Once upon a time, Sima Qian compiled a series of books called "Records of the Grand Historian", which compiled the history of China over the past 2500 years as of the time of his creation. It was publicly released in 109 BC.
曾几何时，司马迁(司馬遷) 编写了一个名为《史记》的丛书，它汇编了截至他创作之时中国过去2500年的历史。它于公元前109年公开发行。
Since then, historians from both China and South Korea have replicated this repurchase book for their own purposes. In the end, as South Korea developed into a nation state, they established a filtering branch and preserved their own history, but also inherited the past.
从那时起，中国和韩国的历史学家都出于自己的目的复制了这本回购书。最终，随着韩国发展成为一个民族国家，他们做了一个过滤分支，并保留了自己的历史，但也继承了以前的历史。
史记Therefore, claiming that East Asia has a history of 5000 years seems to be a rounding error, as 4623 ± n years (where n is unknown) is a difficult number to remember.
因此，声称东亚有5000年的历史似乎是一个四舍五入的错误，因为4623±n年（其中n未知）是一个很难记住的数字。
Even though there have been political divisions in this land at different times throughout history, it is no exaggeration to say that China has been a continuous cultural entity (civilized country) since the establishment of the Qin Dynasty in 221 BC. Prior to this, China was a collection of warring countries. But this cannot be called a civil war, because the entity 'China' does not yet exist. If you go back in the past and ask someone where they come from, they will answer, 'I am from the Qin state (Qin people), or I am from Qi (Qi people).'
即使在整个历史上，这片土地在不同时期都存在政治分裂，但可以毫不夸张地说，至少自公元前221年秦朝建立以来，中国一直是一个连续的文化实体（文明国家）。在此之前，中国是交战国家的集合体。但这不可能被称为内战，因为“中国”这个实体还不存在，如果你回到过去问某人来自哪里，他们会回答，我来自秦国(秦國人), 或者我是齐人(齊國人).
Is the events before 221 BC a part of Chinese history? This is controversial, but with the help of Sima Qian, most consensus is affirmative.
公元前221年之前的事件是中国历史的一部分吗？这是有争议的，但由于司马迁的帮助，大多数共识是肯定的。
North Korea also had its own period of melee, with the first unification of the Korean Peninsula under the rule of Goryeo (Goryeo) in 918 AD. As early as the Han Dynasty's Sima Qian era, there was a kingdom on the Korean Peninsula called Wei Man Korea (Wei Man), which did not control the entire peninsula. Because the Emperor of Han believed that Wei Manchu Korea would ally with the Huns, who were the deadly nomad in his Chinese territory, he sent a military expedition to destroy Wei Manchu, and finally they destroyed Wei Manchu Korea and became the "directly administered territory", namely the four prefectures of Han (Han Sijun).
朝鲜也有自己的混战时期，朝鲜半岛在高丽统治下首次统一(高麗) 公元918年。早在汉代司马迁时代，朝鲜半岛上就有一个王国，名叫卫满朝鲜(衛滿), 它并没有控制整个半岛。因为汉皇帝认为卫满朝鲜将与匈奴结盟，匈奴是他中国领土上致命的游牧民族，他派遣军事远征队消灭卫满，最终他们消灭了卫满朝鲜，并成为“直辖领土”，即汉四郡(漢四郡)。
Since then until 918 AD, the Korean Peninsula has been shared by the Chinese, former Manchus, former Mongols, and former Koreans. If you go back to the past and ask someone where they come from, will they answer 'I am Korean'? Maybe not. They will say I am from Baekje (백제사람) or Sillian (신라사람)
从那时起到公元918年，朝鲜半岛一直由中国人、原满洲人、原蒙古人和原朝鲜人共享。如果你回到过去，问某人来自哪里，他们会回答“我是韩国人”吗？可能不会。他们会说我是百济人(백제사람), 或Sillian(신라사람).
夸张的高丽地图
Is the events before 918 AD a part of Korean history? This is still controversial. For any self-respecting Korean (North Korea, South Korea, or overseas), the answer is definitely yes. For others, read more and discover for yourself.
公元918年之前的事件是韩国历史的一部分吗？这还有争议。对于任何自尊自重的（朝鲜、韩国或海外）韩国人来说，答案肯定是肯定的。对于其他人来说，多读一些，自己去发现。
Returning to the question:
回到问题上来：
Which has a longer history, China or South Korea?
中国和韩国哪个历史更长？
If we start from clear unification: China (221 BC) vs. Korea (918 AD)
如果从明确的统一开始计算：中国（公元前221年）对韩国（公元918年）
If we include cultural primitive history *: China (approximately 1600 BC) and South Korea (approximately 109 BC)
如果算上文化原始历史*：中国（约公元前1600年）与韩国（约公元后109年）
If we include the history of the Neolithic Age: China (8500 BC) and South Korea (8000 BC)
如果算上新石器时代的历史**：中国（公元前8500年）与韩国（公元前8000年）
China has a longer history.
