Drawing on recent archaeological discoveries and extensive research of 11 leading archaeologists relating to eight key archaeological sites - Shangshan, Jiahu, Liangzhu, Nanzuo, Niuheliang, Taosi, Shimao, and Erlitou  - this book explores the remarkable story of how diverse ethnic groups dwelling in what is now China shaped the beginnings of Chinese civilization. Stretching back nearly 10,000 years, before the Shang and Zhou dynasties, these ethnic groups laid the groundwork for three distinct and noteworthy civilizations: the Chinese farming civilization, the nomadic civilization, and civilization characterized by integration of agricultural and pastoral practices in mountainous and forested areas. They laid the foundational bedrock upon which Chinese civilization thrived in subsequent historical eras.