjiang.The Altai Mountains, Tianshan Mountains and Kunlun Mountains are three huge mountain ranges that reach into the sky, forming a "three" shape, sandwiching two huge Junggar Basins and Tarim Basins.When Zhang Qian entered this strange world in the second century BC, there were thirty-six independent kingdoms around the Taklamakan Desert in the Tarim Basin alone.In the seventh century, it was once incorporated into the territory of China, and more than 100 states were established.But in the eighth century, it was taken away by the Tubo Kingdom.One thousand years later, in the eighteenth century, it returned to the territory of China, named Xinjiang, and became the largest administrative region in China. Hetao, that is, the "ji" area of ​​the Yellow River.After passing through Lanzhou, the center of the country, the Yellow River turned north and flowed under the Yinshan Mountains, making two sharp 90-degree turns in a row, as if the rope thrown by the gods just caught the Ordos Plateau and the Ordos Desert above it.This area should be barren, but due to the complete irrigation system between the Yellow River and Yinshan Mountain, it is densely populated and rich in agricultural products.An old proverb said: "The Yellow River is full of harm, but only benefits." After the 20th century, the development of industry has made this area a prosperity that even dreamed of. Saibei, Sai, refers to the fortress, and the Great Wall is of course the largest fortress.Therefore, "Saibei" refers to the north of the Great Wall, also known as "Saibei" (there is no relative title of "Sainan" and "Saiin" in history).In a broad sense, Saibei includes "Mobei", which includes the entire area of ​​Inner and Inner Mongolia from the Great Wall to Lake Baikal.In the narrow sense, Saibei only reaches the border of Outer Mongolia, so it is also called "Monan" - the southern part of the vast sea desert group, which is the range of central Inner Mongolia after the seventeenth century.Although this area is only separated from the main part of China by the Great Wall, the climate, geographical environment, and human response are quite different.The northern part of the Great Wall is relatively cold, lacks rain and has a lot of wind and sand. There are only a few gaps in the desert where there are hard-working farmland and cities that serve as desert ports.Northern Serbia is the area that experienced the most foreign invasions in Chinese history. Except for the Tubo Kingdom in the eighth century and the Western Sea countries after the 19th century, more than 95% of China's foreign wars were to resist the aggression from Northern Serbia.Countless nomadic peoples poured out of the Saibei desert like mountains and seas. This is the same fate as the Roman Empire, but the Romans lacked the number and flexibility of the Chinese. Mobei refers to the northern part of the Hanhai desert group, that is, the northern part of Saibei in a narrow sense, including Outer Mongolia and Lake Baikal. It is the base of the northern nomads to invade China.Harhelin is the royal court of the Xiongnu Khanate, and the Huihe Khanate once built a city wall, which later became the capital of the early Mongolian Empire.When China counterattacked the aggressors, the expeditionary force had to go deep and hard, crossing the vast sea and deserts, in order to hit the aggressor's heart.If you only win in the northern part of the country, it is just an illusion.Once the expeditionary force retreats, the strength of the nomads will immediately regroup.This is the biggest threat China feels.When Mobei unites with China, the Chinese will be safe; when it is separated from China, the Chinese will not be able to rest in peace. Northeast, also known as Liaodong and Manchuria.Because it is