Overview and Impressions of "NHK Special: The Four Great Civilizations of China" - Was the Yellow River born from the destruction of nature? Recommended for learning an overview of the far-reaching Chinese civilization.
Introduced here is "NHK Special: The Four Great Civilizations of China" published by Japan Broadcast Publishing Association in 2000.
Let's take a quick look at the book.
The ancient civilizations of the Yellow River basin are said to have been nurtured by the loess. In addition, the civilization of the Yangtze River basin has been attracting attention in recent years due to the large number of ruins and excavated artifacts. The latest research results on the multidimensional expansion of Chinese civilization are carefully introduced from a variety of angles.
The Kingdom of Bronze Born of Ochre." Looking at the title alone, one would think that this book, like "Egypt is the Gift of the Nile," is a celebration of the bounty of nature and the glory of an ancient civilization, but this is not the case. This book, which concludes the Four Great Civilizations series, attempts to review this civilization from a new angle.
The book begins with the shocking story that "there used to be elephants in China," and describes how the Yellow River region, once a lush forest, was transformed through the Shang, Zhou, and Qin dynasties. Today, the Yellow River is, as the name implies, a great river with yellow water flowing through its basin, and the yellow earth is spreading across its watershed. However, according to the author, there is a theory that this river was once called a "river," which indicates the seriousness of environmental destruction caused by urban formation.
Of course, the book does not deal with environmental issues, but rather introduces the glories of Chinese civilization, such as the bronze manufacturing techniques, the bone script, and the remains left by the first emperor, but the author's focus is solely on how nature, such as forests and rivers, contributed to the formation of civilization and how wonderful it is to live in harmony with nature. The author focuses on how nature such as forests and rivers contributed to the formation of civilization, and how wonderful it is to live in harmony with nature. This book transcends the mere hobby of archaeology and reaffirms the original significance of studying history. （Eiji Doi)
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I read this book when I used to study ancient India.NHK Special: The Four Great Civilizations of Induswas the catalyst.
This book was so interesting that I picked it up and decided to start with this series again when it came time to learn about Chinese history.
And it hit the jackpot! This book was another very interesting one that did not disappoint.
As you can see in the book introduction above, the book starts with a shocking story. Since we are here, let us introduce the part of the story.
Trees provide people with a comfortable living environment. There was a time when the vast, waterless North China Plain and the Loess Plateau were covered with deep forests. Recent research has revealed that the landscape of the Yellow River basin during the Shang and Zhou dynasties was completely different from the present situation, and was a beautiful, lush, and fertile land. The vast forests inhabited by wild animals provided daily sustenance for hunters in primitive societies, and the water stored by the trees and supplied to the plains supported the development of agricultural societies. People enjoyed the bounty of the forests to the fullest. However, from the Warring States Period to the Qin-Han Period, which is considered to have been a major breakthrough period for ancient society, the expansion of cultivated land and the mass consumption of timber associated with large-scale construction greatly reduced the forests in northern China, resulting in the serious destruction of nature. As a result, the forests were moved away from human settlements, leaving only shrubs for fuel and a barren land. Today, people are well aware that the calamity of forest recession is not limited to the depletion of timber resources. The land stripped of its trees has a reduced capacity to retain water, and the rich soil of the forests is being washed away without mercy. Rivers become unstable, and clear streams become muddy and undrinkable. Ancient people also suffered from the climate that they themselves had changed. It is a tragedy that the Chinese civilization was born from the culture of the forest, but could not coexist with the forest, but the ordeal caused by the loss of the forest resulted in the development of a civilization.
Japan Broadcast Publishing Corporation, NHK Special: The Four Great Civilizations of China, p. 12
When I read this passage, I couldn't help but think of solar panels and deforestation in modern times.
Although China once had abundant forests, they have been consumed, leaving only a barren landscape... The Yellow River has thus become a "yellow river" with sediment flowing into it.
The installation of solar panels in mountain forests, which is happening in Japan today, is just a repetition of the same phenomenon. Solar panels claim to be a clean energy source, but in reality they are destroying nature by cutting down mountains. Moreover, Chinese manufacturers account for almost all of the solar panel market share. It is often said that history repeats itself, but I cannot help but be horrified. I think Japan's way of living in harmony with nature is now being questioned.
I picked up this book to learn about Chinese civilization, but I unexpectedly learned a shocking fact. I was surprised to learn that the Yellow River basin was unexpectedly a lush green place.
The book also includes a roundtable discussion with prominent researchers at the end of the book, and I was very impressed with the following dialogue.
What is civilization?
Inoue. Civilization is a cruel thing. Only the best parts of a civilization remain, and we call it a civilization.
Yoshimura It is often said that we are an advanced civilization like building a pyramid, and that is certainly amazing, but we were able to create such a thing because we made the most of the first. It would never have been possible if we had made use of the ninety-nine.
Inoue. So one part in a hundred and ten remains as brilliance, as a great civilization, and the other ninety-nine is a piece of algae on the Nile.
Yoshimura Yes, yes. It's algae. This is called a great civilization. Historically speaking, people who have killed many people are called heroes.
Kondo. That is the nature of an organization. The farmers in rural areas would eat a little extra if they had some left over and sleep in peace, but they would gather up the extra food and feed 40,000 people in cities like Mohenjo Daro, and 99% of those 40,000 people, or over 39,000 people, would work from morning to night just to make earthenware and bronzeware. The civilization was to make tools from morning to night. When the outside world sees a group of 50 or 100 people representing the entire population, doing something in a glamorous manner, they think that this is civilization.
Yoshimura That is civilization. Civilization is cruel.
Inoue. If you look at civilization from the side of the abandoned ninety-nine percent, you see it in a different light.
Matsumoto Civilization is in contrast to non-civilization, so it is clearly discrimination.
Japan Broadcast Publishing Corporation, NHK Special: The Four Great Civilizations of China, p. 218-219
I was numb to this dialogue...! I don't know what to say anymore. The teachers who are active on the front lines of the field are so persuasive!
We tend to unconsciously think of civilization as something good and excellent, but it also has this aspect. This is true not only of civilization itself, but also of religion and thought. As a recent student of primitive Buddhism, I could not help but feel this as something very real to me.
Well - this was an exciting book. This is interesting. I was introduced to it before.NHK Special: The Four Great Civilizations of Induswas excellent, and I highly recommend this book as well. I highly recommend you to pick up a copy.
The above is a summary of "NHK Special: The Four Great Civilizations of China" - Was the Yellow River born from the destruction of nature? Recommended to learn an overview of the far-reaching Chinese civilization".
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