The Yellow River rises in the Tibetan plateau and runs through northern China from west to east, flowing into the China Sea in the Pacific Ocean. The potential for destruction of this river is due to the unpredictability of its floods, unlike the Indus, Tigris, Euphrates, and Nile rivers whose floods were periodically expected and where the other civilizations we studied developed.
Despite the destruction it caused, this river basin was the cradle of the Chinese civilization, the fourth civilization after Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Indus Valley. From archeology, we know that Homo sapiens inhabited this area since 6000 B.C., in the Neolithic period, but only began to form a civilization after the creation of writing, as early as in the Bronze Age (1600 B.C.–1046 B.C.).
The first Chinese people settled on the fertile lands of the Yellow River, composed of a sediment brought and deposited by the waters over millennia from the highlands of central China and by the winds coming from the deserts to the west. On this irrigated land, the Chinese cultivated millet, and native vegetables and fruits, especially along the upper and middle reaches of the river.
In the lower section of the Yellow River, they grew rice. During the third millennium B.C., the surplus production favored the establishment of permanent villages, and by the middle of that millennium, there was almost a continuous succession of settlements and towns along the river, shaping the beginning of a civilization.
Genesis of Civilization
The classical theory is that the Chinese civilization of the Yellow River appeared as if by spontaneous generation once the ideal circumstances were created, in the same way that the Sumerian civilization of the Tigris and Euphrates, the Egyptian of the Nile and the Indian of the Indus Valley appeared.
Although this is a generally accepted perspective, Chinese as well as European and American archaeologists argue, no matter how up-to-date the studies done, that the Yellow River civilization was imported from both Mesopotamia and Egypt.
It was to be expected that China would defend itself ideologically by stating that this is not true, in the same way that certain archaeologists perhaps also ideologically counter with evidence that there were many influences from the Fertile Crescent. The best way to find out the truth would be to discover the true age of the Silk Road, the famous trade route that connected Europe with Asia.
Far from these controversies, with or without influences, the Yellow River civilization that gave rise to the Chinese culture grew in total or partial isolation from other civilizations, and the proof is not only in the type of writing, but also in other later discoveries that are authentically and genuinely Chinese.
Legend of the Creation of the World
Every culture has a creation myth to explain its origin. In China, it is the legend of Pan Gu that, among many others, tells the following story: in the beginning, the cosmos was a gas that solidified into a colossal rock. From this cosmic egg, a creature called Pan Gu was born, who lived 18,000 years, growing 3 meters a day, and who occupied his time chipping at the stone until it split into two parts: one became the heaven (yang) and the other became the earth (yin).
When Pan Gu completed his work and died, his head turned into mountains; his breath turned into wind and clouds; his voice, into thunder; his left eye, into the sun, and his right eye, into the moon. His muscles and veins became the matrix of the earth, and his flesh became the soil. His hair and beard became constellations, and his skin and body hair turned into plants and trees. His teeth and bones became metals, and his marrow became pearls and precious stones. His body formed the rain, and the lice on it were impregnated by the ether and became human beings (Wong and Wu, 1936).
The ancient Chinese people believed that everything in the world had two seemingly opposing forces that existed in relation to each other. They called these forces Yin and Yang. The quality of our lives and the overall well-being of our world depend on opposing tendencies being in balance with each other. We could draw a parallel between the Yin/Yang of Chinese civilization with the Freudian Eros/Thanatos Life and Death instincts, aggression, and affection.
The "masculine" forces were defined as Yang, symbolized by the sun, and the "feminine" forces were considered as Yin and symbolized by the moon. To keep the heaven running smoothly, the King in ancient China had the job of maintaining the balance between the sun and the moon; on his health also depended the health of the people.
Heaven and Earth are a reflection of each other
What happens on Earth happens in heaven and vice versa: this is the typical idea of the worldview of all ancient peoples, and also of Greco-Roman culture. The Chinese kings and their astronomers measured, tracked, and predicted the behavior of celestial bodies because they believed that what was happening in the heavens was intimately connected with what was happening on Earth.
Like all Yin-Yang opposites, Heaven (masculine) and Earth (feminine) reflected each other. If there was a disturbance in Heaven, the cause was probably on Earth. Similarly, if any of the heavenly bodies got displaced, the resulting imbalance of forces would cause problems on Earth.
Chinese thought and medicine
Chinese thought is based on the principle of knowing nature as a way to reach a state of harmony. The concept of harmony is inherent in several ancient cultures, and carries within it the idea of balance between the different aspects of the cosmos. Within this holistic view, man is seen as an integral and inseparable part of this whole and, moreover, as a microcosm that contains within himself processes similar to those that occur in nature.
Quoted in the Book of Changes, in approximately 700 B.C., the Yin-Yang theory is the basis of Chinese medicine. Qi energy is considered vital, the main energy that gives rise to heaven, earth, and Yin-Yang, that is, energy duality. Yin is the energy that is related to insufficiency while Yang relates to excesses.
It is believed that diseases are the result of the imbalance between Yin and Yang. Thus, those characterized as Yin are calm, weak, cold, damp, hypo-functioning, and chronic. Those with Yang characteristics, on the other hand, are agitated, strong, hot, dry, hyper-functioning, and acute. After determining whether the person is Yin or Yang, it is possible to choose the components that will work best in the therapy that will have as its main objective to adjust the circulation of Qi through the body.
Although opposites, Yin and Yang are interdependent, and cannot exist in isolation from each other, and are in a state of constant change, so that when one is consumed, the other increases. Consumption of Yin leads to a gain of Yang and consumption of Yang leads to a gain of Yin.