中国有着更悠久的历史。
*Since the Xia Dynasty (approximately 2100 BC to approximately 1600 BC) is now considered semi mythological, to be fair, I exclude it from this comparison.
*由于夏朝（约公元前2100年至约公元前1600年）现在被认为是半神话的，公平地说，我把它排除在这个比较之外。
**The oldest archaeological evidence for the existence of humans in "China" is from 8500 BC, while the oldest evidence for "South Korea" is from 8000 BC.
**关于“中国”存在人类的最古老考古证据是公元前8500年，而“韩国”最古老的是公元前8000年。
If we start the definition of 'history' from the first known written records of events, then China's claim of 5000 years of history is' wrong '. As for China, these can only be traced back to 2000 BC, which means that China has a history of approximately 4000 years. The actual written records, in the form of the scapula of a cow and the breastplate of a tortoise (the "oracle bone inscription" inscription of the Shang Dynasty), can be traced back to about 1800 BC. Some historians believe that the date of the Shang Dynasty is more recent. Legends and early history both have good historical evidence about the Xia Dynasty, but historians have not yet reached a consensus on the scope or date of the Xia Dynasty, or whether it can truly be called a "Chinese" country.
如果我们将“历史”的定义从已知的第一批书面事件记录开始，那么中国声称拥有5000年历史是“错误的”。就中国而言，这些只能追溯到公元前2000年，这意味着中国有大约4000年的历史。实际的书面记录，以牛的肩胛骨和乌龟的胸甲（商代的“甲骨文”铭文）的形式，可以追溯到大约公元前1800年，一些历史学家认为商代的日期更近。传说和早期历史都有关于夏朝的良好历史证据，但历史学家对夏朝的范围或日期，或者它是否真的可以被称为“中国”国家，还没有达成共识。
For South Korea, if we use the same strict standards and definitions for it, we can only truly trace its "history" back to the 8th century BC, where we do have historical records. By a more lenient standard, history can be traced back to 2333 BC, equivalent to China. But apart from these two countries, no serious historian truly accepts the claim of 'five thousand years of history'.
对于韩国来说，如果我们对韩国使用同样严格的标准和定义，我们只能真正将其“历史”追溯到公元前8世纪，在那里我们确实有历史记录。以一个更宽松的标准来看，历史可以追溯到公元前2333年，与中国相当。但除了这两个国家之外，没有一个严肃的历史学家真正接受“五千年历史”的说法。
China has written records of the Shang Dynasty about 3600 years ago, indicating that China has existed as a unique entity. This seems to be a fusion of several older cultures. Assuming it existed 4000 years ago, perhaps during the Xia Dynasty, this seems reasonable. More speculatively, as early as 5000 years ago, cultures from various sources had been integrated, which would exceed the estimated age of the Xia Dynasty and enter the era of "Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors and five emperors", which is obviously a myth. This statement has a history of 4000 years in the past, which is likely correct.
中国有大约3600年前商代的文字记录，表明中国已经作为一个独特的实体存在。这似乎是几个更古老的文化的融合。假设它存在于4000年前，也许是夏朝，这似乎是合理的。更具推测性的是，早在5000年前，各种来源的文化就已经融合在一起，这将超过夏朝的估计年龄，进入“三皇五帝”时代，这显然是神话。这种说法过去有4000年的历史，这很可能是正确的。
Cultures from various sources existed over 5000 years ago, and in today's China, it is a unique Bronze Age, but there are also unique signs. Some symbols known as the ancestors of Chinese characters were used. But it is more likely that existing symbols are used when appropriate when designing written languages.
各种来源的文化存在于5000多年前，在现在的中国是一个独特的青铜时代，但也有独特的迹象。使用了一些被称为汉字祖先的符号。但更有可能的是，在设计书面语言时，在合适的时候使用了现有的符号。
As for South Korea, it also has an ancient origin. But when they merge to form an entity that can be called Korea, it becomes even more meaningless. There are several different traditions in present-day Korea and later Manchuria. Some parts of present-day North Korea are ruled by the early Chinese Empire, and each Korean kingdom is usually a nominal vassal of China, or at least a vassal of northern China. I doubt whether there was a recognized South Korea 5000 or 4000 years ago. So China is even older.
至于韩国，它也有着古老的起源。但当他们合并成立一个可以被称为韩国的实体时，就更没有意义了。在现在的朝鲜和后来的满洲，有几种不同的传统。现在的朝鲜部分地区由早期的中国帝国统治，各个朝鲜王国通常是统治中国的名义上的附庸，或者至少是统治中国北部的附庸。我怀疑在5000年或4000年前是否有一个公认的韩国。所以中国更古老。
China is also considered to be the oldest continuous civilization, unless you think the older Indus Valley Civilization has continuity with the later Hindu culture. (There is a lot of controversy, but most Western experts say not.) If it works, it would be over 5000 years, but it is widely believed that the Indo European language family originated somewhere between the Baltic Sea and Anatolia, brought to India by invaders who replaced ancient cultures that had already disintegrated during the spontaneous collapse of many early civilizations.
