中国远古社会,因为年代久远,又没有确切文字记载,显得一片浑沌。有关东夷的情况,更是如此。后来有一些神话传说,在一定程度上反映了当时的社会现实。现在,我们就根据古代文献和田野发现,来探讨一下远古时期的东夷族及其在中国走向文明过程中的历史作用。一、中国古史传说中的东夷族及其在中国走向文明过程中的历史作用我们认为,传说中的中国古史,可以划分两个不同的时期,一个是各族融合争盟中原的时期;一个是在融合统一的华夏族前,中国两个大部族即黄帝集团 Ancient Chinese society, because of the age-old, there is no exact written records, it appears a chaos. The case of Dongyi, even more so. Later, some myths and legends, to some extent, reflected the current social reality. Now, based on the ancient literature and field discoveries, we will explore the ancient Eastern Yi ethnic group and its historical role in the course of China’s progress toward civilization. I. The Historical Roles of Dongyi in Ancient Chinese Fables and Their Transition to Civilization in China We believe that the legendary history of ancient China can be divided into two different periods, one in which the various ethnic groups merged with each other in the Central Plains ; One is before the integration of the Chinese nation, the two big clans of China, the Yellow Emperor Group