The Shang culture of Erligang period and that of Yinxu period, represented by the Shang city at Zhengzhou and by Anyang Yinxu respectively, constitute two important stages of the Shang archaeological culture. Previous studies of the Shang culture were mainly focused on the two major stages, which, however, do not form the complete sequence of the Shang culture, and a certain temporal gap exists between them. The Shang culture in this gap features relative indespendence, so it can be called mid Shang culture. The mid Shang culture can be divided into three phases according to the stratigraphic evidence and archaeological data discovered on the Huayuanzhuang site north of the Huanshui River in Anyang, the Taxi site in Gaocheng and the Daxinzhuang site in Jinan. This periodization can stand the test of the archaeological material from numerous sites across the country, such as the Gudui site in Anqiu of Heze and the Jingnansi site in Jingsha city. The mid Shang period corresponds roughly to the historical stage from the Zhong Ding to the Xiao Yi reigns. Based on available data, the author classifies the mid Shang remains discovered throughout the country into ten types, each of which possesses its own characteristic features. In the pattern of distribution, the mid Shang culture distinctly differs from both the early and late periods of the Shang culture.
