▁agricult ural ▁product ▁of ▁the ▁region . ▁ ▁History ▁Scient ists ▁from ▁L anz hou ▁University ▁have ▁established ▁that ▁w ides p read ▁agricult ure ▁began ▁in ▁Li ▁County ▁around ▁ 6 , 4 0 0 ▁years ▁ago ▁as ▁part ▁of ▁the ▁Ban po ▁phase ▁of ▁the ▁Yang sh ao ▁culture ▁of ▁the ▁Wei ▁River ▁valley . ▁The ▁warm , ▁hum id ▁climate ▁of ▁the ▁mid - Hol oc ene ▁made ▁the ▁area ▁product ive ▁for ▁mil let ▁prior ▁to ▁the ▁d rier ▁conditions ▁which ▁began ▁about ▁ 2 0 0 0   . ▁ ▁By ▁the ▁time ▁of ▁ancient ▁China , ▁L ix ian ▁was ▁part ▁of ▁the ▁territory ▁of ▁X ich ui ▁( lit .   " the ▁Western ▁March "). ▁During ▁the ▁Shang ▁dynast y , ▁Zh ong j ue ▁and ▁his ▁son ▁Fe ilian ▁ ▁controlled ▁X ich ui ▁from ▁the ▁midst ▁of ▁the ▁area ' s ▁R ong ▁tribes . ▁Fe ilian ' s ▁son ▁Ela i ▁served ▁King   Z hou ▁as ▁his ▁body guard ▁and ▁was ▁killed ▁when ▁King ▁Wu ▁over th rew ▁him ▁and ▁founded ▁the ▁Z hou ▁dynast y . ▁ ▁Under ▁the ▁Z hou , ▁however , ▁Ela i ' s ▁family the ▁House ▁of ▁Y ing cont in ued ▁to ▁control ▁the ▁area . ▁His ▁great - gre at - grand son ▁was ▁Dal uo ▁ ▁who ▁had ▁two ▁sons ▁by ▁different ▁moth ers ▁in ▁the ▁early ▁ 9 th   century   . ▁Ch eng , ▁his ▁son ▁by ▁the ▁daughter