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Zhongyuan 中原 Central Plain | |
|---|---|
 Map showing the province of Henan and two definitions of the Central Plain or Zhongyuan | |
| Country | China |
| Provinces | Henan Parts of Shandong, Hebei, Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Anhui |
Zhongyuan (Chinese:中原;pinyin:Zhōngyuán), theCentral Plain(s), also known asZhongtu (Chinese:中土;pinyin:Zhōngtǔ, lit. 'central land') andZhongzhou (Chinese:中州;pinyin:Zhōngzhōu, lit. 'central region'), commonly refers to the part of theNorth China Plain surrounding the lower and middle reaches of theYellow River, centered on the region betweenLuoyang andKaifeng.[1] It has been perceived as the birthplace of theChinese civilization.[2] Historically, theHuaxia people viewed Zhongyuan as 'thecenter of the world'.[3] Human activities in the Zhongyuan region can be traced back to thePalaeolithic period.[4]
In prehistoric times, Huaxia, a confederation of tribes that later developed into theHan ethnicity, lived along the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River.[5] The term 'Zhongguo' (Central State) was used to distinguish themselves from theSiyi tribes that were perceived as 'barbaric'.[6] For a large part ofChinese history, Zhongyuan had been the political, economic, and cultural center of the Chinese civilization, as over 20dynasties had located their capitals in this region.[7]
In the modern concept, the term 'Central Plains Region' is used to define the Zhongyuan area. In a narrow sense, it refers to the present-dayHenan Province in the central part of China. A broader interpretation of the Central Plains' measure would also include Henan's neighborhood province,Shaanxi,Hebei,Shanxi, andShandong, as well as the northern part ofAnhui and the northwestern part ofJiangsu.[8]
The north, west, and south sides of Zhongyuan are encircled by mountains, predominantly theTaihang Mountains from the northwestern side,Funiu andXionger Mountains to the west. The central and eastern areas of Zhongyuan form part of theNorth China Plain. The Yellow River flows through the region from west to east. The Huai River andHai River, as well as Tributaries of the Yangtze River, also pass through Zhongyuan. Since ancient times, Zhongyuan has been a strategically important site of China, regarded as 'The center and hub of the world'.[9]
Thealluvial deposits of the Yellow River formed the vast plains of Zhongyuan in the Palaeozoic period.[10] The region has sufficient water resources for plant growth, making it the center of the Chinese agrarian civilization, known as the 'Breadbasket of China'.[11]
Zhongyuan has atemperate monsoon climate with distinct seasons. It is usually hot and humid during the summer, cold and dry in the winter.[12]
The concept of Zhongyuan had often been changing in different historical periods, under different contexts. The termZhongyuan first appeared in theClassic of Poetry[13] not specifying any exact geographic locations.[14] It was during theSpring and Autumn period (770–476 BC) that the word came to denote the Central Plains region. Only until theNorthern and Southern dynasties (420–589 AD) onward, the term 'Zhongyuan' were widely accepted as a geographical concept.[15]
The geographical view of Zhongyuan may depict different regions. It usually refers to the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, but sometimes also encompasses the reaches along theYangtze andHuai River, and even the whole North China Plain.
Apart from being a geographical location, the term 'Zhongyuan' is also used as a historical and cultural concept that represents the dominance of the Han ethnicity.[16]
The history of Zhongyuan can be dated back to prehistoric times. There were traces of human activities in Zhongyuan about half a million years ago. Archaeological studies have shown that as far back as 80,000 to 100,000 years ago, the ancient people of Zhongyuan were using stone tools.[17] The excavation of painted pottery and stone tools found from relics ofYangshao culture (5000 to 3000 BC) andLongshan culture (3000 to 1900 BC) prove that Zhongyuan was in the forefront of Chinese civilization throughout theStone Age.[18]
After the rise ofErlitou culture (1900 to 1500 BC), Zhongyuan entered the Bronze Age.[19] The emergence of private ownership and social classes led to the formation of the first dynasty in Chinese history, theXia dynasty.[20] The Xia dynasty established its regime centered on Zhongyuan, setting the tone for later dynasties to make Zhongyuan the central region.
From the rise of theXia dynasty (c. 2070–c. 1600 BC) to the fall of theSong dynasty (960–1279), most of the legitimate dynasties established their capitals within the Zhongyuan area, except forEastern Jin and theSouthern Song. It was not until theYuan (1271–1368) andMing dynasties (1368–1644) that the political center of China re-located, as theMongol Empire established the Yuan dynasty inDadu (Khanbaliq, now Beijing).[21] Later, Yongle Emperor of the Ming dynasty moved the capital at his power base in Beijing.[22]
Central Plains Mandarin (or Zhongyuan Mandarin) is the major language and native tongue spoken in the Zhongyuan region. It is a variety ofMandarin Chinese, formed and developed gradually based on the standard pronunciations of Mandarin and its predecessor,Yayan.[23]
In the Yuan dynasty, the rime bookZhongyuan Yinyun (Rhymes of the Central Plains) written by Zhou Deqing reflected the standard pronunciation of Early Mandarin. Some linguists argue that the Early Mandarin recorded inZhongyuan Yinyun was based on the pronunciation standards derived from the Luoyang and Bianliang dialects of Zhongyuan, which had been prevalent in the Song dynasty.[24]
In modern China, Central Plains Mandarin is mainly used in Henan, Shandong, Anhui, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Gansu, and Hebei. The population of native Central Plains Mandarin speakers is approximately 124 million.[25]
In terms of tone, the key characteristics of modern Central Plains Mandarin are: The neutral and aspirated voiced initial consonants of entering tone in Early Mandarin are now pronounced as the first tone (high tone), and voiced initial consonants of entering tone in Early Mandarin are now pronounced as the second tone (rising tone).[26]