Scholars Debate Which Dynasty Came First in China

Oct 26, 2011
Cheryl Probst

Shang Dynasty wine vessel - Sackler Gallery

To paraphrase an old cliché, which Chinese dynasty came first: the Xia or the Shang? Historians and researchers have differing opinions on this issue.

Just like the age-old chicken-and-egg riddle, the answer has puzzled researchers for centuries. Chinese lore says the Xia was the first dynasty, while modern archaeologists and historians say the Shang was.

There is no question which dynasty was the last one. It was the Qing which ended in 1911 with the abdication of Pu Yi, who became emperor when he was two years old and abdicated when he was six.

Debate continues over first dynasty

The Xia Dynasty is frequently credited with being the first dynasty, and was said to have existed between 1994 BC and 1766 BC. The website China Knowledge of History say many believe the dynasty was founded by Yu the Great, who is given credit for controlling floods in the central plains of the Yellow River. It notes that scholars believe the dynasty may have been invented by later generations.

Other historians believe the Shang Dynasty was the first, running from 1766 BC to 1027 BC; some historians date the Shang Dynasty from 1523 BC to 1027 BC, says W. Scott Weston in his book, China: Its History and Culture. This is partly because there is no archaeological evidence that points to the existence of the Xia Dynasty or any earlier dynasty, Weston writes. The Shang Dynasty was the first to leave historical evidence that it existed.

Lending credence to the Shang Dynasty being China’s first is a list of rulers taken from inscriptions in Shang data. The list is almost identical to one compiled by Sima Quan, a noted second century historian, Weston notes.

The Chinese history section at the Brooklyn campus of City University of New York agrees with Weston that the Shang Dynasty was China's first. It points to the dynasty having a developed system of government, ranging from kings down to slaves.

Evidence of Xia dynasty has been found

However, a website affiliated with the University of Maryland at College Park says in the 1960s and 1970s, archaeologists began finding evidence the Xia Dynasty actually existed. These artifacts were found near Anyang in central China. Anyang was the capital of China during the Shang Dynasty.

Based on their findings, researchers believe the Xia Dynasty was the bridge between the late Neolithic culture and the civilization of the Shang Dynasty.

Still, most historians believe the Shang Dynasty was China's first because of a preponderance of evidence.