located in the north of Shanhaiguan, the starting point of the Great Wall, it is also called Guanwai, and the Chinese headquarters south of Shanhaiguan is called Guannei.Northeast China is the coldest region in China. The Miandu River at the foot of the Greater Khingan Mountains once had a temperature of minus 50.02 degrees Celsius.This area has two large river systems and two large plains, namely the Songhua River Plain and the Liaohe Plain.The soil is fertile. Just transporting the soil to Guannei is the best fertilizer.In the 12th century BC, there lived a Sushen tribe on the banks of the Songhua River, who sent people from thousands of miles to pay tribute to China.Later, many independent kingdoms appeared in this ancient tribal homeland.The Koguryo Kingdom on the Korean Peninsula also invaded the Liaodong Peninsula.The Bohai Kingdom, which rose at the end of the seventh century, once became a powerful power in the Northeast.Later, it became the base of the Jurchens, and successively established the powerful Jin Empire and the even stronger Qing Empire.At the beginning of the 20th century, Japan was still creating a puppet regime, the Manchurian Empire.It shows that this area, like the Bashu area, is a complete economic and military unit with independent defense and independent offensive capabilities. The Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, including the two provinces of Yunnan and Guizhou, is a vast plateau composed of numerous mountains, numerous rapid-flowing rivers and numerous precipitous deep valleys.Most of the mountains in Yunnan are densely arranged from north to south, like huge walls one after another, tightly sandwiching the roaring rivers that are churning down.In the Guizhou area, thousands of mountains intersect, and it is rare to see a slightly larger flat land. There are three proverbs that can explain Guizhou's insignificant and pitiful status in ancient China: "The sky does not have three sunny days, the land does not have three miles of flat land, and people do not have three taels of silver." The climate is more suitable, but the traffic inconvenience is more serious than Guizhou's "diwusanliping".For example, Kunming is 250 kilometers away from Dali, and it takes 14 days to walk.Dali is 190 kilometers away from Tengchong, and it takes 15 days to walk.This difficult traffic situation and congested terrain are the major features of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau.Another feature is the ethnic diversity. Congshan in Guizhou is the base of the Miao people, while other areas are dotted with Dai people, Shui people, Dong people, Buyi people, Tujia people, Gelao people and so on.The Chinese are very unfamiliar with these ethnic minorities, and they are deeply afraid of the air pollution known as "miasma" and all kinds of infectious diseases in wild areas. It is a cave of poisonous insects. I firmly believe that every beautiful Miao girl will have a mysterious "voodoo" magic (no one knows what a "voodoo" is, it is said that it can be drilled into the stomach by eating and drinking, and it will attack at regular intervals). The poor Chinese man who cheated on her love died of poison.So everyone thought that if ten people came here, at least nine of them would die unfortunately.Even the Chinese who were sent here as officials felt as sad as if they were kidnapped to the execution ground.After the 20th century, railways, highways and heavy industries entered the region with thunderous force, and everything changed strangely, becoming a brand new modern world. The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the former place of the Tubo Kingdom, is also the roof of the world we introduced earlier, and the ancient living space of the Tibetan people.Tubo