Historical Studies (Chinese Edition)

No.1, 2013

 

City States and Multi-state States in China’s Early State Period

(Abstract)

 

Yuan Jianping

 

A natural division in the early state in ancient China occurred during the later stage of the late Neolithic era, about 55004000 years ago. The ancient Chinese state went through the four stages of bāngguó (邦国，a small state with a city as its center and a small population)—multi-state states (方国 fāngguó)—kingdoms—empire, rather than the three stages of ancient states—multi-state states—empire, or alternatively city states—kingdoms—empire. Bāngguó was the first stage of the earliest ancient Chinese states, and lasted roughly from 3500 to 2500 B.C. The Liyang Plain located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River entered this stage about 5500 years ago after about 2,000 years of increasing social complexity. The multi-state state was an alliance of bāngguós, centering on a relatively large bāngguó in which the suzerain state allied itself with surrounding bāngguós or, through armed conquest, brought some of these states into subjection or semisubjection. This was a further development in the early state, running roughly from 2500 2000 B.C. The later stage of the Qujialing culture of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River began moving towards this form. By the time of the early stage of the Shijiahe Culture, the San Miao multi-state state was coming into being. The “diversity” in “unity in diversity” should refer to the diverse civilizations of the bāngguó, while “unity” refers to the unity of the kingdom civilization.