Independence of the ancient East Asiatic centre

1929

The East Asiatic cycle of my expedition ended in Korea. The acquaintance made with Chinese culture at its periphery in the province of Sinkiang [Xinjiang] and the local studies thereof in Taiwan, Korea and Japan led me to definite conclusions regarding the complete originality of this important culture, the absolutely unique composition of the cultivated plants, the peculiar agrotechnical practices and the complete independence of the ancient East Asiatic centre, which gave rise to an agriculture based on independent species and genera of plants. In an account of the history of the ancient East, usually all attention is focused on the civilizations of the Near East, Egypt and the Mediterranean countries. Occasionally the treks into India are remembered. The powerful Chinese civilization and that of all eastern Asia have remained outside the beaten path of European historical science. It is only recently that the study of the “silk roads” of western China has begun to shed light on the ancient Chinese civilization.

When studying the agriculture, cultivated flora, mode of life and practices of the agricultural population of eastern Asia, both within its peripheral parts in Japan and in Taiwan and within China itself, there are no doubts whatever about the originality of the great culture, the independent introduction of an enormous number of plants into cultivation or the domestication of pigs, chicken, silkworms and goldfish.

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