“Descendants of the Xia Clan” Migrate to the Chengdu Plain

This series is a set of exquisite historical and cultural books about Chengdu， divided into two volumes. It introduces environmental history and， through cross-disciplinary research， systematically recounts the story of Sanxingdui as the “capital” and Jinsha City as the “vice capital” of the Chengdu Plain over 3，000 years ago， using the methodology of “historical restoration” to explore the unique aspects of ancient Shu and Ba-Yu cultures.

Yi Xudong

Yi Xudong is a renowned scholar and documentary writer， a specially appointed senior researcher at the Southwestern University of Finance and Economics think tank， and a signed author at Chengdu College of Arts and Sciences.

An open and inclusive civilization.

A climax in the early exchange and integration of Chinese civilization.

The “depression effect” of the land of “Huayang.”

A continuous influx of ancient Qiang people， gradually moved to the basin， plains， and valleys.

The Classic of Mountains and Seas： North Wilderness records， “In the wilderness， there is a mountain named Chengdu carrying heaven.”

According to the geographic “index” provided by The Classic of Mountains and Seas， the area between modern Deyang and Leshan corresponds to the geographical prototypes of “Mao God，” “Millet God，” and “Shu God，” and the location of the Sanxingdui bronze giant statue. From todays Deyang to Chengdu and the southern part of Leshan， alongside Ziyang to Rong County and Meishan to Yaan in the west， the mountainous and flat terrains form the shape of the ancient Chinese character for “heaven，” known as the “Chengdu carrying heaven” mountains. The pattern of the Min River， Tuo River， Yangtze River， Heng River， Yongning River， and Chishui River in the western part of the basin forms an early Chinese character， “to flow （流）.”

This area is also known as the “Shu Square of Heavenly Flow.” Guanghan， between Chengdu and Deyang， is precisely at the center of the “Shu Square” and serves as the geographical prototype of the bird-shaped gold foil piece unearthed from the Sanxingdui sites No. 5 “sacrificial pit.”

The centripetal force of “the center of the world.”

Among the eight tribes of Yong， Shu， Qiang， Mao， Wei， Lu， Peng， and Pu， who participated in King Wus “Muye Oath，” the Pu tribe had the largest population， a wide distribution area， and a long-term state of scattered clans， and had the title of “Hundred Pu.” The Pu originally lived around the Yangtze and Han rivers， first known as Pu and then as Yue， hence the saying “Pu and Yue share the same origin.” The fertile and peaceful Chengdu Plain attracted the Pu people， who gradually migrated and integrated with the Sanxingdui people.

The Ba-cong ethnic groups from the Jialing River tributaries in modern Dazhou and Bazhong in eastern Sichuan， the Ba people migrating from the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze， and groups from the Sichuan-Yunnan-Guizhou area and South Asia， descendants of the Youmin Clan from eastern Henan arrived in the Chengdu Plain earlier than the more advanced Erlitou culture.

In the late Xia Dynasty， due to the betrayal of the Youmin Clan at the “Meeting of Youren，” the Xia Dynasty “conquered the Youmin and lost their kingdom.” Xia Jie sent troops to annihilate the Youmin Clan. Records of History and Geography states that the Youmin Clan， during the Spring and Autumn Period， resided in the territory of the Song state， now in eastern Henan. After the “Youmin Clan” was destroyed by King Jie of Xia， they moved to the Xiajiang area， passed through the “Bashu Cultural Corridor，” and came to the rich area of the Chengdu Plain， where they merged with the Sanxingdui people.

Subsequently， the “mixed-blood” Xia people joined the ranks of the Sanxingdui ethnic group.

The “Xia people” living on the northern fringe of the Chengdu Plain were often “bystanders” in the conflicts between the Xia and Shang dynasties. During the transition between the Xia and Shang dynasties， the new generation of mixed-blood Xia people， stronger and wiser， fled from conflict， with some tribes directly entering the Chengdu Plain.

Migration and rebuilding became simple and natural， with the awe-inspiring force of nature guiding adaptation and progress as the only choice. The “Xia people” spread across the Chinese mainland， flourishing through slave labor and conflicts with other patriarchal tribes， eventually uniting as one.

In the rebuilt lands， the “Xia people” demonstrated both convergence and uniqueness.

“Unity in diversity.” With larger-scale population migrations， larger cultural collisions became inevitable， leading to exchanges and integration between the “mixed-blood” Xia and other Asian “mixed-bloods，” culminating in new concepts of compatibility， reconciliation， and recognition.

Standing out. Before the popularization of scientific concepts， the “mixed-blood” newcomers continued to develop， becoming a group of explorers， like black coffee， stimulating and soothing the joys and sorrows of other groups. The “mixed blood” of the Xia is more a “rebirth” than a “rebuilding.”

The Chengdu Plain， the ancestral home of the ancient Qiang alliance led by Yu the Great， the founder of the Xia Dynasty， and the Baiguan Shu tribe in the middle reaches of the Min River， was the most prosperous and developed place in the early days. For both the “seven aunts” who returned to their roots or came back with glory and the “eight aunts” who fled home from disaster or escaped from calamity， this was the preferred place for the “descendants of the Xia clan.”

Before the “Battle of Mingtiao，” Xia Jie practiced “deception in warfare.”