Yin and Yang can transform into each other. This transformation occurs when the appropriate conditions come together. For example, at the end of the day the night begins, and in the same way, one season follows another in the cycle of seasons. At the limit of the Yin phase of a cycle, the Yang phase begins.
At this point, it is clear how knowledge becomes a tool for prevention, and also how Chinese medicine is, above all, a preventive medicine by helping us to conform not only to our own rhythm, but also to the rhythm of our surroundings. The perception of the specific patterns of each situation makes it possible to identify both the origin and the likely development of a pathology.
Chinese Patriarchal Society
The male Yang principle was assigned qualities often interpreted as superior, while to the female Yin principle were attributed qualities considered as inferior. It is easy to see how this ancient Chinese worldview led to a patriarchal society, based on this ancient justification of women’s low status in society.
The preference for boys was reflected in the family, which was a revered institution in the ancient Chinese society. This preference in modern times of one-child policy has led to the massacre of billions of girls, to the point that today there is an unnaturally high ratio of men to women in China.
Family ties were sacred and hierarchical. In an agrarian society, it was the children’s work that would give parents security in old age. Since the family property passed to the eldest son, it was the boys who ensured family continuity over generations.
Daughters, on the other hand, were regarded merely as extra mouths to feed that would end up in other families, usually at the cost of a precious dowry. Girls were treated as property, bought, and sold between families, or even brokered through matchmakers. If a wife could not produce a son, she was often replaced or demoted by her husband, who married other women until the family had an heir.
There is nothing new here, what we see in Chinese society we also see in every culture and civilization on the planet, where women are second-class citizens to be exploited and submitted and whose only function is reproductive and housekeeping.
Culture – Language – Religion
The family had a prominent place in ancient Chinese society. The father controlled the household and made the important decisions. Respect for the elders was highly valued, and children were expected to honor their parents. The Chinese also believed in the worship of their ancestors: keeping the spirit of these dead family members happy was crucial to obtaining good luck and avoiding disasters.
Religion was polytheistic. The priests here also assumed the role of intermediaries: they spoke to these gods through the use of oracle bones; they wrote questions to the gods on oracle bones that were then burned. The fire would cause cracks in the bones that were then interpreted by the priests as answers from the gods to their questions.
The writing used was like that of the Sumerians and Egyptians: the Chinese used pictograms, or simplified drawings of objects or concepts.
Chinese Dynasties
In all civilizations on this planet, power is always delegated either by the people to their leaders for a period of time until new elections or by God. Chinese civilization was no exception in this regard. What is particular about the Chinese civilization is that the dynasties were not eternal like the Davidic dynasty of Israel and so many others in Europe and the rest of the world.
Ancient China was ruled by a line of rulers from a single family that is called a dynasty. However, if the people and the gods were not satisfied with the ruling dynasty, it would pass to another noble family, thus creating a new dynasty.
This process is called the dynastic cycle, and this explained the rise, decline and replacement of many dynasties throughout the history of ancient China. If a king had done something wrong, he could lose his mandate from Heaven, which meant losing the right to rule. This is because the people believed that all dynasties were given the right to rule through the approval of the gods.
According to the traditional legend of the birth of Chinese civilization, a huge flood that lasted for months would have covered the Yellow River region. But a man named Yu, also known as Yu the Great, developed a drainage system that managed to restore riverbank areas. It was after this episode that Yu received a "divine call" to establish the Xia Dynasty.
Chronology of Chinese Dynasties
Xia Dynasty (2100 - 1600 B.C) – Shrouded in the legend described above, some think it did not exist.
Shang Dynasty (1600 - 1046 B.C.) – The earliest form of writing is thought to be from this generation.
Zhou Dynasty (1046 - 256 B.C.) – The longest of all Chinese dynasties; it is commonly known as the apex of ancient Chinese civilization; Confucian philosophy, for example, would have been developed during this period, influencing China to this day.
Qin Dynasty (221 - 207 B.C.) – The two “ex libris” of the Chinese culture, the Great Wall and the recently discovered terracotta army, are from this period.
Han Dynasty (206 B.C. - 220 A.D.) – The establishment of the Silk Road is thought to be from this time, but it is very likely that the origin of this route is prehistoric. That is, the path that Homo sapiens took from the Fertile Crescent to the confines of Asia and China. Taoism and the arrival of Buddhism in China would also be from this dynasty.
Period of the Six Dynasties (220 - 589 A.D.) – Expansion of Buddhism.
Sui Dynasty (581 - 618 A.D.) – Short-lived.
Tang Dynasty (618 - 906 A.D.) – Among the inventions that emerged during the Tang dynasty would be the world's first mechanical clock, the compass and book printing press.
Period of the Five Dynasties (907 - 960 A.D.) – Decline and political and social unrest.
Song Dynasty (960 - 1279 A.D.) – New reunification of China.
Yuan Dynasty (1279 - 1368 A.D.) – Opening to the West; Marco Polo’s voyages are from this time. Invention of gunpowder and porcelain.
Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644 A.D.) – It was during this period that the imperial palace, the Forbidden City, was built in Beijing.
Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1912 A.D.) – With the fall of the Qing dynasty in 1912, the People's Republic of China was officially founded.
Conclusion – The mighty Yellow River, born from the highest mountain range on the planet, was the origin of a markedly different worldview from the West that influenced the life and way of thinking of the rest of North Asia, especially Korea and Japan.
Fr. Jorge Amaro, IMC
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