Local Profile: Anhui Province (2)

The Xuejiagang Site, excavated in Qianshan County, has a long history of about 5,000 to 6,000 years. This ancient cultural site, revealing mostly Neolithic relics, is of great importance in the research of the primitive culture in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. Yu, the historical reputed founder of the Xia Dynasty, had a close relation with Anhui. According to the historical records, Yu met with local lords at Tushan and all the lords paid tributes to him.Tushan is the ancient Dangtu County in today's Horsehead Town,southeast of Huaiyuan County in Anhui. Bozhou was once the capital of the Chengtang State in the Shang Dynasty (between 1,600 to 1,100 B.C), while the ancient Shouchun (today's Shouxian County)was the capital of the late Chu State in the Warring States Period (475-221 B.C). The ancient copper tripod caldron excavated from the tombs of the Chu Dynasty is just little lighter than Simuwu Rectangle Ding, a bronze cooking vessel with two loop handles and four legs, of the Shang Dynasty. In the Qin Dynasty, according to the administrative division at that time, the area north to the Huai River belonged to Tang Prefecture and Sishui Prefecture, the area between the Huaihe River and the Yangtze River belonged to Jiujiang Prefecture, and the area south to the Yangtze River belonged to Zhang Prefecture.During the East Han and West Han dynasties, Anhui belonged to Yang, Yu, and Xu prefectures. In the period of the Three Kingdoms (A.D. 222-280), Anhui was dominated by the State of Wu andthe State of Wei, and was a battle field innumerable times. In the period of the Jin Dynasty, Southern and Northern dynasties and the Sui Dynasty, Anhui belonged respectively to Yang, Xu and Yu prefectures.In the SongDynasty, Hui merchants flourished quickly,economy and culture of Hui Prefecture created great influenceon the whole nation.