Researchers to Seek Origin of Ancient Chinese Civilization

BEIJING, March 29 (Xinhuanet) ^ | 2001.03.29 22:15:00 | Editorial Staff

[vannrox]

I aplaud their efforts.

[Chad Fairbanks]

And then, I'd love them to explain the presence of Red-haired euro-looking mummies found in the desert there :0)

[Don Myers]

bttt

[FateAmenableToChange]

What do they mean by "civilization?" I thought that there were several periods over the last 5000 years where China had descended into complete chaos, been conquered by Mongols and red haird Irishmen, and so on. I'll believe that there's been someone living there for 5000 years, but that's true of a lot of places, including Iraq/Persia, Egypt, India, and probably portions of the Sahara now covered by sand.

[jimtorr]

""What do they mean by "civilization?" ""

They mean the essential elements of the culture. Language, Religion, folk beliefs, food, clothing, legends and stories, etc. All of these and many other elements of the Chinese culture have varied from time to time, but are largely the same as 3,000 years ago.

Before that it gets a lot murkier, but Chinese characters have been found that are nearly 5,000 years old, and are recognizable and readable and clearly the predecessors of todays characters.

Somehow, with all of the invasions and war, the culture has not drifted far from its roots. As far as we can tell.

There is an ancient tradition in China that the Han Chinese, which is the predominant tribe, came into central China from the west, from or through the desert areas of today.

[SpinyNorman]

After their relatively recent devolution into communism, they should be trying to find their current civilization.

[rabidralph]

Al Gore invented the ancient Chinese civilization--just ask him.

[PJ-Comix]

....the world's only ancient civilization that has been developing for 5,000 years without interruption.

Would that be 5762 years to be more precise?

[blam]

"I'd love them to explain the presence of Red-haired euro-looking mummies found in the desert there"

You mean these folks?

Cherchen Man

[Chad Fairbanks]

Yes... fascinating topic, no? :0)

[blam]

"Yes... fascinating topic, no? :0)"

Yes. I have read a number of books about them. The best two are: Tarim Mummies, Victor Mair and The Munmmies Of Urumchi, Elizabeth Barber.

[Sabertooth]

((((((growl)))))

[Pistias]

Very fascinating. 6'7"--I was under the impression that avg. height had generally increased over time. Was this guy a beef, or did he come from a line of beefs? And what was he doing crossing that forsaken desert?

[LostTribe]

Phoenicians? (Word means red headed or red hair. And they were very tall, and fair.)

[staytrue]

some scholars in Western countries argued that Chinese civilization originated from the West.

gee imagine that.

[Victoria Delsoul]

Bump for later (much later) read. :-)

[blam]

"And what was he doing crossing that forsaken desert?"

They weren't 'crossing,' they lived there. There are hundreds, perhaps thousands of these mummies out there. This region, in which the mummies were found, is twice the size of Texas.

[RightWhale]

the world's only ancient civilization that has been developing for 5,000 years without interruption.

Total nonsense. Their claim to fame is that some of them stayed home.

[Pistias]

Certainly had an odd choice in real estate, though I suppose things were probably far different back then...here's a random thought: what if most deserts are like the ones in the Fertile Crescent, resulting from prolonged agriculture?

[blam]

The Curse Of The Redheaded Mummy