When did the earliest civilizations in the Yellow River Basin and the Yangtze River Basin start respectively?
The formation period of the Yellow River civilization was roughly between 4000 BC and 2000 BC, which lasted for two thousand years. During this period, many regional civilizations appeared in China, such as Chengdu Plain Civilization, Jianghan Civilization, Taihu Civilization in the Yangtze River Basin, etc. Its representative archaeological cultures include Daxi Culture, Qujialing Culture, Shijiahe Culture, Songze Culture and Liangzhu Culture. There are Gan Qing civilization, Central Plains civilization and Haidai civilization in the Yellow River basin, and its representative archaeological cultures are Yangshao culture, Central Plains Longshan culture, Dawenkou culture, Shandong Longshan culture and Majiayao culture. There is Yanshan civilization in the northeast, and the representative archaeological culture is mainly Hongshan Culture. All regional civilizations have developed to a fairly high level, which is highly respected by the academic community. But later, some civilizations were interrupted and some civilizations went to a low tide. Only the Yellow River civilization, like the mainstay, is full of vigor and vitality, absorbs and integrates the essence of regional civilization and develops to a higher level. Corresponding to the above archaeological culture are the five emperors in the history of China, namely the Yellow Emperor, Zhuan Xu, Di Ku, Tang Yao, Yu Shun and Tai Hao and Shao Hao in Haidai. According to documents, their ethnic groups mainly multiplied, lived and developed in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, creating a splendid early civilization of the Yellow River. At this time, the society was full of nationalities, battlements, socialization of agricultural production, specialization of handicrafts and standardization of etiquette. The polarization between the rich and the poor, the emergence of classes, and the rapid development of culture and art at this time, the Yellow River civilization is in the formation period of great blending, which can be called the primary stage of national civilization or Chinese civilization. The Yangtze civilization originated in prehistoric times. For example: Hemudu Civilization Majiabang Cultural Circle Taihu Lake (now Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Shanghai, Anhui and other regions) Liangzhu Civilization Jiangxi Wucheng Ruins Hunan Tanzheli Ruins Pengtoushan Culture Yuchanyan Ruins Hubei Qujialing Culture Shijiahe Culture Sichuan Daxi Culture Editor's Note: Sanxingdui Civilization, Wu Culture, Yue Culture and Chu Culture of the Yangtze River in the same period as Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties, among which Sanxingdui Civilization exchanged with Central Plains Civilization. Wu culture is the product of the integration and development of Shang and Zhou culture in the Central Plains and Wu culture. Yue culture is the product of the integration and development of Shang and Zhou culture in the Central Plains and local culture in Vietnam. Chu culture is the product of the integration and development of Shang and Zhou culture in the Central Plains and Chu local culture. Editor's Note: The Yangtze River civilization from the Qin Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty was further integrated with other civilizations in China because of the unification of China by the Qin Dynasty. The mutual integration of regional civilizations in China has gradually produced Chinese civilization.