Yelang Wang Jianfeng painting
Yelang country has a long history of humanities. It was ruled by Yelang State in Qin and Han Dynasties, and Yelang County was established twice in Tang and Song Dynasties. This is the most well-preserved area of rice cultivation, Drum Tower and Nuo culture in China. The unique national customs such as "bamboo worship", "ox totem" and bullfighting and dog fighting, which have lasted for thousands of years, constitute a rich and confusing Yelang culture.
geographical position
The specific location of Yelang Kingdom is briefly recorded in Historical Records. It only says: "Lin Yuhe", and there is Dian in the west. Suijiang was a water name before the Han Dynasty. According to the record of its arrival in Panyu (now Guangzhou), the capital of South Vietnam, it is now classified as Beipanjiang and Nanpanjiang in Guizhou. Most people believe that Yelang Kingdom is mainly located in western Guizhou today, and may also include parts of northeastern Yunnan, southern Sichuan and northwestern Guangxi. Until archaeological excavations provide reliable evidence, such arguments will inevitably continue.
Historical origin
The history of Yelang Kingdom began in the Warring States Period, and it lasted for about 300 years from the Western Han Dynasty to the Emperor of Peace. Then the ancient Yelang Kingdom mysteriously disappeared. This ancient civilization has left a fog in historical records. The archaeological excavation of Hezhang Coke's "Southwest Yi" tomb opened a brilliant corner for the mysterious Yelang culture. China culture is a synthesis of multi-cultures. When Han culture rose in the Central Plains, multi-ethnic cultures appeared in the border areas, and "Southwest Yi" was one of them. In Sima Qian's Historical Records of Southwest Yi, it is recorded: "How long is Southwest Yi, and Yelang is the biggest." In history, the Yi nationality in Southwest China refers to the ancient nationalities in Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau and western Sichuan, and Yelang culture is the representative of the ancient national culture in Southwest China. According to the researcher of Guizhou Museum who is in charge of the archaeological excavation of Leke Tomb, since the first batch of unearthed cultural relics was discovered in Leke Ethnic Township of Hezhang County in 1958, the archaeological department has carried out nine excavations successively, but the archaeological excavation in 2000 once again attracted the attention of the state and the archaeological community. There are several aspects worthy of attention in this excavation and investigation over the years. First, coke tombs are widely distributed, covering an area of more than 3.5 square kilometers; Second, the tombs are densely concentrated. Within 300 square meters, more than 80 tombs have been excavated, among which tombs of different periods are stacked together, which is rare for archaeology in the province; Third, the era of continuation is long. A large number of cultural relics appeared in the Warring States, Western Han and Eastern Han Dynasties. Fourth, it embodies rich cultural heritage. A large number of unearthed cultural relics reflect the unique Yelang national culture from Warring States to Qin and Han Dynasties, and the characteristics of the integration of Chinese culture and Yelang national culture in Qin and Han Dynasties. "Cola" won one of the "Top Ten New Archaeological Discoveries in China" in 200 1 year because of its unique and rich regional cultural attributes. Leke site and ancient tombs are listed as national key cultural relics protection units. Based on historical records and archaeological achievements, Yelang country has become an indisputable historical fact in Guizhou, but where is the capital of Yelang country? Further archaeological excavations are needed. The excavation of Leke's "Southwest Yi" tomb provides an important basis for exploring the ancient Yelang nationality and regional culture. The mysterious Kolozim Coke is called Kolozim in Yi ancient books, which means "central city". It was recorded as "Leke" in local chronicles and later evolved into "Coke". Today, among the Yi, Miao, Buyi and other ethnic minorities living in Coke, Yi is the largest. The local people said that the Yi people first entered Coke, and they called these tombs of the Southwest Yi people "human graves" or "human caves". People who have been living in "Cromu" never imagined that the bricks they picked up to build pigsty and toilet were actually Qin bricks and Han tiles; Those pots and pans dug out of "human caves (graves)" are actually priceless national treasures because they are considered evil and thrown away casually. Today, people are full of surprises and sighs. Guizhou, which has always been regarded as a land of barbarians, has actually precipitated a heavy ancient civilization. According to the ancient Yi literature, there are famous cities in southwest China, such as Chengdu (Hume in Ancient Music), Chongqing (Hume in Chuqi) and Kunming (Hume in Laibo), which are as famous as Guizhou Coke at that time. Researcher Song Shikun, an archaeologist in Guizhou, concluded through historical excavation and literature comparison that Leke area was probably an important "town set" or "nearby town" in Yelang country from the Warring States Period to the Qin and Han Dynasties. Coke is located in the border of Yunnan and Guizhou, with developed transportation. According to documents, it used to be a meaningful tree and entered Mobu of the Yi people in Guizhou (the Yi people in northwest Guizhou started from the water in the west).
One of the political, economic and cultural centers of Zu.