Chang contends that the "Central Plains" people were in fact like all the surrounding peoples, and of roughly equal strength. It's just that later, the more geographically advantageous Central Plains became coveted by all, working like a "magnet" and absorbing other peoples into it, eventually forming an integrated whole; thus was the process of the amalgamation of peoples.
張光直認為，「中原」族群其實跟其他分散各地各族一樣，力量同等，只不過後來地勢險要的中原，成為各家必爭之地，像個「磁鐵」一樣，將其他部族吸納進來，形成統一局面，這便是民族融合的過程。