Legends Verified

History is no longer just legend - every brick and every tile can now be verified.

历史不再只是传说，每一砖每一瓦皆有据可查

China is a country rich in legends-from the ancient myths of creation to the esoteric court secrets and mysterious treasures of later dynasties. Though legends are not history, and have therefore been excluded from orthodox historical records, they often contain kernels of historical truth. In some cases, legends themselves turn out to be actual historical events. For example, the legends of Yao and Shun establishing their capitals at Pingyang, certain legends of the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties, the legend of the stone figures of Li Bing at Dujiangyan in Chengdu, the legend of the Buddha's finger bone relic and underground palace treasures at Famen Temple in Fufeng, Shaanxi, the legend of Zhang Xianzhong's "sunk silver at the river mouth," and the legend of the poisoning of the Guangxu Emperor of the Qing Dynasty-all have been confirmed by archaeology as having actually occurred, though they were embellished and exaggerated over time in the process of oral transmission.

This book, grounded in rigorous archaeological discoveries, delves deep into the stories behind every brick and every tile. The author not only traces the broad contours of Chinese history but also focuses on those details forgotten by time, allowing readers to rediscover our history from an entirely new perspective.

中国是一个盛行传说的国家，从远古的创世神话传说一直到近古的宫廷密闻、神秘宝藏等，无所不包。尽管传说不是历史，也因此被剔除在正史之外，但传说包含着真实的历史因子，甚或某些传说本身就是真实的历史事件，如尧舜建都平阳的传说、夏商周三代的某些传说、成都都江堰李冰石人的传说、陕西扶风法门寺佛指舍利和地宫宝藏的传说、张献忠"江口沉银"传说和清光绪皇帝被害传说等，都被考古证明是实有其事，只不过是在流传过程中被添枝加叶，过度虚饰了而已。

本书以严谨的考古发现为基础，深入挖掘每一块砖、每一片瓦背后的故事。作者不仅梳理了中国历史的大脉络，更关注那些被时间遗忘的细节，让读者能够从一个新的角度重新认识我们的历史。