Early Society in East Asia
THE CHAPTER IN PERSPECTIVE
Human beings have inhabited East Asia since at least two hundred thousand years ago.
The domestication of rice began around 7000 B.C.E., and Neolithic societies such as the
Yangshao rose in the valley of the Yellow River by approximately 5000 B.C.E.
Early dynasties such as the Xia, Shang, and Zhou saw the rise of a distinctive and in
many ways uniquely secular society. Politically, none of the early dynasties could
achieve centralization until the Qin unification in 221 B.C.E.
Nevertheless, despite centuries of unstable political decentralization and at times outright
warfare, the Chinese moved inexorably toward the establishment of a remarkably
sophisticated political and social structure.
OVERVIEW
Political Organization in Early China
The first societies in China developed along the fertile banks of the Yellow River, despite
the fact that its long history of devastating flooding has earned it the nickname “China’s
Sorrow.”
The Yangshao society, centered around the neolithic village at Banpo, provides the
earliest complete archaeological evidence.
Around 2200 B.C.E. the first recognized dynasty in Chinese history, the Xia, began in the
Yellow River valley. Until the recent discovery of sites such as Erlitou, however, this
dynasty has been more legend than reality.
Much more is known about the Shang dynasty, which lasted from 1766 to 1122 B.C.E.
Sites such as Ao and Yin provide valuable information, especially the large and elaborate
tombs of the rulers.
At the heart of Shang power was their monopolization of bronze metallurgy,
which allowed for the rise of a powerful military state and political organization.
Ao - prominent feature of this site is the massive wall that surrounded the city center,
estimated to have originally been about 10 meters high and 20 meters wide. There is
evidence of human sacrifice is abundant at Ao, but no inscriptions appeared on oracle
bones during this time as would be found in the latter periods at Yin. The layout of
Zhegnzhou, with ceremonial/ governmental centers enclosed by a wall, and workshops
for bronze, bone, and pottery as well as cemeteries, outside the wall, was the typical
design for Shang settlements.
Yin - This was the location of the last capital and ceremonial center of the Shang dynasty,
existing for approximately 273 years. It was during this time that diviners began
extensive writing on oracle bones. Being dated to the seventh millennium B.C.E., they
predate the earliest Mesopotamian writing by three millennia.
With the rise of the Zhou dynasty (1122–256 B.C.E.) the main streams of Chinese
