Seeking Horses: Allies, Clients and Exchanges in the Zhou Period (1045–221 BC)

Horses and chariots—and the associated technology and expertise—derived from the steppe contributed to the success of the Zhou conquest of the Shang in c. 1045 BC and remained important throughout Zhou rule in ancient China. On the basis of material cultural patterns, including the style and material used in bridle cheek-pieces found in tombs of the late second and early first millennium BC, this paper points to a northern origin for Zhou horses. Important intermediaries, providing these horses, were the clans whose cemeteries have been identified on the northern edges of the Central Plains. The necessity for repeated exchanges bringing south horses from the north was a consequence of key environmental differences between the steppe and the Central Plains, including climate, geomorphology, essential soil nutrients, and land use. These created significant difficulties in sustainably breeding and pasturing horses of quality. As a result, the people of the Central Plains were bound, over millennia, to seek horses from the northwest, along a cultural corridor that also moved northern materials and technologies, such as gold-, iron- and some bronze-working, into the Central Plains from the steppes.

Air Primary Pollutant During 2015-2019 Over 19 Chinese Urban Agglomerations: Spatiotemporal Distribution And Emission Source Impacts

The "comparative attitude" of urban agglomerations (UAs) involves multidimensional perspectives such as infrastructure, ecological protection, and air pollution. Based on monitoring station data, comparative studies of multispatial, multitime scale and multiemission pollution sources of air quality on 19 urban agglomerations (UAs) during the 13th Five-Year Plan period in China were explored by mathematical statistics. The comparison results are all visualized and show that clean air days gradually increased and occurred mainly in summer, especially in South and Southwest China. PM2.5, PM10 and O3 were still the main primary pollutants. PM2.5 is mainly concentrated in December, January and February, and PM10 is mainly concentrated in October-November and March-April. The O3 pollution in the Pearl River Delta and Beibu Gulf UA located in the south is mainly concentrated from August to November, which is different from others from May to September. Second, the hourly O3 concentration rates were significantly higher than the particulate matter (PM) pollution rates from 2015 to 2019. Diurnal trends in O3 concentration in all directions also showed a single peak, with the largest increments that appeared between 13:00 and 16:00, while the spatial distribution of this peak was significantly regional, earlier in the east but later in the west. Third, this analysis indicated that the annual average air quality index (AQI) showed a gradually decreasing trend outward, taking the Central Plains UA as the center. Furthermore, the total amount of PM2.5 pollution caused by anthropogenic sources is approximately 2.5 times that of PM10, and industries are the main sources of PM2.5, PM10 and VOCs (volatile organic compounds). VOCs and NOX increased in half of the urban agglomerations, which are the reasons for the increase in ozone pollution. The outcomes of this study will provide targeted insights on pollution prevention in urban agglomerations in the future.

Spatiotemporal characteristic of Biantun toponymical landscape for the evolution of Biantun culture in Yunnan, China

The geographical environment of Yunnan Province in China and Han migration during the Ming Dynasty contributed to the development of the Biantun culture. Biantun toponyms (BTT) record the integration process between the Central Plains and native Yunnan cultures. The GIS analysis method of toponyms was used in this study to reproduce the settlement characteristics of BTT and the spatial development of the Biantun culture in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. In addition, we have developed a toponymical landscape index to represent the degree of spatial integration between the BTT and ethnic minority toponyms in Yunnan and explore the spatial characteristics of the integration of Han immigrants and local ethnic minorities. The results show that the spatial distribution of the BTT is consistent with the sites selection of the Tuntian (屯田) in Yunnan during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and the centroids of BTT spread to outskirts and intermontane area from central towns. In the Dali, Kunming, Qujing and other regions, the distribution characteristics of the integrated of BTT and ethnic minority toponyms reflect a higher degree of Sinicization in the central urban areas. Exploring the evolution of Biantun cultural development through the spatial characteristics of toponymical landscapes can help adjust policies for the development and protection of Biantun cultural resources.

Shimao culture: naming, distribution, and chronology

By synthesizing previous studies and the most updated archaeological data by typical stratigraphic contexts and assemblages, Hetao region cultural remains represented by li-tripods with double-handles should be considered part of the Shimao culture. With its core distribution area spanning from northern Shaanxi to central-northern Shanxi to central-southern Inner Mongolia, the development of Shimao culture can be divided into three phases: early, middle, and late. The absolute dating of the Shimao culture ranges from approximately 2300 BCE to 1800 BCE. The Shimao culture was therefore a major late Longshan archaeological culture in northern China that stands apart from its peers in the Central Plains.

The Appraisal and Countermeasure Analysis of the International Competitiveness of Tourism Service Trade in Henan Province

With the continuous development of the macro-economy and the Internet of transportation and trade worldwide, the status of trade in tourism services is getting higher and higher. Henan has a long history and rich and colorful culture. As the birthplace of Central Plains Civilization, Henan has rich tourism resources. This paper analyzes the export status of the tourism service trade in Henan Province by using relevant data and analyzes the factors influencing the competitiveness of the tourism service trade in Henan Province by using the diamond model; this paper puts forward some suggestions to improve the export competitiveness of tourism service trade in Henan Province.

The spatiotemporal evolution of ancient cities from the late Yangshao to Xia and Shang Dynasties in the Central Plains, China

The Central Plains has a long history, rich culture, unique geographical advantages, and profound cultural heritage. The occurrence of ancient cities in the Central Plains marks the formation of Chinese state-level societies. The number, size, and distribution of ancient cities have changed greatly from the late Yangshao to the Xia and Shang Dynasties, which reflects the evolution of settlement and social organization. In this study, Geographic Information System (GIS) spatial database technology was used to establish a spatiotemporal database of ancient cities in the late Yangshao, Longshan, as well as Xia and Shang Dynasties in the Central Plains. This paper uses GIS spatial analysis technology to analyze the relationship between the ancient city distribution and the geographical environment, as well as the evolution of ancient city's shapes and sizes. Furthermore, by using the method of the nearest neighbor distance and gravity center analysis, this paper discusses the agglomeration characteristics and gravity center evolution of ancient cities. The results show that: (1) Most of the ancient cities were distributed in areas below 500 m and within 3 km from the river during the time interval from the late Yangshao to Xia and Shang Dynasties; (2) The shape of the ancient cities gradually changed from circles to squares in the Central Plains, which became a unified model for the later ancient city design; (3) The sizes of the 18 ancient cities in the Yangshao period shared high similarity, with an average area of 20 hectares. The sizes of 24 ancient cities in the Longshan period increased significantly, with an average of 39 hectares. During the Xia and Shang Dynasties, there were 22 ancient cities with an average size of 340 hectares, and the grade of sizes became obvious, marking the entrance into Chinese state-level societies; (4) Cities were scattered in the decentralized pattern during the late Yangshao and Longshan periods, whereas they became agglomerative in Xia and Shang Dynasties. This reflects the evolution of the spatial scopes and social organizational forms; and (5) From the late Yangshao to Xia and Shang Dynasties, the gravity center of ancient cities moved around the Songshan Mountain from the northwest to the southeast and again to the northeast.