中国也被认为是最古老的连续文明，除非你认为更古老的印度河流域文明与后来的印度教文化有连续性。（有很大争议，但大多数西方专家表示没有。）如果有效的话，这将超过5000年，但人们普遍认为，印欧语系起源于波罗的海和安纳托利亚之间的某个地方，是由入侵者带到印度的，他们取代了在许多早期文明自发崩溃中已经分崩离析的古老文化。
Is the history of South Korea really 6000 years old? Of course not!
韩国的历史真的有很多韩国人所说的6000年吗？当然不是！
South Korea has a history of 2700 years. In ancient Chinese literature around 700 BC, it was mentioned as a group of tribal people who began trading with them.
韩国有2700年的历史。在公元前700年左右的中国古代文献中，它被提到是一群开始与他们进行贸易的部落人。
The modern Korean government seems to have built its history on pottery discovered on its land during archaeological excavations. Therefore, this is meaningless.
现代韩国政府似乎将其历史建立在考古发掘期间在其土地上发现的陶器之上。因此，这毫无意义。
Just like I dug up some 12000 year old jars in Portugal, does this mean that Portugal has a history of 12000 years as a country? Of course not!
就像我在葡萄牙挖出一些有12000年历史的罐子一样，这是否意味着葡萄牙作为一个国家已经有12000年的历史了？当然不是！
During that long period, different tribes and civilizations lived on these lands. Therefore, simply because modern people live there now does not give them the right to claim any connection between their country and these cultural relics.
在那段漫长的时间里，不同的部落和文明居住在这些土地上。因此，仅仅因为现代人现在住在那里，并不能让他们有权声称他们的国家与这些文物有任何关系。
The Koreans came from the north. They were all nomad until about 3000 BC. They did not work in agriculture, nor did they know calendar, architecture or writing. How can they claim to have a history of 5000 or 9000 years?
韩国人来自北方，直到公元前3000年左右都是游牧民族，他们不务农，也不知道日历、建筑或写作。他们怎么能声称拥有5000年或9000年的历史？
The pottery they excavated is likely made by a culture that resided on the peninsula before the arrival of Korean tribes from the north. Let South Korea have a history of up to 2700 years.
他们挖掘的陶器很可能是朝鲜部落从北方到来之前居住在半岛上的文化所制作的。让韩国最多有2700年的历史。
People also believe that South Korea is not as important as China and Japan, and they are not interested in South Korea.
人们也认为韩国没有中国和日本那么重要，他们对韩国也不感兴趣。
Secondly, compared to the two countries, we severely lack historical books recorded by Koreans. Therefore, we must rely on the historical records of the Chinese and even Japan to talk about our history.
其次，与两国相比，我们严重缺乏韩国人记录的历史书籍。因此，我们必须依靠中国人，甚至日本的历史记录来谈论我们的历史。
Thirdly, history is written by winners, and South Korea is rarely a winner. Even when we win, we hardly leave any record of what happened.
第三，历史是由胜利者书写的，韩国很少是胜利者。即使在我们获胜的时候，我们也几乎没有留下任何关于到底发生了什么的记录。
This is my description of the history of these three countries:
这是我对这三个国家历史的描述：
Five hundred years ago, China was still one of the most advanced countries, but it had never experienced a situation as bad as modern times. South Korea is happy because we are isolated and have no idea what has happened outside this bloody peninsula. Japan began to realize that the world was not just about China, and began to establish connections with the West.
五百年前，中国仍然是最先进的国家之一，但从未经历过像近代那样糟糕的情况。韩国很高兴，因为我们很孤立，根本不知道这个血腥的半岛外到底发生了什么。日本开始意识到这个世界不仅仅有中国，并开始与西方建立联系。
A thousand years ago, China was one of the most advanced countries. Japan is also good, South Korea is busy imitating China.
一千年前，中国是最先进的国家之一。日本也不错，韩国正忙于模仿中国。
When you think of China, you will think of its grandeur, long history, powerful empire, groundbreaking inventions, and centuries of literature and art. This is because China is the largest country in Asia (Russia is culturally so Europeanized that it is not included here, as foreigners are often attracted to "exotic" countries).
当你想到中国时，你会想到宏伟、悠久的历史、强大的帝国、开创性的发明、数百年的文学和艺术。这是因为中国是亚洲最大的国家（俄罗斯在文化上是如此的欧洲化，在这里并不算在内，因为外国人往往会被“异国情调”的国家所吸引）。
When you think of Japan, you think of geisha, ninjas, samurai, feudalism, shogunate, art, and literature. Why is it rarely known to the world throughout Japan's entire history? Because it was the first East Asian country to successfully open up to the West. So much so that in terms of privileges and recognition, it is actually a European country.
