Abstract
Lingnan (Guangdong and Guangxi in China) and northern Vietnam have a long history of relation dating back to ancient times. However, after Vietnam's independence from China, the history of both areas came to have completely different meanings for both Chinese and Vietnamese historians. This article is an attempt to discuss the history of both areas as an unity, based mainly on recent archaeological studies.
The topics discussed here are:
(1) The conquest of the Lingnan area by the Qin dynasty began within one year after the unification of the Warring States and that northern Vietnam was outside of the Qin's conquest area.
(2) The Nanyue kingdom established by Zhaotuo at the end of the third century B. C. in the Lingnan area had different control systems over different areas of the kingdom. Northern Vietnam was one of them.
(3) Except that several artifacts belong to early Shang dynasty, all of the early dated findings related to Chinese cultural tradition, such as a bronze pot, coins and mirrors unearthened in northern Vietnam, are dated the Nanyue period, the second century B. C.
(4) The significance of the Nanyue period as the starting point of political and cultural relation between Lingnan and northern Vietnam should be highly valued.
(5) Official seals for special titles and other archaeological facts showing as continuation of local tradition indicate that political control over native leaders and the cultural tradition since the Nanyue period basically continued in these areas, even after the conquest of Nanyue by emperor Wudi of the Han dynasty in 111 B. C. until the middle of the first century A. D.
Several historical issues during the first millennium A. D. and problems about the construction of self-image and historical identities by both Vietnamese and Cantonese historians after independence of Vietnam from China are also discussed.
