The orthodox narrative of Chinese history often begins with the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties, while the vague narratives before the Xia make the Xia dynasty seem like a divine being descended from heaven. How can we confirm the existence of real history, so that the ancient and prehistoric times are not just myths and legends? The official book of the highly-rated documentary "Why China," which won the China TV Arts "Starlight Award" and the Magnolia Award, breaks through the conventional framework of "five thousand years of history" and restores ten thousand years of Chinese history with the results of a century of archaeology. The first part of "Why China" is divided into eight chapters: "Qin and Han," "Cradle," "Stars," "Ancient Kingdoms," "Choosing the Middle Way," "Yin and Shang," "Family and Country," and "All Under Heaven." It begins with the Qin and Han dynasties moving towards unification, and then traces back to the transition between the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods. It uses archaeological evidence to write about how our ancestors moved towards agricultural settlement, formed families and societies, established early beliefs and cultural aesthetics, began exchanges between different regions, formed regional ancient kingdoms and early civilizations, started the dynastic era of Xia, Shang, and Zhou, and finally, the grand process of the Qin and Han dynasties establishing a unified multi-ethnic state. In addition, experts and scholars from the School of Archaeology and Museology at Peking University were specially invited to add more than 10,000 words of introductory text to help readers truly understand "Why China is China". The second part, "Behind the Scenes", includes academic dialogues and creative notes from more than ten members of the academic advisory team and the creative team, comprehensively presenting the behind-the-scenes creative story and showcasing a deep reflection on the question of "Why China is China" from both archaeological and documentary perspectives.
中国历史的正统叙事往往自夏商周起始，对夏以前的模糊叙事，让夏朝宛如从天而降的神灵。如何确证真实存在过的历史，让远古与上古不再只是神话与传说？中国电视文艺“星光奖”、白玉兰奖高分纪录片《何以中国》官方图书，突破“上下五千年”的陈规框架，以百年考古成果复原万年中国史。上编《何以中国》以《秦汉》《摇篮》《星斗》《古国》《择中》《殷商》《家国》《天下》八个章节，从迈向一体化的秦汉王朝讲起，进而溯源至旧、新石器时代之交，以考古实物资料写就先民走向农业定居，组成家庭和社会，建立早期信仰与文化审美，开始五湖四海间的交流，形成区域古国和早期文明，开启夏商周的王朝时代，直至秦汉建立统一多民族国家的宏阔历程。并特别邀请北京大学考古文博学院专家学者增补万余字导读，帮助读者真正读懂“中国何以成为中国”。下编《幕后》收录学术顾问团队及创作团队十余位主创人员的学术对谈与创作手记，全面呈现幕后创作故事，从考古与纪实的双重视角，全方位展现对“何以中国”这一命题的深度思考。
中国历史的正统叙事往往自夏商周起始，对夏以前的模糊叙事，让夏朝宛如从天而降的神灵。如何确证真实存在过的历史，让远古与上古不再只是神话与传说？中国电视文艺“星光奖”、白玉兰奖高分纪录片《何以中国》官方图书，突破“上下五千年”的陈规框架，以百年考古成果复原万年中国史。上编《何以中国》以《秦汉》《摇篮》《星斗》《古国》《择中》《殷商》《家国》《天下》八个章节，从迈向一体化的秦汉王朝讲起，进而溯源至旧、新石器时代之交，以考古实物资料写就先民走向农业定居，组成家庭和社会，建立早期信仰与文化审美，开始五湖四海间的交流，形成区域古国和早期文明，开启夏商周的王朝时代，直至秦汉建立统一多民族国家的宏阔历程。并特别邀请北京大学考古文博学院专家学者增补万余字导读，帮助读者真正读懂“中国何以成为中国”。下编《幕后》收录学术顾问团队及创作团队十余位主创人员的学术对谈与创作手记，全面呈现幕后创作故事，从考古与纪实的双重视角，全方位展现对“何以中国”这一命题的深度思考。
