Non-Zhongyuan-Centered Civilizational Memory: Civilization Scroll Epic and Poetic Expressions of the Ancient Shu Ethnic Group

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Authors: Bo Xia
Cited by: 0

Abstract

The archaeological achievements of the Ancient Shu civilization are abundant, yet a significant gap has long persisted in its literary narration. This paper takes the civilization scroll epic *Anonymous: Fifty Frames of Life Evidence of a Civilization Group Portrait - Golden Crow Mound Volume* as its research object, adopting an interdisciplinary approach that integrates archaeological evidence and literary textual analysis to explore its de-heroicized collective portrait narrative strategy and imagery metaphor system. The study reveals that the epic is rooted in Ancient Shu relics (including the Sanxingdui site) as its empirical foundation, piecing together the life landscape of anonymous ancestors through fifty "life slices". Its core images are not only anchored in archaeological materials but also endow civilizational memory with emotional warmth through poetic reconstruction. This paper argues that this creative path not only fills the void in the literary narration of the Ancient Shu civilization but also provides a novel sample for the interdisciplinary study of early civilizations from a "non-Zhongyuan-centered" perspective.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Classical Studies and Philology Chinese history and philosophy Memory History Trauma Identity

Publication details

Journal / source
Figshare
Publication date
1 January 2026
Language
EN
Document type
Preprint