In 122 BC, the emissary of the Western Han Dynasty went to Yunnan (now Yunnan Province), and the king of Yunnan asked the envoy of the Han Dynasty, "Which is the greater?". At that time, all the countries in the southwest were called Yelang in the Han Dynasty, so Yelang was named as "Yelang Arrogance". Since then, "arrogance" has become synonymous with self-righteous and arrogant people. It's an eternal injustice. Exactly where Yelang refers here is not recorded in the history books. Where does Yelang in the great poet Li Bai's poem "Wind Till Yelang West" refer to?
With the continuous discovery of archaeology, Yelang, as an ancient civilized country and a part of the splendid culture of the Chinese nation, is being valued by the world for its humanistic value. For some time, Hunan, Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan and other places have been grabbing "Yelang". Where on earth is Yelang Kingdom? The history of Yelang Kingdom began in the Warring States Period and lasted for about 3 years from the time when the Western Han Dynasty became Emperor Heping. Then the ancient Yelang Kingdom mysteriously disappeared. This ancient civilization has left a fog in historical records. The archaeological excavation of Hezhang Coke's "Southwest Yi" tombs has opened a brilliant corner for the mysterious Yelang culture. Cola is 58 kilometers west of Hezhang County, Bijie. It has the charming scenery of Wumeng Plateau, rich resources of agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and mining, colorful ethnic customs and rich historical and cultural treasures. It is called the holy land of Guizhou archaeology by archaeologists and the "Yin Ruins" of Yelang culture. It has a long and thick history and exudes a rich and ancient cultural relic atmosphere; It is magical and magical, and it has shown prosperity and double tragic decline and sinking in the long river of history. Cola is surrounded by mountains, and there is a dam in the middle. The Mashai River and Cola River in the northern source of Wujiang River meet in the dam and flow eastward. The surrounding area of the dam is a gentle slope hilly land extending to the distant foothills, with an altitude of 1788 meters to 189 meters. Thousands of ancient tombs from the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period to the Qin and Han Dynasties are buried in this undulating hilly land. They are grouped into 14 groups according to the terrain and distributed within 3 square kilometers. The density of tombs, which lasted for a long time, is the highest in Guizhou and even in southwest China. The funerary objects in Yelang national tombs, such as bronze drums, vertical-ear copper kettles, drum-shaped copper kettles, bronze buckles, copper hoes, bronze swords and other weapons, all have distinctive and unique local cultural styles, such as bronze swords with cloud thunder handles, iron swords with cirrus cloud handles, bronze swords with snake heads and bronze swords without Hu Tongge, which are typical representatives of Yelang bronze culture. By the end of the Western Han Dynasty, bronze kettles, copper hooks, pottery pots and iron swords with Chinese cultural characteristics unearthed in Yelang national tombs should be the products of the mutual influence and exchange between Chinese culture and Yelang culture, which fully reflects the historical phenomenon of mutual influence, exchange, harmony and combination between Chinese culture and various minority cultures.
Chinese culture is a complex of multi-cultures. When the Han culture rose in the Central Plains, multi-ethnic cultures appeared in the border areas, and "Southwest Yi" was one of them. In Sima Qian's Historical Records of Southwest Yi, it is recorded: "What is the length of southwest Yi, and Yelang is the biggest." In history, southwest yi refers to the ancient nationalities in Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau and western Sichuan, and Yelang culture is the representative of the ancient national culture in southwest China.
According to Liang Taihe, a researcher in Guizhou Museum who is in charge of the archaeological excavation of Kele Tomb, since the first batch of unearthed cultural relics was discovered in Kele Ethnic Township, Hezhang County in 1958, the archaeological department has carried out nine excavations successively, but the archaeological excavation in 2 once again attracted the attention of the state and the archaeological community. There are several aspects worthy of attention in this excavation and investigation over the years. First, Coke tombs are widely distributed, covering more than 3.5 square kilometers; Second, the tombs are densely concentrated. Within the scope of 3 square meters, more than 8 tombs have been excavated, among which tombs of different periods are stacked together, which is rare for archaeology in the province; Third, the era of continuity is long. A large number of cultural relics appeared in the Warring States, Western Han and Eastern Han Dynasties. Fourth, it reflects a rich cultural heritage. A large number of cultural relics unearthed reflect the unique Yelang national culture from the Warring States to the Qin and Han Dynasties, and the characteristics of the integration of Chinese culture and Yelang national culture in the Qin and Han Dynasties.
