Abstract: The “oracle bone inscriptions” unearthed at Shang Capital ruins (Zhengzhou) and the cinnabar-inscribed pottery texts from Xiaoshuangqiao site confirm that the early Shang period witnessed an age with mature writing. The pottery inscriptions excavated from the Erlitou site in Yanshi, Henan, show a clear developmental connection with similar scripts from the Yinxu ruins, indicating an evident hereditary relationship between Erlitou writing and Shang Dynasty scripts. Comparative archaeological typological studies reveal that Shang writing embraces elements of Xia ritual systems and clan emblem scripts, reflecting not only the inheritance of ritual culture but also the continuity of a textual memory system. The emergence of large urban settlements in Erlitou culture marks the highly developed socio-economy of the Xia Dynasty, signifying the formation of a state and its entry into the era of civilization. The mutual corroboration among Erlitou pottery inscriptions, Yinxu oracle bones, and transmitted texts further confirms the existence of Xia written records. Although some archival documents may have been altered or lost during transmission, the authenticity of their core content remains undeniable. Archaeology and textual records jointly construct an evolutionary sequence of “Xia writing-Early Shang writing-Yinxu oracle bone inscriptions (bronze inscriptions)”. The scarcity of unearthed Xia cultural texts may be attributed to the perishable nature of writing materials (such as bamboo slips), yet both archaeological findings and documented evidence collectively prove that the Xia Dynasty indeed witnessed an age of writing.

Key words: Erlitou, Oracle Bone Inscriptions, Xia Script, Xia Chronicles, clan emblems