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The Xia Shang Zhou Chronology Project (simplified Chinese: 夏商周断代工程; pinyin: Xìa Shāng Zhōu Duàndài Gōngchéng) was a multi-discipline project commissioned by the People's Republic of China in 1996 to determine with accuracy the location and time frame of the Xia Dynasty, the Shang Dynasty and the Zhou Dynasty. Some 200 experts took part in the project. The project results were released in November 2000.

Conventionally, the year 841 BC marked the start of Gonghe regency, during the Zhou Dynasty, and the first year of consecutive annual dating of Chinese history. The Xia Shang Zhou Chronology Project set out to provide exact dates for prior to then. There have, however, been several controversies relating to the project.

Methodology

The project correlated radiocarbon dating, archaeological dating methods, historical textual analysis, astronomy, and used other interdisciplinary methods to achieve more accurate temporal and geographic accuracy.

Controversies

There is some controversy over the results of the project. One of the criticisms is that the project supports the concept of a 5,000-year, unbroken and homogenous history of China, wherein the three ancient dynasties (Xia, Shang and Zhou) were large and powerful states—ignoring that many other groups of people (perhaps equally advanced) existed throughout China and Central Asia during this period.¹

Technical controversies involve the following matters.

• First, the archaeological boundaries between Xia and Shang and between Shang and Zhou have been disputed partly due to the methods adopted for radiocarbon-dating.^{citation needed}
• Second, the radiocarbon dates were generally specified with only 68%-confidence intervals, instead of the standard 95%-confidence intervals; this makes the date ranges narrower than they properly should be.²
• Third, the principal astronomical calculation (for a solar eclipse in 899 BC) is incorrect.³⁴
• Fourth, it has been argued that the astronomical-literatures bases of the project are ill-founded. This was partly caused by persistent doubts about the reliability and interpretation of the historical records used for the deduction.⁵⁶ It was also partly caused by selective use of the presumed historical record (which, if used in its entirety, might have no solution at all).^{citation needed}
• Fifth, supposed changes have been introduced into the bronze vessel inscriptions, which affect the entire chronology.^{citation needed}
• Finally, lack of understanding of the ancient calendar further complicated the matter.⁷

Claimed results

• All four phases of Erlitou culture were part of the Xia Dynasty.
• The Western Zhou period was precisely dated.

Chronology of the Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasty

These are the dates for the three dynasties, provided for by the report of the Xia Shang Zhou Chronology Project:

• Xia Dynasty: 17 kings (2070BC-1600BC)
• Early Shang Dynasty: 19 kings (1600BC-1300BC)
• Late Shang Dynasty:
  • Pangeng, Xiaoxin, Xiaoyi (1300-1251)
  • Wuding (1250-1192)
  • Zugeng, Zujia, Linxin, Kang Ding (1191-1148)
    
  • Wuyi (1147-1113)
  • Wending (1112-1102)
  • Diyi (1101-1076)
  • Dixin (1075-1046)
• Western Zhou Dynasty:
  • Wuwang (1046-1043)
  • Chengwang (1042-1021)
  • Kangwang (1020-996)
  • Zhaowang (995-977)
  • Muwang (976-922)
  • Gongwang (922-900)
  • Yiwang (899-892)
  • Xiaowang (891-886)
  • Yiwang (885-878)
  • Liwang (877-841)
  • Gonghe (841-828)
  • Xuanwang (827-782)
  • Youwang (781-771)

Notes

References

1. Douglas J. KEENAN (2002), "Astro-historiographic chronologies of early China are unfounded", East Asian History, 23: 61-68.
2. Douglas J. KEENAN (2007), "Defence of planetary conjunctions for early Chinese chronology is unmerited", Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage, 10: 142–147.
3. Yun Kuen LEE (2002), "Building the chronology of early Chinese history", Asian Perspectives: the Journal of Archaeology for Asia and the Pacific, 41.1: 15-42.
4. LI Xueqin (2002), "The Xia-Shang-Zhou Chronology Project", Journal of East Asian Archaeology, 4: 321–333.
5. F. Richard STEPHENSON (2008), "How reliable are archaic records of large solar eclipses?", Journal for the History of Astronomy, 39: 229–250.

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