"Coke" won one of the "Top Ten New Archaeological Discoveries in China" in 21 because of its unique and rich regional cultural attributes. Kele site and ancient tombs are listed as national key cultural relics protection units.
after a comprehensive study of historical records and archaeological achievements, Yelang country has become an indisputable historical fact in Guizhou, but where is the capital city of Yelang country? Liang Taihe said that further archaeological excavations are needed, and the excavation of the tomb group of "Southwest Yi" in Kele provides an important basis for exploring the ancient Yelang clan and regional culture.
Coke, which is called "Keluo Maomu" in Yi ancient books, means "Central City", recorded in local chronicles as "Kele" and later evolved into "Coke". Today, among the Yi, Miao, Buyi and other ethnic minorities living in Coke, the Yi people are the most. The local people said that the Yi people first entered Coke, and they called these "Southwest Yi" tombs "the human graves" or "human caves".
People who have been living in "Keluomu" never thought that the bricks they picked up to build pigsty and toilet were actually Qin bricks and Han tiles. Those pots and pans dug out from the "human cave (grave)" and thrown away casually because they are considered to be evil are actually priceless national treasures. Today, people are full of surprises and sighs. Guizhou, a land that has always been regarded as a barbarian land, has actually precipitated a heavy ancient civilization.
Song Shikun said that Coke is located on the border of Yunnan and Guizhou, with developed transportation. According to documents, it was once one of the political, economic and cultural centers of the Yi people's Mobu (the ancestor of the Yi people in northwest Guizhou) who entered Guizhou.
where is yelang in Guizhou
how big is the territory of yelang country? Some experts have analyzed that Yelang had developed to its peak when he built the city coke. In order to expand the region, Yelang Wang successively established cities in Yunnan, Sichuan, Guizhou and other regions. Because Yelang Wang lived in these cities for a short time, it became the reason for future generations to compete for the ancient Yelang country.
Liang Taihe said that from the tombs of Coke's "Southwest Yi", it can only explain the prosperity of Coke at that time, where the capital city of Yelang is, and how big its territory is, and the excavation has just begun. In addition to the Kele site, a number of important cultural relics with local characteristics in Yelang period have been unearthed in the sites excavated in the surrounding areas.
Liang Taihe said with emotion that Yelang culture has its own unique regional cultural characteristics compared with the mature Bashu, Yunnan, Chu and South Vietnam cultures excavated and studied around it. However, due to the shortage of funds and talents, the excavation and research progress of the ancient Yelang culture is slow.
Therefore, Guizhou archaeologists and historical and cultural researchers earnestly appeal to governments at all levels to pay more attention to the excavation of Yelang's history and culture, which is not only of great historical significance to the development of Guizhou's cultural economy, but more importantly, to fill the integrity of Chinese culture. The ancient country of Yelang sleeps in Yuanling
An expert group composed of personnel from Changsha Institute of Land Structure of Chinese Academy of Sciences and Hunan Institute of Archaeology investigated and tested the geological features in Yaotou Village in Yuanling, Hunan Province, and initially confirmed that the ancient site located in Yaotou Village in the south of Yuanling County is the site of the ancient city of Qianzhong County in Qin Dynasty. Among the more than 4 large ancient tombs, the size of the large tomb is 4m× 4m, generally around 2m× 15m, far exceeding the size of the Mawangdui Han Tomb in Changsha, which shocked the world that year.
Some experts believe that Yaotou Village is the county town in ancient Guizhou before the tomb is opened.
However, the records of ancient books show that this area is indeed the central area of the ancient Qianzhong County. Yuanling County, formerly known as Chenzhou Prefecture, is located in the northwest of Hunan Province, with Youshui River in the west, and Yuanshui River runs through the whole territory, forming more than 91 complex river branches.
historically, this is the land of cultural prosperity. During the hundreds of years from the Warring States to the Han Dynasty, there was an ancient Yelang country dominated by the Miao people of "Wuximan" in history, and the jurisdiction of the local indigenous forces also roughly coincided with the jurisdiction of the ancient Qianzhong County. This discovery is expected to uncover the mystery of Yelang Civilization Center.
