Country's cradle links the word through trade
Although far from the political power hubs of ancient China, there is no doubt that the southwestern province of Sichuan was a cradle of Chinese civilization.
Historical records and the latest archaeological discoveries also show that it played an important role in cultural and economic exchanges between China and the rest of the world.
The earliest kingdom in the region was called Shu, which is still the abbreviation for, and a familiar name of, Sichuan.
Before a major archaeological discovery in the last century, there were no material proof about the kingdom. Even official history books refer to it as a legend, describing its first king, Cancong, as having exaggeratedly protruding eyes that resembled two sticks; and speculated that it might have lasted from the Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 BC) to the Warring States period (475-221 BC).
The name Cancong, meaning "silkworm-bush", was given for his skill in raising silkworms and producing silk.
A certain amount of this speculation was ended in 1986 after workers in a small village called Sanxingdui. During the excavation, a statue of King Cancong with protruding eyes was unearthed.
This was, however, not the only point of interest for archaeologists.
Their other discoveries included numerous seashells, which were later proven to have come from the Indian Ocean coast, a number of statues that resemble former Egyptian president Muhammed Hosni Mubarak and statues of exotic animals, in addition to a great number of bronze, gold, pottery, stone and jade wares.
However, by far the most striking findings were dozens of large bronze masks and heads with angular human features, exaggerated almond-shaped eyes, straight noses, square faces, and large ears, features that are unlike those of Asian people. This raised further questions about the origins and eventual fate of the kingdom.
There is no question, however, that the region was at the hub of trade and cultural exchanges at a very early period in history. The region has had fewer wars than the northern, eastern and southern parts of China throughout China's history.
Sichuan was labeled the "land of abundance" because of its prosperous agricultural industry.
The Qin State conquered the Shu Kingdom in 316 BC. The abundant food supply from the region fed the strongest military force of the period and in less than a century, the Qin State unified the whole country and became the powerful Qin Dynasty (221-207 BC).
Liu Bang also used Sichuan as a base to establish the more powerful Han Dynasty (202 BC-AD 220) several years later.
The southern Silk Road, with Sichuan as its hub, came into being almost concurrently with the northern Silk Road, with Chang'an - today's Xi'an - during the Han Dynasty.
The southern Silk Road consisted of several routes that connected Southeast and South Asia and it offered a more stable trade channel when the northern route was disrupted due to frequent wars.
The bulk of traded goods were locally produced silk and tea.
The silk trade might have begun much earlier than the Han Dynasty, however, as ancient Indian historical documents suggest that yellow silk fabric - most likely from Sichuan - was a favorite of the Hindu god Shiva. The worship of Shiva began some 4,000 years ago.
Sichuan-produced silk products are called shujin and yellow silk fabric represented the highest quality silk, according to Han Dynasty poet Yang Xiong.
In the century following the Han Dynasty, Sichuan's silk producers continued to improve the quality of their products, making shujin and the related embroidery technique of shuxiu famous throughout China.
The tea trade began during the Tang Dynasty (618-907), with exports made via the renowned Tea Horse Road.
zhaoshijun@chinadaily.com.cn
(China Daily 07/23/2016 page37)