was called Uszang in the 14th century, and it was called Tibet in the 17th century, also known as Tibet.We don't know why it keeps changing names so much, nor what those names mean.Because it is the roof of the world, the air is thin and cold, and you still need to wear cotton clothes in summer.The mountains are covered with snow that has accumulated for more than a thousand years, and the ground is covered with inland lakes and swamps caused by short rivers that cannot flow to the ocean.In the seventh century, the Tibetan people established a powerful Tubo Kingdom here, conquered the Western Regions, severely damaged China, and won continuous wars with the Arab Empire expanding eastward.After the kingdom collapsed due to the civil war, it could no longer be revived, and its population declined sharply.By the nineteenth century, there were only two million Tibetans left in the 2.3 million square kilometers of the former Tubo Kingdom, and the number continued to decrease.After the 20th century, the awakening of the Tibetans and the immigration of a large number of Han Chinese, this area has gained a new force. China itself, the original territory of China, is like the original England of the United Kingdom and the first thirteen states of the United States.When China's first dynasty, the Yellow Emperor Dynasty, was established in the 27th century BC, it was located in the middle reaches of the Yellow River and the lower reaches of the Fen River, a tributary of the Yellow River, with an area of ​​only about 20,000 or 30,000 square kilometers.After continuous development, in the third century BC, Emperor Yingzheng of the Qin Dynasty conquered the numerous independent kingdoms, and expanded violently from north to south. South China Sea, west to Lanzhou on the south bank of the Yellow River, east to East China Sea (including Bohai Sea, Yellow Sea, East China Sea).This is what we call China, but sometimes it also includes Hetao and the Hexi Corridor, sometimes it also includes Yunnan, Guizhou and Hainan Island, and sometimes it includes Taiwan Island. The main part of China is subdivided into the following seven districts: One Central Plains Erhe East Sanguanzhong Silongxi Wujianghuai Six Bashu Seven Jiangnan The Central Plains, which is called the Great North China Plain in modern times, stretches from the Great Wall in the north to the Huaihe River in the south, Hangu Pass in the west, and the East China Sea in the east.Among them, the north of the Yellow River is called "Hebei" and "Heshuo"; the south of the Yellow River is called "Henan" and "Heguan" (Hebei and Henan are geographical regions, which are different from the administrative regions of Hebei and Henan).Because the whole area is located to the east of Hangu Pass, it was called "Kandong" in the fourth century.And because it is located in the east of Xiaoshan Mountain, it is also called "Shandong" (different from the administrative region of Shandong Province) between the fourth century BC and the third century AD.Because it is the birthplace and development core of the Chinese nation, it is also the heartland of Chinese history. The biggest feature is the endless fertile plains.China headquarters is the center of gravity of China's historical stage, and China's principles are the center of gravity of China headquarters, where most of China's history is performed. Hedong is located between the Taihang Mountains and the Yellow River. Because it is east of the Yellow River, it is called "Hedong".But it is also west of the Taihang Mountains, so after the 14th century, it was renamed "Shanxi".It forms a fighting unit of its own, posing the biggest threat to Hebei and Guanzhong. Many dynasties in ancient China had their capitals or rose here. Guanzhong refers to