Xia Xiangjun, an archaeological expert in Yuanling, told the reporter that Qianzhong County governs the Yuanshui and Lishui basins in western Hunan, Qingjiang basin in western Hubei, Qianjiang basin in Sichuan and northeastern Guizhou. Yuanling and Guizhou have a certain historical origin, and Yuanshui is the only way for the southwest to reach the Yangtze River, and it is a battleground for military strategists. Traditionally, Gu Yelang was mainly located in Guizhou, but according to historical records, Yelang had 1, elite soldiers at that time, and such a huge team needed a broad field to support it. This possibility cannot be ruled out. At the same time, he pointed out that Yelang County was once called here in the Tang Dynasty. According to textual research, the position of Yelang in the great poet Li Bai's poem "Follow the monarch until Yelang West" is in Yuanling. Can "Bamboo Worship" tell the story of Yelang Ancient Civilization Center?
Director Xiong Zongren told the reporter that according to the Book of the Later Han Dynasty, "there was a bamboo king who was eager to escape from the water, a woman who was in the water stream, and three big bamboos flowed into the woman's foot and refused to go. When you hear a child's voice, take it back, break it, and you get a man.
When you grow up, you are talented and martial, so the male grows up and takes bamboo as his surname. " This is a folk legend, which vividly reflects Yelang's founding process. Yelang gradually established political power in the late Western Han Dynasty. And "bamboo worship" has become a symbol of Yelang.
Yelang Civilization Center is of course closely related to "bamboo worship". The statement that "Guang Shun Town, Changshun County, Guizhou Province" is the center of ancient Yelang civilization is based on this. Guang Shun is located under the tianmashan, with Beauty Mountain on the left and Langshan and Yehe Mountain on the right. The Golden Bamboo Yelang Palace is located in the arms of Langshan Mountain, Yehe Mountain, Get rid of Mountain and Golden Bamboo Slope. The local people call the ancient city pool Yelang Palace, Old Palace, Bamboo Palace and Golden Palace. Professor Wesley Wang of Guizhou University for Nationalities told the reporter that the site of the broken wall can also be seen. The ancient city pool is 2 square kilometers, which is the largest Jin family relic found at present. Surrounded by mountains, there are only four exits. There are two walls in it, which are divided into inner and outer walls. They are made of earth and stone, and the Jin clan people live there for a long time.
There are mass graves of all ethnic groups killed by officers and men at the foot of the mountain on the west side of Langshan Mountain, and there are arrow factories and camps in the south lake on the east. After liberation, many kinds of cultural relics such as Jin Jian, Fang Yin and bronze spoon dug up by the people in farmland were witnessed by the villagers, and many tombs of Gu Yelang were dug up during the capital construction of Du Fu Lake, which were well preserved, all of which were historical witnesses.
Yelang family (Jin family) has a complete genealogy since Yelang Wang, the ancestor of Han Dynasty. In addition to a few years ago, the Jin family who lived in Zhenning took a copy to write a continuation genealogy, and now there are Jin genealogies in Guang Shun. The Yelang family's surname is Jin because Yelang Hou once referred to bamboo as the surname, so most descendants of Jinzhu Yelang are surnamed Jin.
according to historical records, after the death of Dezhu, the sixth chieftain in the 11th year of Yongle, the eldest son Jin Yong went to Beijing to take over the post of envoy to Anfu, the second son Jin Jian took charge of Houyuan chieftain (now Jinzhu Town of Guiyang), the third son Jin Duo took charge of Gutong chieftain (now Luodian) and the fourth son Jin Jun took charge of Yangyi Division (now Fuquan). At that time, the eldest son should be in charge of the central ruling area, and other descendants attacked other frontier areas, which shows that Guang Shun was in the political center at that time.
Yelang County is around the present government
Mo Youzhi, a famous scholar, told reporters that according to Zheng Zhen, a famous historian in Qing Dynasty, Yelang County is around the present government.
There are also a large number of ancient tombs buried in Jiugui Xiatan, 1 km east of the ancient capital city. Experts believe that the layout and setting of the whole ancient capital city are in good agreement with those recorded in historical books. But whether it is the only capital of Gu Yelang here remains to be further studied. Is the starting point of Yelang's water transportation the first city of Yelang Kingdom?
