F REIGN TRADE - 中国国际贸易促进委员会

THIS IS
HINA
Shang Dynasty Ruins Oracle Bone China Museum of Characters
Travel by Beijing-Guangzhou
High-Speed Train II
By Lesley Cui
Anyang
Hebei
Beijing
Henan
Anyang — Heart of China’s
Beginnings
Located in the northern tip
of Henan Province on the Beijing-
Guangzhou Railway, Anyang is an
ancient city with a history of over 3,000
years. As one of the earliest centers of
Chinese civilization, it is named as one
of the Eight Ancient Capitals of China.
The remains of some of the earliest
human settlements - primitive caves of
25,000 years ago - have been unearthed
here. And the city was the capital of the
Bronze Age Shang Dynasty between
1554 and 1045 BC.
The city has a total population
of about 5 million, 2 million of whom
live in the metropolitan area made of 4
urban districts. On the west it borders
Taihang Moutain, and is on the waters
of the Zhang River in the north, and
connects with the Eastern China Plain
on its south-eastern border. The city
is chilly in winter and hot in summer,
therefore, spring and autumn are the
best seasons to visit.
History
The prehistoric human caves of
Xiaonanhai on the western side of Anyang
were a site for humanity in the old
stone age 25,000 years ago. Over 7,000
stone tools and animal bone fossils that
were used by mankind have been unearthed
here. The area has been named
“Xiaonanhai Culture”.
Over 4,000 years ago, the sagekings
of Zhuanxu and Diku established
their capitals in the borders of Anyang;
each reigned for over 70 years. In present
day Sanyang Village there are two
mausoleums in memory of Zhuanxu
and Diku.
In the 14th century B.C., the king
of the Shang Dynasty Pangeng moved
the capital to Yin, the present day village
of Xiaodun, and established the
first stable national capital in Chinese
history.
Oracle bones
For centuries, the secret of Anyang
lay hidden beneath the city streets. But
in 1899 an official under the Qing Dynasty
fell ill and was prescribed “dragon
Hubei
Hunan
Guangdong
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