the area north of the Qinling Mountains and south of the Great Wall. It is named because the ancient capital Xi'an is located in the group of passes.There are Hangu Pass in the east, Xiaoguan Pass in the west, Dashan Pass and Wuguan Pass in the south, and Jinsuo Pass and Qin Pass in the north.Before the third century BC, the Qin Kingdom, which was already quite prosperous and whose capital was established in Xianyang (Xianyang, Shaanxi), continued to invade outwards.As the neighbor to the east, the Kingdom of Han, whose capital is in Xinzheng, the oldest ancient capital, could not resist, so he came up with a strange method that no one with brains could think of, and sent an outstanding water conservancy engineer to teach the Kingdom of Qin how to open water. Build an irrigation system.It is believed that this will make the people of King Qin exhausted and concentrate on internal affairs instead of expanding outward.This is as appalling as helping the enemy manufacture an atomic bomb in the hope that his treasury will be empty and he will no longer expand outward.During the progress of the project, the Qin Kingdom discovered this conspiracy, but immediately realized that this conspiracy is too cute. It only prolongs the life of the Han Kingdom for a few years; but for the Qin Kingdom, it can enjoy eternal benefits.Since then, Guanzhong has become more prosperous, and Jia has been in the whole country for a thousand years, and it was destroyed by the invasion of the Tubo Kingdom in the ninth century.It was not until the 20th century, with a large number of water conservancy projects and a large amount of investment in industrial construction, that Guanzhong regained its former important position. In the world, there are politicians like the Kingdom of Han, who use means to enhance the enemy's combat power in exchange for temporary peace, but they don't know the time to cheer up.Many major decisions in history seem to be incomprehensible with normal reason, and this is just one example. Longxi refers to the area between the Hexi Corridor and Guanzhong. The east is Longshan, and the west is Lanzhou on the south bank of the Yellow River, which is now the eastern part of Gansu and Ningxia.Thousands of mountains rise and fall, together with Guanzhong and Hedong (Shanxi), they form the Loess Plateau.This is one of the main bases of the Qiang and Di nationalities in history, and it is also the barrier of Guanzhong. Once it is captured by the western barbarians, Guanzhong will be shocked overnight. Jianghuai, referring to the narrow strip between the Yangtze River and the Huaihe River, is a small and flattest wilderness, actually an extension of the Great North China Plain.In the era of unification, it was a grain warehouse, and in the era of division, it was the battlefield of tug-of-war. Several decisive battles and famous battles took place in this area. Bashu is the Sichuan Basin where the present Sichuan Province is located.Ba, the country of Ba, now Chongqing; Shu, the country of Shu, now Chengdu.This area is surrounded by high mountains on all sides, and in the center is a huge basin with a width of 200,000 square kilometers. Only the Yangtze River is connected to the east, but the Yangtze River has a 204-kilometer-long Three Gorges at the junction of this area and the eastern region—— —Three treacherous, narrow canyons like a line, with high mountains and swift waters, making navigation extremely dangerous.The area of ​​the region is 300,000 square kilometers, about the same size as Japan.So it is named Sichuan because it has four important rivers that flow into the Yangtze River: Jialing River, Tuojiang River, Minjiang River, and Wujiang River.Bashu was originally a barren and poor area. In the third century BC, Li