In 2000, when the periodic report of the Xia Shang Zhou Chronology Project was released, Professor Ni Dewei, a Stanford professor in the United States, wrote an article in the New York Times asserting that "the international academic community will tear the project report to pieces".
The reason why Ni Dewei asserts this is that the West believes that there is no archaeological evidence to prove the existence of the Xia Dynasty, including the expression of the "Xia" regime in the oracle bone inscriptions. In this case, China's recognition of the existence of the Xia Dynasty will naturally make Western scholars furious.
But the question is: if there is no direct statement about the Xia Dynasty in the oracle bone inscriptions, there must be no trace of the Xia Dynasty? In fact, according to the literature, there are four major evidences in the oracle bone inscriptions, which can be said that although there is no "Xia", it can prove Xia.
First evidence: Xiyi
In the oracle bone inscriptions, a city called "Xiyi" was frequently mentioned. The kings of the Shang Dynasty feared that the ghosts of Xiyi would kill them, so they sacrificed to Xiyi many times.
Coincidentally, both the handed down literature and the bamboo slips of the Warring States Period recorded "Xiyi Xia". For example, Jian Yizhi of Tsinghua University recorded that "Xi Yi was born in the west and put down the summer", that is, Yi Yin suggested Shang Tang to make a detour from the west into Xi Yi to destroy the summer, and the Shangshu recorded that "only Yin Gong first saw Xi Yi in the summer".
Before the end of the Xia Dynasty, merchants lived in the east, and Wangchenggang Site in Zhengzhou was one of the strongholds of the former Shang Dynasty. Therefore, the geography of Erlitou, the capital of the Xia Dynasty, was "Xiyi" compared with merchants. The Shang Dynasty believed in ghosts and gods. After the summer of Xiyi was cut off, they were worried about the ghosts in Xiyi, so they would ask questions and offer sacrifices to Xiyi.
Therefore, although the oracle bone inscriptions only say "Xiyi", it can be judged that this "Xiyi" is the "Xiyi Xia" in the literature based on the content of oracle inscriptions and literature records.
Second evidence: Qi State
According to literature records, after the Shang Dynasty destroyed the Xia Dynasty, Xia people gathered in Qi land, and let Xia people establish the State of Qi, and continue to worship the ancestors of Xia people. In the national language, "Qi and Xuan still exist despite the decline of the Xia Dynasty." After the destruction of the Shang Dynasty, King Wu granted the descendants of Dayu Donglou Duke in Qi land again. When King Cheng of Zhou held the "Chengzhou Meeting", there was "Xia Duke Liyan" on the left side of the hall, Later Confucius also went to the State of Qi to ask Xia Li.
In the oracle bone inscriptions, so far, a total of six references to Qi marquis or Qi land have been found, such as: Wu Ding greets Qi marquis with "Ding Youbu, Li (h) zhen, Qi marquis Li (ru), which can't be regarded as a disaster or a disease"; When Zujia returned from the expedition against the barbarians, he made an inspection tour of the state of Qi, saying that "he has already made predictions, walked in chastity, Wang Qitian, and perished in Qi"; When King Zhou returned from invading the barbarians, he also quickly asked the state of Qi "Geng Yin Bu, in Xiangzhen, Wang Bu in Qi, no disaster?"
Therefore, from Wuding to King Zhou, the State of Qi has always existed, and the Zhou Dynasty continued to be granted the state, and the inheritance of the lineage has never been cut off. Some people suspect that the State of Qi, a descendant of Yu and Xia in the Shang Dynasty, was either cut off or replaced by other surnames. In fact, this is basically impossible, because "national affairs, in the military and sacrifice", disorderly sacrifice to ancestors will cause great events. The State of Qi in the Zhou Dynasty clearly sacrificed to Yu Xia, so it can be concluded that the State of Qi in the Shang Dynasty is the descendants of Yu Xia.
Third evidence: earthwork
In the oracle bone inscriptions, the Shang Dynasty had conquered many countries, but had the most wars with "Turkmen" (Guo Moruo pointed out that Turkmen were a nation that had the most relations with the Shang Dynasty and had the most frequent wars), and each time they attacked with heavy forces, such as "three thousand people clamoured to cut earth", "a total of five thousand people cut earth", and even Wuding himself, who finally destroyed earth.
In the literature, "earthwork" is also associated with "Dayu", for example, the Book of Songs records that "the flood was under the awn, and Yufu (governance) was under the earthwork", and the Shangshu records that "Dili (governance) was under the earthwork, and set up residence".
Accordingly, Guo Moruo, Hu Houxuan and others in modern times believed that the "earthwork" in oracle bone inscriptions was the residual force of Yu and Xia, or the adherents of Xia Dynasty, that is, a force of Xia people fleeing to the north recorded in historical records. Hu Houxuan, a scholar, pointed out in the article "An Examination of the Xia Nationality in Oracle Inscriptions on Earthwork" that "Tu Tong Du, Du Tong Ya, Ya Tong Xia, is the land that is the Xia." That is to say, "Tu Tou" is the old name of the Xia regime by businessmen, and "Xia" should be the new name of the Xia regime by later generations.
Fourth evidence: 鄫 State
As mentioned in the above national language, "Qi and Zeng still exist despite the decline of Xia, and Qi and Zeng are from Taisi", which means that in addition to the State of Qi, the descendants of Yu and Xia still have the State of Si, also known as Zeng or Zeng. There are two Zeng States in the history books. One is the Ji surname Zeng State located in Sui County, Zaoyang, Hubei Province, where Nangong Kuo was canonized in the early Western Zhou Dynasty; The first is the State of Zeng, the surname Si, which is "the State of Zeng, whose son Qu Lie was granted by Xia Shaokang in Shiben". As for the specific fiefdom, there is still doubt. Today, it is generally believed that the State of Zeng was initially granted in Fangcheng, Nanyang (the ruins of Baliqiao in Fangcheng were discovered by archaeology, which is equivalent to the third phase of Erlitou), and then moved to the east of the mountain.
On the oracle bone inscriptions, there are also many records of Zeng State, which coincide with the location of Bali Bridge in Fangcheng. For example, when Wuding attacked the south, "B is unknown, and the right is from me, the middle is from Yu, and the left is from Zeng." In December, "setting things in the south" means coming to the south to fight. Nanyang Fangcheng is located in the central plains and the only way to "Nantu". It is very normal for Zeng to send troops.
In addition, there are many records of Zeng State in oracle bone inscriptions, and this Zeng State is definitely not the Zeng State with Ji surname, but only the Zeng State with Si surname. Therefore, according to the historical records, in addition to the surname of Qi, there was also the surname of Zeng in the Shang Dynasty.
To sum up, although the oracle bone inscriptions do not directly say "Xia", the Xiyi, Tufang, Zengguo and Qiguo among them not only indicate that Xia exists in the oracle bone inscriptions, but also have proved the existence of Xia Dynasty.
Of course, Western scholars or some Westernized scholars directly and completely deny or reject the historical materials of the Xia Dynasty, and believe that the content of the Xia Dynasty in the historical books is not credible. They require complete archeology to prove the existence of the Xia Dynasty, and require unearthed character certificates or self certification materials to explain the existence of the Xia Dynasty. If so, the above oracle bone inscriptions cannot really prove Xia, but western scholars who can regard Homer's epics and Bible contents as official history completely deny the behavior of Chinese Xia Dynasty historical materials. Is it rigorous scholarship, or pride and prejudice? It is really a topic worth thinking about!
Reference materials: Historical Records, Shangshu, Oracle "Zeng" and the State of Zeng surnamed Si, etc
