HISTORICAL GOLDEN AGE
Fruitful decade for Chinese archaeology with magnificent finds and oversease expeditions
Chinese archaeology, as aided by cutting- edge technology and the passionate efforts of a vibrant new generation of archaeologists, has been in its golden age in the past decade.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has also urged college students studying archaeology to take the study on as a historical responsibility, with an increasing number of young people being encouraged to follow an archaeological path which is far more interesting than initially thought.
On May 2, 2013, Xi wrote a letter to students of archaeology and museology in Peking University whom he had met at the university in 2012, encouraging them to view archaeological work as a historical responsibility.
Wang Siyu, who was a Peking University student at the time, told the Global Times that it was this letter that strengthened his resolve and made him feel that the major he was studying was not only to satisfy his own interests, but also to complete a mission – to contribute wisdom and energy to the nation’s cultural rejuvenation.
Ten years on, Wang has become a scholar at Peking University and gives lectures to the students in the School of Archaeology and Museology.
He said that in the past 10 years, he has deeply felt the vigorous development of Chinese archaeology. “When we were students, archaeology was actually an unpopular subject, but now more young people are applying to this major, which makes me proud.”
Shen Ruiwen, dean at the School of Archaeology and Museology of Peking University, told the Global Times that the number of students who take the initiative to apply for archaeology- related majors has increased significantly in the past couple of years, and the great popularity of the major among young people has been boosted by the great attention and support from the Chinese government.
On September 28, 2020, President Xi, while presiding over a group study session of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, stressed developing archaeology to better understand the longstanding and profound Chinese civilization.
On October 17, 2021, Xi made the remarks calling for developing archaeology with Chinese features, style and ethos in a congratulatory letter on the 100th anniversary of the discovery of the Yangshao Culture and the advent of China’s modern archaeology.
Shen said the driving force behind the hard work of generations of archaeologists in the past century has been their love and passion for archaeology, their sense of responsibility, and their growing cultural confidence.
He mentioned that Chinese and Western archaeology are essentially different in research methods: Western archaeology focuses on research from the perspective of anthropology, while Chinese archaeology is more based on reliable historical documents.