????Chinese archaeologists
say Xingtai in north China's Hebei Province was probably one
of the capital cities of the Shang Dynasty (BC1600 to BC1046).
????A large number of relics and ancient
tombs have been excavated in Xingtai over the past decades,
which suggest the city was most likely the capital built by
Zuyi, an emperor of the Shang Dynasty, said archaeologist
Duan Hongzhen.
????During the 600 years from the BC 16th
c. to BC 11th c., the Chinese of the Shang Dynasty migrated
from one place to another, and were reluctant to settle down.
According to historical documents, the Shang Dynasty built
eight capitals in all.
????With the passage of time and the lack
of historical records, the once prosperous cities fell into
oblivion, and today's archeologists continue to search for
them.
????According to Duan, in the past half
century, over 20 sites of ruins of the Shang Dynasty have
been found on the two sides of a river in the southwestern
suburb of Xingtai.
????"The scale and distribution of
the relics are quite similar to two other Shang capital cities
including the famous Yin Ruins," said Duan.
????"Certainly, this is not a village.
The unearthed cultural relics probably belonged to the flourishing
age of the Shang Dynasty," Duan said.
????In addition, dozens of tombs dating
back to the Western Zhou Dynasty (BC1046 to BC771), the dynasty
immediately after Shang, were also found in Xingtai. "A
leud of the Western Zhou might have established his capital
at the site of the old capital of the Shang Dynasty,"
Duan said.
????However, no remains of palaces, city
walls or large scale tombs, which are the symbols of a capital,
have been discovered, Duan said.
????Experts say the research into the Shang
capital will help to untangle the complicated history of the
Shang Dynasty and the origin of Chinese culture.
????(Xinhua 03/08/2001)
