The Curious History of Taosi, the Longshan and the Xia

Tuesday, 15 May 2012 13:48 Last Updated on Saturday, 19 May 2012 19:34 Written by Mark Whitworth

The Curious History of Taosi, the Longshan and the Xia

Many in the west have never heard of the Longshan Culture, the Xia Dynasty, Taosi, Erlitou or Yu the Great and would certainly be hard pressed to differentiate between Shanxi and Shaanxi. At best they could identify the Yellow River or Huang He as Chinese but would then promptly confuse it with the Chang Jiang, a name unknown to them as they would know it only as the Yangtze, not even the Yangzi! If Chinese history and geography are impenetrable enough then Chinese pre-history is even tougher! I can state this with some certainty for, before residing in China and beginning to learn about some of these mysteries, I was as ignorant myself.

Researching Taosi, a major Neolithic settlement in Shanxi, northern China, was an opportunity for me to learn more about Chinese pre-history and I hope, with this short article, for me to share this knowledge and my thoughts with you.

If you enjoy this article you may well enjoy The Curious History of the Hakka and the Tulou.

Read more...

Q & A in Qatar 20

Friday, 04 May 2012 20:49 Last Updated on Sunday, 06 May 2012 12:06 Written by Mark Whitworth

None in Suzhou, one in Shanxi and two in Shaanxi

My solo trip to China was primarily so that I could visit the site of Taosi in Shaanxi, the location for much of the second of my first trilogy of novels on Chinese history. Obviously I wasn’t going to miss out on the opportunity to catch up with old friends and colleagues in Suzhou and the holiday turned into one of very much contrasting halves.

Now having returned to Qatar and being able to consider the visit as a whole it was somewhat weird. I was lonely without Andrea and missed her considerably while she smooched up to the turtles in the Filipino resort of Moalboal. Staying in a hotel in Suzhou, rather than our own apartment, led me to forget important things like eating and travelling around in the north made me realise how much I’ve come to depend on Andrea to knock ideas around; I think my observations up there were less for her absence.

I’ve made a careful note of the places I stayed and transport arrangements in the references on the last page of this piece. The first page deals with Suzhou, the second with Xian and Shaanxi, the third with Shanxi and the fourth with Shanxi’s economic base; coal. I decided to spin off my detailed observations on Taosi into a second, more academic piece that will be available shortly and I’ve put so much material together on the Chinese Coal Crisis that I’ll probably put an article together on that as well.

Read more...

Q & A in Qatar 19

Saturday, 31 March 2012 21:42 Last Updated on Thursday, 19 April 2012 11:20 Written by Mark Whitworth

A Jaunt in Jordan: Amman, Petra, Karak & the Dead Sea

It was in our final approach to Amman Airport that Andrea asked what Jordan’s national airline was called, and a few moments for us to realise that it couldn’t possibly be Air Jordan. It is, of course, Royal Jordanian Airlines, which makes it absolutely clear for those of you who didn’t know that Jordan is a constitutional monarchy. And long may it remain so, because a battle in the courts between Nike and this Middle Eastern country over the brand name Air Jordan would result only in a financial bonanza for a brace of fat American lawyers!

Our main objective was Petra, of which there are many details later in this piece, but other sites also beckoned, so for those of you with an interest in all things historical...read on!

Read more...

Q & A in Qatar 18

Sunday, 05 February 2012 21:27 Last Updated on Thursday, 16 February 2012 01:45 Written by Mark Whitworth

Al Zubarah – Lost and Found

When teachers are preparing for a field trip it’s always nice to visit the area shortly before the students do, so as to check for any calamitous changes, increased risks and to ensure any activities will be able to go ahead. Being a conscientious educator (!) it was obviously my duty to re-visit Al Zubarah Fort and City prior to allowing 57 twelve-year olds loose on Qatar’s most famous historical monument. I did so on the weekend of 21st January accompanied by the ever-willing Ms. Kidd.

To say it was disconcerting to find Al Zubarah Fort closed is a massive understatement; when I found out that a visit to the city would require a guided tour I almost cancelled! However, in the end everything went ahead and we all had an extremely enjoyable day out.

I will confess that our visit was saved by Doctor Iman Saca of the Qatar Museums Authority, who stepped up at the last minute to fill in the gaps left by the seemingly insoluble closures; my most grateful thanks go out to her.

Read more...