Shang Dynasty is the second hereditary dynasty in China history after Xia Dynasty. The Shang tribe began in the summer of Shang Tang, and before the establishment of the Shang Dynasty, it was a tribe mainly engaged in animal husbandry and propagated in the lower reaches of the Yellow River. After the Shang Dynasty established its rule, its capital was Beibo (Cao County, Shandong Province).
Legend has it that businessmen are descendants of the Gao Xin family and live in the lower reaches of the Yellow River with a long history. During the Shun period, the Shang clan produced an outstanding military leader-Qi. Later, the merchants called him "Xuan Wang" as the ancestor, and compiled a ode to him (The Book of Songs, Ode to Shang Dynasty, Xuanniao). After Taikang lost his country, Qi's grandson began to move eastward.
It is a common phenomenon that myths and legends are used to describe the origin of our nation. This is the case in China, and so are other countries in the world. Judy swallowed the egg of a bird (swallow) by mistake, and the ancestor of Shang was born. Although it is a myth and legend, it also illustrates a problem.
Shang clan was originally a branch of Dongyi, taking birds as clan totem. The so-called "mysterious bird born of destiny" (The Book of Songs-Ode to Shang Dynasty) comes from the totem worship of Yi birds. Totem worship is an ancient religious form that originated from primitive clan society. This primitive worship is to associate the origin of this clan with some animal or plant, think that your clan is related to it, and then regard it as the ancestor, protector or symbol of your clan. Evidence of bird totem can be found in Oracle Bone Inscriptions of Shang Dynasty. Oracle Bone Inscriptions recorded the inquiry, prayer or sacrifice of the Shang King to the high-impedance Wang Hai. Oracle Bone Inscriptions wrote the word "sea" on Wang Hai, adding a bird shape. Wang Hai is the "great ancestor" of the merchant, so he added the clan totem symbol "Xuanniao" to his name.
According to modern textual research, Shang is a nation with birds as its totem, and the legend of "the difference between pheasants and pheasants" is not unrelated to the myth that "the fate of a mysterious bird led to the birth of Shang".
At the same time, we can also find the literature records of Xuanniao's business. Destiny Xuanniao, Born for Business, is the most precious early literature about the origin of business. Legend has it that the ancestral deed of Shang was born after his mother's daughter swallowed eggs.
"Historical Records Yin Benji": "Yin Qi, his mother Zhu Di, has a daughter. ..... Three people took a shower and saw the mysterious bird drop its egg. Judy took it and swallowed it because it was pregnant. " There are many records about this legend in ancient books.
"Songs of the Chu Dynasty Lisao": "Looking at Yaotai from a distance, I saw a lost woman. ..... Since the Phoenix Bird is embarrassed, it is afraid to be high-spirited in front of me. " Chu Ci Tian Wen: "What should I do when I am on stage with Judy?" How can I be happy when a mysterious bird sends a message? "
We can also prove the existence of the story that "mysterious birds are born with life" from some aspects, and the unearthed cultural relics also prove that "being born from birds is the characteristic of Yi legend." (A General History of China, edited by Guo Moruo) The ancestors of businessmen are Dongyi people, and the ancestors of Dongyi people are Shao Hao. Shao Hao people take birds as their totem, and they are a tribe composed of several phratries. Among them, the five clans in the first phratry take phoenix bird, mysterious bird, (old), bluebird and Dan bird as totems respectively, among which mysterious bird is the totem of businessmen. Hu Houxuan, an ancient writer, found the word "sea" in the Oracle Bone Inscriptions of Yin Ruins, a sacrifice to Wang Hai, the ancestor of Shang Dynasty. The shape of the word "sea" follows the bird bow, and the bow is also bird-shaped, which is the proof that businessmen take birds as totems. The inscription of bronze money in the late Shang Dynasty has the word "Xuan Bird Symbol", which is the evidence that the ancestors of Shang Dynasty used birds as totems.