Viewing page 7 of 182

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

7

II. p. 272). As it stands now, this is evidently wrong, apart from the fact that it is not the orthodox interpretation in Chinese. Wherever Hsiang might be, the location of Yin-hsü mentioned in the Biography of Hsiang Yü could not be in Nei-huang.

It has often been asked how long was this place occupied by the Royal House of the Yin Dynasty as its capital? If P'an-keng was to be considered the founder of this capital, in whose time or region was it abandoned? This is undoubtedly one of the most thorny questions, and could not be discussed till [[strikethrough]] the final chapter, [[/strikethrough]] after all the important artifacts shall have been duly described. It seems to be more profitable in this connection to dwell on certain points about which we can secure more reliable historical records.

It is a well-known fact that in the beginning of the reign of the Chou Dynasty, the capital was located somewhere near the present city of Si-an Fu([[四安府]]); later on it was moved to Lo-yang([[洛陽]]). After Wu-wang's([[武王]]) final victory over ^[[Yin]] [[strikethrough]] Chou [[/strikethrough]], he divided the newly conquered territory among his captains; the Shang people were forced to emigrate to other places. This was done, no doubt, for political expediency; but its cultural consequences are even more important. Pei-meng, or Yin-hsü,as it is known to-day, from this time onward became gradually a buried past; the glory that it once enjoyed was soon forgotten.

All [[superscript]]9[[/superscript]] over the period of the Chou Dynasty, what can be ascertained of the place that was once the social and political center of the Shang people is that it was at first incorporated into the kingdom of Wei([[魏]]),--later on, it passed into the Chin([[晉]]) State,

[[line across page]]

[[footnote]] 9. This paragraph is mainly based on the yuan-ko liao of Chang-te fu chi and An-yang hsien chi.