Bing, the county magistrate (prefect) appointed by the Qin Kingdom, and his son Li Erlang were two great water conservancy experts who created miracles. They built rivers and canals. Dams were built to divert water, and this area has not suffered from floods for more than two thousand years, and has become a "Land of Abundance" with fertile fields and thousands of miles.After the death of Li Bing and his son, the people of Bashu firmly believed that they had ascended to heaven and became gods, so they built temples for them and burned incense for generations to worship.Among the projects built by Li Bing and his son, the most famous is Dujiangyan—a huge dam in Dujiangyan City, which has remained intact until the 20th century.Make Bashu become an independent unit with strong economic and military, as well as geographical situation.The proverb says: "The world is in chaos before Shu is in chaos, and the world has been governed before Shu is governed." Whenever the dynasty changes or the era is divided, Bashu becomes a paradise for careerists. Counting from the beginning of the era, there have been seven short-lived empires here. and more semi-independent political separatist situations.After the 20th century, the rise of industry and the development of mines made this area even more powerful, becoming the diamond area of ​​modern China. Jiangnan refers to the area south of the Yangtze River and northern Vietnam, also known as "South China" or "South China".Three centuries ago, this place was still wild.In the era of the Great Separation in the fourth century, the Chinese nation moved south from the Central Plains and settled around the Wuling Mountains. They were called "Hakkas" because they lived abroad. Their descendants still spoke the ancient Chinese language of the Central Plains in the third century. They may be the Chinese nation One of the purest bloodlines.In the 9th century, warlords scuffled and the Chinese nation moved south for the second time.In the twelfth century, the Jin Empire swept across the Central Plains, and the Chinese nation moved south for the third time.The south of the Yangtze River was gradually developed and became the rice area with the most perfect water conservancy and the most affluent agricultural society in China.As a result, the Chinese people customarily call any affluent area the Second Jiangnan.The northeast corner of this area, near Taihu Lake, was called "Jiangdong" before the third century because it was located in the southeast of the Yangtze River.The southernmost coastal area of ​​this area, because it is located in the south of the Wuling Mountains, has always been called "Lingnan", which of course includes Hainan Island. seven actors We have introduced the appearance of the stage of Chinese history, and now we will introduce the actors who appeared on this stage. There is a story that can help us understand the ethnicity of the Chinese people. When the Republic of China was first established, the five-color flag was used as the national flag. On the national flag, there are five colors of red, yellow, blue, white and black, representing Han, Manchu, Mongolian, Hui and Tibetan. nationality.This national flag lasted for seventeen years before it was canceled. One of the reasons is that there is an equally important Miao nationality that has not been included, and other ethnic minorities have also been ignored. But in fact, the Han nationality is an absolute majority, and other ethnic groups are an absolute minority.In the 1930s, China's population was estimated to be 450 million, of which the Han nationality was 420 million, accounting for 94 percent.The sum of other nationalities is only 30 million, accounting for 6%. The Chinese are a branch of the yellow race, which is clearly different from the white race and the black race.The Chinese have the common characteristics of the yellow race, and also have the characteristics that only the Chinese have.Westerners who first came to China often found that the appearance of Chinese people was exactly the same, and they couldn't help worrying about how the Chinese could distinguish among themselves.