Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
cultural legacy left to us by our own ancestors. Thus in the course of forming our
new socialist culture, learning from our own past has been found even more signifi -
cant and complicated.
On this issue, I want to give a simple but concrete example. That is how we are
to build up our people's capital in the new socialist era on the basis of the ancient
city of Beijing.
Today I am going to deal with my fi rst topic: “The City of Beijing—A Historical
Perspective”.
Next time I'll come to my second topic: “The New Metropolitan Planning of the
City of Beijing”.
1.2
The City of Beijing—A Historical Perspective
The city of Beijing has been the capital of the People's Republic of China for only
30 years. But her history can be traced back to remote antiquity.
1.2.1
Part One: The Pioneers Who Opened Up Beijing Area
As early as half a million years ago, in the place now called Zhou-koudian District,
which is located in the southwestern suburbs of Beijing, there lived Chinese ape-
men, who are now well-known as “Beijing Man”.
In the caves inhabited by Beijing Man were excavated fossils of the skulls and
bones of primitive ape-men. Simple tools used by the primitive ape-men and animal
fossils were also found out there. These discoveries have provided very important
scientifi c basis for the study of the origin and evolution of mankind. They are not
only gems of China's ancient cultural legacy, but also rarities in the treasure-house
of the world's culture.
Among these discoveries there are traces of fi re used by Beijing Man. In that vast
and wild world, Beijing Man succeeded in starting a fi re and burning it into raging
fl ames, and learned how to keep fi re, thus proclaiming the coming of the age when
man would be free from darkness and begin his early cultivation.
Beijing Man made its appearance at the initial stage of primitive society and
lived a gregarious life then. With the simplest tools made of sticks and stone, they
engaged themselves in fruit-gathering and hunting, so as to keep themselves alive
and breed and bring up their offspring. For this purpose, they had to carry on ardu-
ous and tenacious struggles against nature.
Hundreds of thousands of years passed and primitive society evolved into its last
stage. About 4,000 years ago, it happened that a few tiny dwelling places began to
emerge on the plain near the present-day city of Beijing. This is one of the places
where those practicing farming and hunting fi rst settled down. They no longer
