China News Service, Changchun, April 9th: Title: Zuojiashan Stone Dragon: Advance the origin of Chinese dragons by about a thousand years
China News Service reporter Guo Jia
In the exhibition hall on the second floor of Jilin University Archeology and Art Museum, a full-scale replica of the Zuojiashan Stone Dragon is displayed. Its "real body" is now collected in the National Museum of China. The unearthing of this stone dragon in 1985 advanced the origin of the Chinese dragon by about a thousand years.
The Zuojiashan stone dragon unearthed from the Zuojiashan site in Nong'an County, Jilin Province is 4.4 cm long, 3.8 cm wide, and 1.4 cm thick. It is made of gray-white Fei fine rock. The whole body is smooth and grainless, in a curled shape, and the head and tail are connected like a jue. , with protruding facial features on the head and a round hole on the back of the neck for hanging ropes.
A life-size replica of the Zuojiashan stone dragon displayed in the Jilin University Archeology and Art Museum. Photo by Lu Shengnan
In 1984, archaeologist Chen Jiajia (then a lecturer at Jilin University) led five graduates including Zhao Binfu to Nong'an County to experience field archeology. Unexpectedly, they discovered the "first dragon in China" recognized by the academic community.
"At that time, a student picked up a stone ax by the river, and we followed this clue to start our graduation study." Now in his seventies, the Chen family can still hardly conceal their excitement when talking about the "history of excavation", he told reporters , to study the "origin" of dragons, it is impossible to do without the Zuojiashan Shilong. This is the greatest achievement of his life.
After the stone axe, the Chen family led the students to discover some pottery fragments by the river, and immediately reported to his teacher Zhang Zhongpei after returning to school. After Zhang Zhongpei learned about it, he believed that this would be an important new discovery in the Neolithic Age and was of great significance. He should immediately apply for excavation the following year.
In 1985, Jilin Province was launching its first national cultural relics census. From April to June, the Chen family led the excavation of the Zuojiashan site.
"The conditions were relatively difficult at the time. A brewery in Nong'an County dug a well to draw water from the Yitong River and built three houses with wells. My students and I lived in the well house nearby. A group of young people were very motivated." Chen's family Tell reporters.
The stratum of the Zuojiashan site is thin and simple, but the relics are abundant. The stone dragon was discovered in the T42 layer. "After seeing its shape, everyone was so happy," said the Chen family, "because the C-shaped jade dragons of the Hongshan Culture had been excavated at that time, and they were too similar."
That day, they brought a large barrel of beer and celebrated. "The whole house was filled with the aroma of wine." The Chen family laughed happily when they said this.
Recently, the Chen family explained the Zuojiashan stone dragons to reporters from China News Service. Photo by Lu Shengnan
Soon after the Zuojiashan Shilong was excavated, it was transferred away by the National Museum of China, which shows its great value. Later, experts used carbon-14 to determine that the Zuojiashan Stone Dragon was about 6,100 to 7,000 years ago, while the C-shaped Jade Dragon of the Hongshan Culture was about 5,000 to 6,000 years ago.
"That is to say, before the C-shaped jade dragon appeared in the Hongshan Culture, the Zuojiashan stone dragon had already been created, and it was a more primitive dragon-shaped device." The Chen family said that so far, no stone dragon has been discovered in China. Zuojiashan Shilong is an earlier dragon-shaped vessel.
Zhao Binfu, one of the excavators, is now the dean of the School of Archeology of Jilin University. He believes that judging from the shape and shape of the dragon, the Zuojiashan stone dragon should be the ancestor of the C-shaped jade dragon of Hongshan. The dragon of the Hongshan culture is Zuojiashan. It evolved from the dragon of the lower class culture of Jiashan.
A life-size replica of the Zuojiashan stone dragon displayed in the Jilin University Archeology and Art Museum. Photo by Lu Shengnan
The C-shaped jade dragon of the Hongshan Culture is also called the "jade pig dragon". However, due to its special appearance, there is much controversy in the archaeological community as to whether the jade artifact is a pig or a dragon. Some people think it is a bear. Regarding the Zuojiashan stone dragon, the Chen family tends to believe that it evolved from the image of a bear. He said that pigs are the representative animals of agricultural civilization. Most of the production tools unearthed from the Zuojiashan site are fishing and hunting tools, and few agricultural production tools were found. From this, it can be inferred that the fishing and hunting economy was mainly here at that time, and bears were indeed found in the site. fossil.
The Chen family believes that at that time, the bear should have been a common animal during hunting by the ancestors of Zuojiashan. Its powerful power must have attracted the attention and even worship of the ancestors. Therefore, it is logical for our ancestors to incorporate the image of bears into the manufacture of utensils in their lives. "The dragon does not really exist. Its image exists in people's imagination. Its 'evolution' process runs through the entire process of the development of Chinese civilization and is part of China's multicultural culture." (End)