The Origin of the Yangtze River Civilization

The Yangtze River, stretching over 6,300 kilometers, originates from the Tanggula Mountains on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. It flows through the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, Hengduan Mountains, Sichuan Basin, and Jianghan Plain before emptying into the East China Sea. As China's longest river, it serves as a cradle of Chinese civilization.

The Yangtze River civilization, encompassing regional cultures along its basin, centers on rice-farming, bronze, and jade civilizations. Its systematic development began in the early Neolithic period with the emergence of rice agriculture, though its roots trace back to the Late Paleolithic.

As the birthplace of global rice-farming civilization, the Yangtze basin provides archaeological evidence: cultivated rice remains from Yuchanyan Site (Hunan, ~12,000 years ago), phytolith rice grains from Xianrendong Cave (Jiangxi), and early agricultural settlements of the Shangshan Culture (Zhejiang). By 7,000 years ago, the Hemudu Culture showcased advanced technologies including plow-like tools, stilted architecture, and lacquerware, forming an independent and sophisticated civilization.

Prehistoric cultural regions along the Yangtze took shape early, including Bashu, Jingchu, and Wuyue cultures. Sanxingdui (Sichuan) revealed enigmatic bronze artifacts like sacred trees and masks, while Shijiahe (Hubei) and Liangzhu (Zhejiang) featured massive hydraulic systems reflecting social organization. Bronze craftsmanship at Panlongcheng (Hubei) and ritual innovations in Wucheng Culture (Jiangxi) blended Shang Dynasty influences with regional traits, embodying China's pluralistic unity. Since the Qin-Han periods, the basin's warm climate and silk resources made it a silk production hub, while Yue kiln celadon and commercial hubs like Yangzhou and Zhenjiang facilitated economic-cultural synergy.

The Yangtze culture is not a static "museum relic" but a dynamic, evolving system. From ancient humans to modern cities, from mystical bronze rituals to digital-age innovations, the Yangtze remains the "mother river" of Chinese civilization, continuously nurturing its cultural vitality.