Chinese central authorities still working to legitimize their hegemony over the many small ethnic groups over which they rule:

China Focus: 5,000-year-long Chinese civilization verified

Chinese civilization has been verified as having existed for at least 5,000 years by a comprehensive investigation into the origin and early development of Chinese civilization, Guan Qiang, deputy director of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage (SACH) said on Monday.

The investigation began in 2001 with fourth stage completed in 2016.

“Years of large-scale excavations in the ruins of Liangzhu in east China’s Zhejiang Province, the Taosi site in north China’s Shanxi Province, the Shimao site in northwest China’s Shaanxi Province, and the Erlitou site in central China’s Henan Province have provided proof,” said Wang Wei, who works on the project.

On the basis of scientific summary of field archaeology achievements scored in China over the past 90 years, the research team carried out multidisciplinary studies ranging over social division of labor, class differentiation, central cities and compulsory power so as to present prominent features that define the dawn of a civilized society in ancient China, said Guan.

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