Why can't we find any evidence of the existence of the Xia Dynasty?

The Xia Dynasty was the first hereditary dynasty recorded in Chinese history books. According to historical records, Yu originally passed the throne to Yi, but Yi gave way to Yu's son Qi. It was a dynasty established on the ruins of the primitive social system and was destroyed by the Shang Dynasty. Why can't we find evidence of the existence of the Xia Dynasty? Let's find out together!

Contents of this article

1. Why can’t we find evidence of the existence of the Xia Dynasty?

2. Capital of the Xia Dynasty

3. What are the bronze wares of the Xia Dynasty?

Why can't we find any evidence of the Xia Dynasty's existence?

The Xia Dynasty is a dynasty recorded in ancient books, but the historical materials related to the Xia Dynasty are very scarce. No cultural relics or characters from the Xia Dynasty have been unearthed so far, so there is no evidence of the existence of the Xia Dynasty. However, there are many records about the Xia Dynasty in traditional Chinese literature.

The Xia Dynasty was the first hereditary dynasty recorded in Chinese history books. It was a dynasty established on the ruins of the primitive social system and was destroyed by the Shang Dynasty.

It is generally believed that the Xia Dynasty lasted for about 471 years and lasted for 14 generations and 17 emperors (the ruler of the Xia Dynasty was called "Emperor" during his reign and "Emperor" after his death).

The Xia Dynasty did not have a clear territory. In the early days, the Xia people mainly lived in the Henei area in central and southern Shanxi, and in the late period they moved to the Yi and Luo River basins in central Henan.

Capital of the Xia Dynasty

When Yu first founded the country, his capital was Yangcheng. Some scholars have inferred that the location was Gaocheng Town in Dengfeng County, Henan Province today. Taikang moved the capital to Yinxun, which is near Erlitou Village in Yanshi, Henan Province today. The main activity center of the Xia Dynasty was in Luoyang, and Yinxun was the capital for the longest time.

The Xia Dynasty was the first hereditary dynasty recorded in Chinese history books. According to historical records, Yu originally passed the throne to Yi, but Yi gave it to Yu's son Qi. This period of history is regarded as the beginning of the "family dynasty" in Chinese history.

From the establishment of the Xia Dynasty, the eleven tribes with the surname Si of Xia had a patriarchal relationship with the central royal family of the Xiahou clan in terms of blood, a feudal relationship in politics, and a tribute relationship in economy, which roughly constituted the core territorial scope of the Xia Dynasty.

Xia started from the western part of Henan Province and the southern part of Shanxi Province in the west, extended to the junction of Henan Province, Shandong Province and Hebei Province in the east, reached the northern part of Hubei Province in the south, and the southern part of Hebei Province in the north. Its geographical center was the areas of Yanshi, Dengfeng, Xinmi and Yuzhou in Henan Province today.

What are the bronze wares of the Xia Dynasty?

The bronze wares of the Xia Dynasty, including the following unearthed objects from various places, include: tripod, large tripod, large square tripod, li, yan, hu, gui, jue, pipe-flowed jue, gu, jia, lei, handle pot, gourd-shaped handle pot, middle column plate, plate, etc., including cooking utensils, wine vessels and water vessels. The earlier vessels were relatively simple, but a set of wine vessels composed of jue, gu and jia had already appeared widely. The shapes of the bronze wares in the upper layer of Erligang were more developed. The system of bronze ritual vessels in the Shang Dynasty had already been formed. The bronze wares in the lower layer of Erligang generally had very thin walls, while the bronze wares in the upper layer of Erligang had quite thick walls.