Dragons originated in the early Neolithic age, and the time from today will not be less than 8000 years. During this period, primitive ancestors did not simply and passively rely on God's reward. They raise wild horses, bison, wild boar and so on. We don't just eat those picked wild fruits, but selectively plant grains to harvest them. They can skillfully use fire, learn to build simple houses with wood, start grinding stone tools and bones, make pottery by hand, and gradually settle down and engage in production activities. Production activities make people's contact with nature more and more extensive, and nature, as an incredible force outside people, has a greater impact on people's spiritual world.
Why can't fish swim? Crocodiles in the bay sound like Hong Zhong, snakes are eerie and lizards have strange shapes. Why are clouds rolling, thunder and lightning, and heavy rain pouring down? Why do waves roll, rainbows run through the sky, and mudslides roar down, devouring people and animals and being invincible? ..... The behavior of these animals and the ever-changing natural phenomena are beyond the scientific explanation of the ancients.
They vaguely guessed that there should be such a powerful "sacred object" related to "water" to command and manage these animals and astronomical phenomena, just as a clan must have a leader; In other words, these animals and natural phenomena are the embodiment of this "sacred object", just like people want to talk, scream, eat, drink, sleep, laugh and curse.
As a worship phenomenon and an "understanding" of incredible natural forces, the dragon began its "fuzzy collection" from this time.
The "dragon carving" unearthed from the site of the original village of Chahai in Fuxin, Liaoning Province provides evidence for our "time positioning". Chahai site belongs to the "pre-Hongshan Culture" remains, dating back about 8,000 years. The "Dragon Sculpture" is located in the central square of this primitive village site and is made of red-brown stones of equal size. This dragon is nearly 20 meters long and 2 meters wide. Its first mouth is tilted, its back is bent and its tail is looming. This stone dragon is the oldest and largest dragon found in China so far. It is said that there is a ten thousand-year-old fish-tailed deer Longyan painting on the cliff of Persimmon Beach in Jixian County, Shanxi Province, which is considered as the earliest prototype of the dragon. This rock painting has not been published, and its appearance is still unknown. Then there are pottery dragon patterns unearthed in Xinglong Valley, Aohan Banner, Inner Mongolia, painted pottery dragon patterns unearthed in Beishouling Site, Baoji City, Shaanxi Province, and dragon patterns unearthed in Xishuipo, Puyang City, Henan Province, dating back more than 6,400 years.
The process of fuzzy dragon mining began in the Neolithic Age, and it basically took shape in the Qin and Han Dynasties after considerable development in the Shang, Zhou and Warring States periods. This "basic" has two meanings. One is that the framework, elements and styles of dragons were basically available in Qin and Han dynasties; Second, the dragon is an open, constantly absorbing new systems, which is not satisfied with the basic formation of Qin and Han Dynasties. Later dynasties, until today, are constantly changing and developing.
Totem, originally a dialect vocabulary of American Indian Gibois, means "his kin". The core of totem worship is that an animal, a plant or an inanimate object is related to one's clan, and is the ancestor and relative of the clan, so it is regarded as the symbol, symbol and protector of the clan. Many scholars around the world have investigated and studied totem worship, an ancient and peculiar cultural phenomenon. It is generally believed that many nationalities in the world once had totem worship, and its remains can still be seen in some modern nationalities.
The dragon totem was first put forward by Wen Yiduo. In one of his articles devoted to dragons and phoenixes, Mr. Wen said: "In the earliest sense, dragons and phoenixes represent the two most basic units of our ancient nation-Xia and Yin, because people have vaguely seen this in the two myths of' Yellow Dragons are used when they die' and' Birds of Destiny (that is, Phoenix) descend to give birth to business'. Because the Xia and Yin Dynasties in history have been far away from the totem culture period, and the so-called totem is a system and belief of the Xia and Yin people far before the Xia and Yin Dynasties), it is no longer appropriate to regard the dragon and phoenix as the symbol of the birthplace of our nation and the beginning of culture. "
So, how did the dragon totem form? In his masterpiece Fuxi Kao, Mr. Wen said: the dragon totem "is a virtual creature that exists only in totems but not in biology, because it is a synthesis made up of many different totems"; It is the result of the annexation and assimilation of many weak units by the snake totem.
Dragon totem theory began in the 1940s, and has been passed down to this day, once becoming the mainstream view. In 1980s, some scholars began to question the dragon totem theory, and some negative views appeared. In any case, totems are always real objects in nature. Because in the final analysis, the totem system embodies the relationship between human beings and nature. Therefore, according to the prevailing theories and accepted materials in academic circles, it is unacceptable that dragons, as totems, do not exist in nature at the same time. "(Yan Yunxiang)" So far, there is no credible information in archaeology and history to prove that there was a powerful clan tribe with snakes as its totem in the history of China. As for the idea of integrating other clan tribes with horses, dogs, fish, birds and deer as totems, it is entirely out of imagination. " (Liu Zhixiong, Yang Jingrong)
Scholars also pointed out that it is also very wrong to regard the animal shapes or ornamentation appearing on ancient cultural relics in China as the manifestation of totem. Because a certain type of culture in archaeology and a clan tribe in sociology are two completely different concepts. In terms of time and space, the former is much bigger than the latter. Therefore, it is impossible to equate a certain decoration in a certain culture with the totem of a certain clan. Some scholars put forward paradoxes from the basic characteristics of totem culture, such as: totem is the object revered by clan members and cannot be destroyed, killed or eaten. In China's ancient books, myths and legends, there are many descriptions of belittling, insulting, fighting, chopping dragons and eating dragons.
Looking at the dragon totem debate, I think there are at least two issues worth considering:
One problem is that totem theory comes from western scholars. Did the ancient clan tribes in China have the same totem worship period as those in Australia and North America? Analyzing the relevant records in ancient books, the answer seems to be yes. However, according to the general view of academic circles, totem culture occurred in the middle of Paleolithic Age and flourished in the late Paleolithic Age. Entering the Neolithic Age, it tends to decline and enter the class society, leaving only some remnants to continue. According to the physical data provided by archaeology, the origin of the dragon should be after the Neolithic Age, which leads to a problem: totem worship has declined, but the dragon originated. It is against the basic logic of the development of things to classify the rising dragon as a declining worship phenomenon.
Another problem is that the concept of totem has its original connotation and extension, which is basically recognized by the academic community. Such a totem is a totem in a strict sense, and it can also be called a "narrow totem". The totem after its connotation and extension is not a totem in the strict sense, but also a "generalized totem". Strictly speaking, totems are physical objects that exist in nature, but dragons do not meet this condition. They are sacred objects that do not exist in nature. Therefore, if the dragon is a totem, it can only be classified as a generalized totem. The problem is that narrow totem and broad totem sometimes conflict. For example, according to the requirements of narrow totem, totem is not allowed to be insulted and killed, while dragon, as a broad totem, has been repeatedly punished and beheaded. How to explain this problem? If I have to choose between narrow totem and broad totem, I prefer narrow totem, because I think totem is totem, and we should respect the original connotation and extension. If it is too broad, there will be no totem.
References:
China Literature and Art >> Culture Channel >> Dragon Culture