The “Xia clan descendants，” in pain， left the capital in the Yiluo Basin， evading the main forces of the Shang army， embarking on a grand detour shaped like the letter “G” for thousands of miles.

The great heir of King Jie of Xia， leading tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians， moved and exiled the whole country， carrying the heavy sacrificial vessels that were cast for the succession of the country along the “Shushen Poisonous Road” at the southern foot of the Himalayas， passing through Vietnam and Myanmar， entering Yunnan， going north to the Chengdu Plain， and then to Guanghan ... and disappeared without a trace. Vassal states centered around the Shang Dynasty deployed troops to plunder the Xia capital.

The vassal states of the “Northwest Corridor” carried their spoils northward， crossing the Hindu Kush mountains into present-day Northwestern China， gradually moving eastward. The Zhou people later settled in the Zhouyuan area， with the Shang and other vassal states advancing eastward along the Yellow River with a group of Xia Dynasty refugees appearing in Shanxi.

The Shang troops kept advancing northeast. Around 1400 BCE， during the reign of King Pangeng， they launched a major southward campaign into Henan.

After several relocations， the scattered army and civilians of the fallen Xia Dynasty reached Guanghan on the Chengdu Plain approximately two years later in Autumn.

At that time， the indigenous people of the Yellow and Yangtze river basins， from the Stone Age Sanmiao and Jiuli tribes， were mostly subservient to the Xia emperor.

One route drew the main forces of the Shang army southward towards the Yangtze River.

The exiled Xia army and civilians headed east along the Yangtze River， burying sacrificial utensils that couldnt be carried. Traces of these rituals are found in Ningxiang and Anhua in Hunan. Several thousand soldiers and musician officials who fled to Hubei were captured by “Chu troops.” Eventually， important artifacts like the set of bells fell into the hands of the Shang army.

The secondary heir appointed by Xia Jie briefly stayed in Panlongcheng in modern Wuhan， then traveled south by boat， passing Poyang Lake， reaching Dayangzhou on the east bank of the Gan River in Jiangxi. Some important sacrificial artifacts had to be buried in large tombs. The accompanying army and civilians dispersed and went into hiding in various places. Some soldiers and civilians carrying significant artifacts like the cow-shaped vessel reached Hengyang in Hunan.

Around 1400 BCE， the Yin Shang Dynasty swept away the indigenous tribes of the San Miao and the Jiu Li， and established their capital in the Central Plains.

After the fall of the Xia Dynasty， various Xia groups dispersed and fled. One group settled in farming in the Ali region， avoiding war， and developed over time into the renowned “Xiangxiong Civilization.” The later Zhuxia， successively established the Daxia and the Xixia states in the Gui River （Amu Darya） basin and Ningxia.

Birthplace of a dazzling history and civilization.

The ancient Xiangxiong culture of China is the origin and foundation of Tibetan culture. The splendid civilization showcased on this highland plateau of the Roof of the World continues to illuminate the entire Tibetan region to this day. At the heart of the mysterious realm of the Xiangxiong Kingdom， remnants on the Ali Plateau， including ancient and mysterious Xiangxiong script， astronomical calculations， Tibetan medicine， sculptures， and other ancient techniques， are all closely associated with this land. The extended traditional customs and culture also continue to be passed down to this day.

The main force of the exiled army and civilians， following Xia Jies heir， stationed themselves along the Mamu River in Guanghan.

Subsequently， the “Xia Clan Descendants” successfully migrated to the Chengdu Plain.

Huainanzi states， “Tang defeated Jie at Li Mountain and fled with Mo Xi on the same boat along the river， and died at the mountain of Nan Chao.” In the Battle of Ming Tiao， Jie of Xia did not die but escaped with hundreds of elite soldiers， his wives and concubines such as Mo Xi， and the followers of the “descendants of the Xia clan，” to “Nan Chao.”

Jie of Xia and his entourage， under the protection of the “vanguard，” traveled upstream from the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and entered the Chengdu Plain.

Upon hearing the news， King Tang of Shang sent troops in pursuit.

From the Xia capital Zhen （todays eastern Yanshi and western Gongyi area in Henan） to the Sichuan Basin， King Tangs pursuit route went south from Erlitou， through Puyujiuguan （todays Wangping Township， Ruyang， Luoyang）， straight to the Lake Xiang area centered on Panlongcheng， up the river to the Chengdu Plain， and subdued the Di and various Qiang tribes along the way.

During King Wudings reign， the ancient Shu state had already been established on the Chengdu Plain for about 350 years.

The Yin Ruins of Anyang was a world-class metropolis. Bronzeware， cattle， horses， sheep， wheat， and other indicators had already entered the world system.

The diversity of civilizations makes the boundaries of civilization blurred and flexible.

The center of Southwest civilization.

The Chengdu Plain had witnessed the emergence of urban clusters， primitive inscribed characters， and bronze wares， marking the end of the struggle for supremacy among the “Three Shu Kings.” This gave rise to an early state power， one that was superior yet rooted in society， the early Sanxingdui state.

It possessed formidable strength and an extensive urban area.

“Tale of Two Cities” from 3，000 Years Ago： From “Sanxingdui” to “Jinsha City”

Yi Xudong

China Workers Publishing House

November 2023

128.00 （CNY）