THE XIA-SHANG-ZHOU CHRONOLOGY PROJECT: METHODOLOGY AND RESULTS

BY

LI XUEQIN ቦણ՝ (Institute of History, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences)

Translated by (Dartmouth College)

Abstract The Xia-Shang-Zhou Chronology Project is a multidisciplinary research program that began in 1996. The ultimate goal of the Chronology Project is to provide a scientifi cally based absolute chronology of the Xia, Shang, and , the three earliest dynasties in Chinese history. The Chronology Project has involved the collaboration of more than 200 specialists in the fi elds of archaeology, history, astronomy, and ra- diocarbon dating from about 30 institutes and universities. Forty-four topics organized under nine themes, each with explicit, realizable goals, were set up to implement the Chronology Project. After more than four years of study, a new chrono log i cal chart of the Three Dynasties was derived and disseminated in the autumn of 2000. The new chart offers the exact reigns of nine late Shang kings and ten Western Zhou kings, and a framework for the chronol o gy of early Shang and Xia. Some important datum points of the chronology are: the beginning of Xia and that of Shang are dated to ca. 2070 bc and ca. 1600 bc respectively; the date King Pan Geng moved the Shang capital to Yin is estimated to be ca. 1300 bc; and the Zhou conquest of the Shang, that is, the beginning of Zhou Dynasty, is set to 1046 bc.

Origin and implementation of the Chronology Project

From 1996 to 2000, more than 200 Chinese scholars from different scientifi c fi elds, including ar chae ol o gy, history, epigraphy, and the natural sciences, col lab o rat ed on a major research project—the Xia- ᅜ˩డỄ. The origin of theشۄShang-Zhou Chro nol o gy Project ऑ Chronology Project can be traced back to Septem ber of 1995; the initiator was Mr. Song Jian યϨ, then Director of State Committee of Science and Tech nol o gy. Mr. Song is a specialist in cybernetics and

© Brill, Leiden 2002 JEAA 4, 1–4 322 XUEQIN systematology; he is also well versed and very interested in the fi eld of ancient Chinese culture. Thus, he invited a number of scholars from different fi elds related to the study of ancient China to a confer ence in ռˊ to discuss a means of combin ing the research methods of the natural sciences with those of the humanities and social sciences. The participants of this fi rst meeting decided that chronology should be the fi rst stage, resulting in what we now know as the “Xia-Shang- Zhou Chronology Project.” The Chronology Project received substantial government support. At the end of 1995, Mr. Song Jian and Mr. Li Tieying ቦ⾪ᆤ, cur- rently director of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, who was then in charge of affairs concerning the social sciences, cultural relics, and archaeology, convened a conference in which scholars from the fi elds of archaeology, history, astronomy, and scientifi c dating, as well as the directors of the State Committee on Science and Tech nol o gy, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the State Commit tee on Education, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Chinese Acad- emy of Social Sciences, the National Her i tage Board, and the China Association for Science and Technology partic i pat ed. After discus sion, the participants decided together to imple ment the Chronology Project and de termined the manner in which they could best mutually support it in practice. The Chronology Project was later included into the Key Tech nol o gies Research and De vel op ment Program of the national Ninth Five-Year Plan. In the Spring of 1996, a specialist group composed of 21 eminent scholars was established, and 9 research tasks and 36 (fi nally 44) major topics were established. In May 1996, the Xia-Shang-Zhou Chronology Project was offi cial ly launched. The Chronology Project was conducted according to the principle of “government support and specialist responsibility.” It not only re- ceived fi nancial support from the government, but because it involved numerous organizations, departments, and local in sti tu tions, it required a great deal of help from the state and from local governmental orga - ni za tions. After fi ve years’ effort, the research tasks and topics were success- fully fi nished in accordance with the deadline. In September 2000, the Ministry of Science and Technology (previously the State Committee on Science and Technology) organized an Evaluation Com mit tee, and the Xia-Shang-Zhou Chronology Project was given a high appraisal. In October of the same year, the results of the Chronology Project were published and disseminated in an abridged version (Xia Shang Zhou Duandai Gongcheng Zhuanjiazu 2000).