当你想到日本时，你会想到艺伎、忍者、武士、封建主义、幕府、艺术和文学。为什么在日本的整个历史中，它很少为世界所知？因为它是第一个成功向西方开放的东亚国家。如此之多，以至于就特权和承认而言，它实际上是一个欧洲国家。
South Korea has been a source of interest for people in recent decades. Despite its rich history, few people are interested in it. Why is that? Because South Korea only focuses on exporting and promoting its modern culture, especially Korean pop music and Korean drama. Both of these are very modern. Works with a large amount of traditional or historical elements are rarely given attention. Compared to other works such as romance, Sageuk is not as popular as a genre. Most popular Korean pop songs are rarely related to history. Perhaps Hanbok and musical instruments can be seen everywhere, but they are also highly modern. I don't think much about history and its rich culture.
韩国近几十年来，它一直是人们感兴趣的来源。尽管有着如此丰富的历史，但很少有人对它感兴趣。为什么会这样？因为韩国只专注于出口和宣传其现代文化：尤其是韩国流行音乐和韩国戏剧。这两者都非常现代。那些具有大量传统或历史元素的作品很少被关注。与浪漫等其他作品相比，Sageuk作为一种流派并不那么受欢迎。大多数流行的韩国流行歌曲很少与历史有关。也许韩服和乐器随处可见，但它们也高度现代化。对历史及其丰富的文化没有太多的思考。
Generally speaking, the dominant culture in East Asia is China. Throughout the history of the region, people believe that you are either China or have traveled around China. It was not until modern history that Japan attempted to challenge this order and claimed to be a dominant cultural force.
一般来说，东亚地区的主导文化是中国。纵观该地区的历史，人们认为你要么是中国，要么是绕着中国转。直到近代史上，日本才试图挑战这一秩序，并宣称自己也是一股主导文化力量。
Therefore, most of Asia's resources will be concentrated in Chinese or Japanese culture, as they are the dominant culture. If I were to make an analogy in European history, it would be similar to France and Britain. For most of European history, the dominant culture was French culture, and all other cultures developed around French culture. It was not until modern history that Britain attempted to challenge this order through more colonization than France. When people think of Europe, they either jump to Paris or London, that's all. If you mention the history of Poland or Austria, people may scratch their heads.
因此，亚洲的大多数资源将集中在中国或日本文化上，因为它们是主导文化。如果我在欧洲历史上做一个类比，它将类似于法国和英国。在欧洲历史的大部分时间里，主导文化是法国文化，所有其他文化都围绕着法国文化发展。直到近代历史上，英国才试图通过比法国更多的殖民来挑战这一秩序。当人们想到欧洲时，他们要么跳到巴黎，要么跳到伦敦，仅此而已。如果你提到波兰或奥地利的历史，人们可能会挠头。
This is basically the same as East Asian countries, which are not China or Japan. South Korea has always been regarded as a satellite state of Chinese culture, but recently, it has almost been regarded as a split between the influence of China and Japan. As someone who has studied Korean history, I even know that the Korean writing system was developed for uneducated individuals who do not want to learn Chinese characters. The entire dynasty known as the Korean Dynasty was centered around Confucian teachings.
这与东亚国家基本相同，这些国家不是中国或日本。韩国一直被认为是中国文化的卫星国，而最近，它几乎被视为中国和日本影响力的分裂。作为一个研究过韩国历史的人，我甚至知道韩国书写系统是为那些不希望学习汉字的未受过教育的人开发的。整个被称为朝鲜王朝的王朝都以儒家教义为中心。
Geographically speaking, South Korea is more restricted than China or Japan. It doesn't have enough space to stretch. My theory suggests that this may have forced South Korea into a more homogeneous society, where individualism has been suppressed. This means that compared to China or Japan, South Korea has less personal creativity and places more emphasis on social unity. However, I believe the advantage of doing so is that compared to China or Japan, there will be fewer uprisings and turmoil in South Korea. Even if the country is divided, there has never been large-scale violence or conflict like the resurgence of Japanese militarism under Shinzo Abe's leadership.
从地理位置上讲，韩国比中国或日本更受限制。它没有足够的空间伸展。我的理论认为，这可能迫使韩国进入了一个更加同质的社会，个人主义受到了压制。这意味着，与中国或日本相比，韩国的个人创造力较少，更注重社会统一。不过，我认为这样做的好处是，与中国或日本相比，韩国的起义和动乱将减少。即使国家分裂，也从未发生过像安倍晋三领导下的日本军国主义死灰复燃那样的大规模暴力或冲突。