这说明中华人自成一个血缘系统，虽经过无数混血，但中华民族单一的元素仍然十分强烈。最显著的是体格方面，中华人比较矮小，平均高度一百六十五厘米左右（北方人比较高，平均一百七十厘米，南方人平均只一百六十厘米），这个平均高度远低于白种人，以致跟白种人谈话时，不得不把头上仰，中华人对这种现象当然非常的不高兴，在诸如篮球之类的竞赛上，中华人可以说无力跟旗杆一样高的白种人对抗，但灵活地跳跃使中华人在战场上得到相对的补偿。其次，中华人的眼珠是黑色的（假如他有一双白种人的蓝眼珠或灰眼珠，他一定是一个瞎子）；头发也是黑色的，又直又硬，以致中华人对黑种人卷曲的头发大惑不解。最显著的另一件事是，中华人的鼻子比较低而体毛比较稀少，因之对白种人的高而大的鼻子和身上乱草般的体毛最为惊讶。 中华人是什么时候在黄河流域出现的，以及他们为什么不在尼罗河出现，也不在密西西比河出现，而恰恰地在黄河出现，原因如何，我们一点都不知道。只知道当纪元前六世纪时，古中华文明已有高度成就，中华人已建立了强大的政府组织达一千余年，而遍地仍布满了使中华人狼狈不堪的野蛮民族。那些被称为“戎”、“狄”的野蛮民族的若干部落，距当时周王朝的首都洛邑（河南洛阳），最近不过三十公里。周王朝的国王有时还得跟他们结盟，有时还被他们赶出洛邑。 然而，大概就在那时候，中华人形成他们特有的生活方式和特有性格：第一是确定了农业生活，世界上再没有第二个民族像中华人这么喜爱耕种。中华人足迹所到之处，必然地会出现青葱的农田。一个中华人就是一棵树，离不开泥土，而且紧抓着泥土，根深蒂固。第二是中华人喜爱和平，这是由泥土的芳香而来。游牧民族和商人先天的具有侵略的冲动，农民则根本不喜欢侵略，因为侵略行为和侵略结果都对他没有直接利益。只有长久的安定，才可以保障田中的庄稼收获。第三是中华人日增的保守性，农村是世界上最少变化的社会，缺少刺激和竟争，不容易产生冒险的和开创的精神。从这种社会孕育出来的儒家思想在政治上和教育上取得控制权之后，更使保守的倾向加强。 中华人是世界上最善良的民族之一，虽然在历史上不断出现战争，不断出现杀戮，但任何一个民族的历史都是如此，不同的是这都不是中华人主动的追求。只有在受到外来异民族过度的侵略，或受到贪暴官员过度的迫害时，才会发出壮烈的反击。中华人真正的英雄气概和高贵的精神价值，在反击中全部显露，也在这种反击中，滚雪球般地不断壮大。 信史时代之后不久，中华人即创造出中国第一个黄金时代——大黄金时代，自纪元前五世纪到纪元前一世纪，这正是中华人的青春年龄，有无穷的澎湃活力去追求进步和胜利，他们使古中华文明光芒四射。 中华人最早的劲敌是瀚海沙漠上的匈奴人，经过三百年的战斗而终于把它击溃，匈奴一支向西逃亡，引起欧洲民族的大迁移和西罗马帝国的灭亡。一支于一世纪时向中国投降。四世纪时，匈奴人和散居在中国北部中部各地的鲜卑人、羯人、氐人、羌人五种少数民族，被称为“五胡”，乘当时的晋王朝因残酷、愚蠢和长期的自相残杀而失去控制力之际，纷纷叛变，跟若干中华民族的野心家先后建立了十九个独立王国，造成历时三百年的大分裂时代。 大分裂时代于六世纪结束，五胡全部被中华人同化。一个含着五胡血液的新生的中华人，昂然兴起，在七世纪时再度发挥他们强大的能力，创造出中国第二个黄金时代。但在匈奴人遗留下的真空地带上，又出现不知道是什么时候侵入的突厥人①，他们先后建立了很多汗国，最著名的是突厥汗国和回纥汗国。 ①突厥人人主匈奴故地在公元五世纪。--编者 中华人跟突厥人战斗，也历时三百年，突厥人的最后一个汗国回纥，于九世纪时瓦解。中国北方第一次没有外患，可是西南方位于世界屋脊的藏民族，居高临下的开始入侵。中国用尽了浑身解数，包括美女攻势，才把他们挡住。而北方转眼间又恢复原状，契丹民族崛起，统一了突厥故土上的零星小部落，建立辽帝国。 这时已是十世纪了，中国开始衰微。在短暂的小分裂时代，人数不过十数万的突厥人的一支沙陀人，就在中国建立了三个短命帝国，并且把以北京为中心的十六个州，出卖给契丹人，使万里长城的功能全失。 小分裂时代匆匆结束后，中华人再度统一中国，而且混合着突厥的血液。但是已不再像大分裂时代结束后那么蓬勃振作的立即复兴。这至少由于两个原因： 一、佛教的传入，使人认为痛苦是命中注定、无法避免的，但它却是来世欢乐的种子。反抗暴政、反抗侵略和追求幸福真理的意志，普遍消沉，有时候且被认为毫无意义。 二、儒家学派的主流理学兴起，士大夫阶层的结构更为坚固，他们运用政府的和礼教的力量，阻止任何改革，使公孙秧于纪元前四世纪时造成的因改革而突飞猛进的奇迹，不能再现。中华文化已进入老境。 到了十二世纪，鲜卑一支的女真人在东北松花江流域建立金帝国，以雷霆万钧的力量把契丹人击溃，把汉民族建立的宋帝国从华北大平原驱逐到长江以南。十三世纪，匈奴后裔的蒙古人在女真人的背后漠北崛起，如法炮制的把女真人击溃，再把局促在江南一隅的宋帝国消灭，将整个中国置于控制之下。 于是中华人第一次尝到亡国滋味，一向以天之骄子自命的中华人，在蒙古帝国中，被列为次于蒙古人和西域人的第三等人和第四等人（淮河以北中华人属于第三等，淮河以南中华人属第四等）。这种遭遇是难堪的，和西罗马帝国灭亡的情形一样，野蛮人征服文明人，反而把文明人当作劣等民族看待。 蒙古人统治中国不到一百年，于十四世纪时，被逐出万里长城。蒙古人跟一个深入宝山空手而回的粗汉一样，吸收中华民族的文化太少了，所以在回到他们荒凉的故土之后，仍过着他们原始的游牧生活。 然而，混合着女真人和蒙古人血液的中华人，仍不能精神饱满地一跃而起，因为他太过于衰迈。接替蒙古人统治的是中华人建立的明王朝，这是中国有史以来最使人倒胃的一个政权，它采取一系列的窒息民族灵性、伤害人性尊严的措施，诸如： one.严格的闭关自守，减少或根本断绝跟外国的贸易和交往，竭力拒绝吸收新的事物和新的文化。 二、建立八股文的科举制度，士大夫阶层范围扩大，定理学为官定思想，知识分子的头脑一天比一天僵化。 三、明王朝的皇帝几乎全是低能、堕落，而又凶暴颟顸的无赖，他们依靠宦官和酷刑治理国家，政治制度和人性尊严被严重破坏。 于是，大黑暗时代来临，中华人进入前所未有的悲惨境地，内部陷于长期混乱，疆域萎缩到纪元前三世纪秦王朝所奠定的范围。这样一直苟延残喘到十七世纪，女真人后裔的满洲人，在东北女真人故土上建立清帝国，击清明王朝，入主中原。 满洲人带来了秩序与和平，而且以生龙活虎的冲击力为中国创造了第三个黄金时代，使疆土汹涌地膨胀，除了像嫁妆一样，把东北地区和内蒙古并入中国版图外，十七世纪合并外蒙古，十八世纪合并世界屋脊青藏高原和古西域的新疆，共开拓八百九十万平方公里的国土，几乎超过明王朝三百五十万平方公里的三倍，使当时中国的疆域达一千二百四十万平方公里。六大民族以及其他少数民族共聚一堂。 中华人必须永远感谢这个一度被詈为侵略者“鞑子”的满洲人，没有他们，中国只是一个明王朝时那种中等的农业国家： 满洲人不久就全部汉化，同时因他们的固有文化太低，以致除了全盘接受明王朝的政治形态和儒家理学思想外，别无选择。接受的结果，使它无力拨开大黑暗时代残留下来沉重的压力，第三个黄金时代终被腐蚀。十九世纪时，西方崭新的现代文明东来，中华人遂成为世界上被戏弄、被宰割、被作为笑料的丑角。在外国人眼目中，十九世纪时的中华人，就是“辫子”、“苦力”、“宽衣大袖”、“吸食鸦片”、“自私贪污”、“马虎敷衍”、“得过且过”，而女人又都是缠足的残废。这是一个使人汗颜的图画，但事实却真是如此。中国面临瓜分，中华人面临淘汰灭绝。 中华人终于觉醒，二十世纪初，占中国人口百分之九十四的汉人，从满族人手中夺回政权，建立中华民国。满族这个伟大的民族，在完成为中国扩张领土的艰难任务后，消失于汉民族同化熔炉之中。 中国像一个巨大的立方体，在排水倒海的浪潮中，它会倾倒。但在浪潮退去后，昂然的仍矗立在那里，以另一面正视世界，永不消失，永不沉没。就在二十世纪，使人沮丧的大黑暗时代结束，五千年专制帝王制度给柬，悠久的但已不能适应时代的生活方式和意识形态，也被逐渐抛弃。奄奄一息的中华人返老还童，英姿焕发，创造出中国第四个黄金时代，在全世界万邦之中，充当忠实的和强大光荣的角色，而且成为最重要的主角之一。