Xiong Zongren said that the Suijiang River in Guizhou was praised as "the hometown of Yelang's capital city" by Chinese and foreign experts, and the ancient town of Langdai in Mucheng was praised as "the former palace of Yelang's capital city", which many scholars thought was the first city of Yelang's country. The original name of Laowang Mountain in Qujiang District is Langshan Mountain, which is named after the crescent-shaped moon cave on the cliff where the Yelang Laowang and Princess are buried. The origin of the nine-story mountain in Maokou is related to the capital of Songhu, which emerged from Yelang. According to legend, Yelang Wang hopes to choose a place with 1 peaks to build his capital. Because he saw the peaks overlapping in the iron-striking Guan area of the Songsi River, clouds covered the fog, just like the waves of the sea, surging and very imposing, so Yelang Wang stood on the central hill and counted only 99 peaks, but he missed one standing at his feet. Therefore, he had to.
From the special geographical location and the strange and mysterious Zang River, Dabu Wangzhai, ancient post roads, ancient post stations, the goddess totem of the ancient Zang River, the huge prince's grave by the Zang River, the ancient beacon tower and the ancient stone tablet of "civil and military officials dismounted here", all of them show the night.
In addition, the bronze wine glasses, bronze bracelets and silver sewing boxes of the Western Han Dynasty found by the people in Maokou area, the remains of Yelang King and Princess excavated in the Moon Cave and the pottery kettle buried with them all prove that Maokou is the center of Yelang ancient civilization. When people in Maokou ancient town were repairing houses and digging the foundation of houses, they excavated the big blue bricks that paved the roads. It is not difficult to imagine that if Maokou was not the political, economic, cultural and diplomatic center of Yelang, it would never be paved with high-grade and luxurious Daqing bricks at that time. Mr. He Guojian told reporters that the first city of Yelang Kingdom can also be compared with the waterway.
according to the annals of Anshun, the Moon River is 2 miles north of the city (now Liuzhi) and flows to the Maokou River in Annan (now Qinglong). To the northwest of Langdai, Zhenning and Guihua (now Ziyun), Gai belongs to Yelang. It can be concluded that Langdai is the ancient Langshan, hence the name Yelang. From this point of view, the first city of Yelang Kingdom is in the Moon River Basin in Liuzhi Special Zone, and according to the literature records of Yelang Linyu River, Maokou is the starting point of Yelang's water transportation.
You can identify Yelang royal descendants by their faces
According to Xiong Zongren, there is a Yelang royal descendant in Hetangcheng village in Maokou. Mucheng Village is located between the waters of XiongShan Qi, right next to Laowang Mountain, left next to the Songyu River, and surrounded by mountains and waters. There are more than 1 families in this village, and there is a Millennium Ficus microcarpa at the entrance of the village, and its densely exposed roots are 8.5 meters long.
The folk customs here are simple, hospitable and warm, especially the young girls and daughters-in-law, who are dignified and generous, and have elegant manners. What's even more surprising is that the area around Zoujiang River belongs to subtropical climate, with low altitude and strong sunshine. People in this area have dark skin, but only the girl in Mucheng Village has good facial features, pink face and peach cheeks, beautiful figure and looks very beautiful. In particular, the girls have eyebrows and almond eyes, which are watery and moving. The white jade-like teeth and the red lips like Xiantao are coupled with shallow dimples, and their smiles are extraordinary and show the legacy of the royal family.
Mr. Wang Chaoyang, an expert in tourism development, believes that it is surrounded by mountains on three sides, and only the steep Tieguan terrain is dangerous. The Fujiang River has solved the ancient water transportation and production and living water. The land on both sides of the river is fertile, rich in sugar cane, fruits, vegetables and peanuts. It is indeed a good place to use natural disasters to station troops to build the capital.
According to Sima Qian's Historical Records, "He who yells at the lang is close to the river, and Jiang Guang takes more than 1 steps to sail". The Suijiang River is the Moon River with six branches. From all aspects, this area has the conditions to establish a capital city. Besides, the girls here are different in appearance and temperament from the people in other parts of the river, which may be formed by genetic genes and court legacy. People here may be descended from Yelang royal family.
The ancient capital of Yelang has been changing
Professor Wesley Wang of Guizhou University for Nationalities told the reporter that from the research, Yelang's capitals seem to be everywhere. Besides Yuanling, Guang Shun and Maokou, there are also Anshun, Zhenning, Guanling, Zhenfeng, Tongzi, Guiyang, Shiqian, Ping Huang, Tongren and Xuanwei, Zhanyi and Yunan in Guizhou Province. So some scholars have found a new way, pointing out that since there are related cultural relics found in various places, it proves that this place is the ancient capital of Yelang.