Scholars look to future of archaeology

Drawing on a century of archaeological experience in China, lessons learned from past excavations should illuminate the future, guiding the discipline forward with renewed purpose, scholars said at the 5th Congress of Chinese Archaeology, which opened on Thursday in Yuncheng, Shanxi province.

The theme for this year's three-day event, one of the highest-level academic forums for archaeological studies in China, is "The history and future of archaeology".

Chen Xingcan, chairman of the Society for Chinese Archaeology, said the theme of this year's congress calls for looking back on history, paying tribute to elder generations of archaeologists, consolidating the disciplinary foundation rooted in present-day practice, and charting a new chapter for archaeology going forward.

The choice of Yuncheng as the venue for this grand event is itself a tribute to the starting point of a century of Chinese archaeology. Exactly 100 years ago, in October 1926, archaeologist Li Ji (1896-1979), who is regarded as the father of Chinese archaeology, broke ground with his spade at the Xiyin site in Xiaxian county, Yuncheng. The Neolithic site dates from 5,200 to 6,000 years ago.

That single spadeful of earth opened a new chapter in history — the first modern scientific archaeological excavation independently led by a Chinese scholar. Together with several other sites where archaeological efforts began in the 1920s, the Xiyin site has been recognized as part of the beginning of modern Chinese archaeology.

In May 2023, President Xi Jinping visited the Yuncheng Museum and called for further efforts to advance the national research project on tracing the origins of Chinese civilization and the historical research on this civilization, and to improve the capabilities of protecting and utilizing cultural relics and passing on Chinese cultural heritage.

Chen, the archaeology society chairman, said, "Today, we converge in Yuncheng to hold the congress, as a concrete endeavor of turning the spirit of President Xi's important instructions into academic practice."

Zheng Yuan, deputy director of the Shanxi Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, said in her keynote speech that from 1926 to 2026, the century-long research journey of the Xiyin site has been just like a mirror, clearly reflecting the development of China's archaeology.

"The year 1926 marked the starting point of self-directed research by Chinese scholars, which focused on collecting artifacts and understanding the stratigraphic layers (the soil, sediment and rock that have built up over time at an archaeological site) and dating of the site," Zheng said.

"The year 1994 saw renewed study after China's archaeological system had matured, with a focus on understanding the local cultural sequence," Zheng said.

"The latest excavation, conducted from last year to this year, represents a new exploration in an era that emphasizes science-based archaeology and the tracing of Chinese civilization's origins," she said.

"By gathering information on the settlement, subsistence and social structure of Xiyin society, we have deepened our understanding of the origins of Chinese civilization," she added.

Zheng noted that the site has witnessed the development of China's archaeology, from introducing Western methodologies to establishing an indigenous disciplinary system, then moving toward multidisciplinary research, and now toward a public cultural undertaking to serve the public's spiritual needs.

"The past century of research on the Xiyin site is the epitome of the growth of China's archaeology, and is about generations of scholars who have continued to study the same site. From interpreting objects to reconstructing society, and from reading stratigraphic layers to comprehending civilization, such sustained research sheds light on Chinese civilization with solid evidence," she said.

Shi Jinsong, director of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of Archaeology, said the century-long journey of Chinese archaeology offers an opportunity to reflect on the future of the discipline and even human society.

"We can see from our experience that archaeology contributes to civilizational studies mainly through two approaches: tracing the origins of Chinese civilization and promoting mutual learning among civilizations," he said.

Looking inward, archaeologists trace the origins, development paths and distinctive features of Chinese civilization, giving it a clearer presence among world civilizations. Looking outward, in-depth and broad comparative studies with other countries and civilizations reveal the similarities and differences between civilizations, providing a richer and more comprehensive understanding of global civilizations.

"Both point to the same goals — to understand the lineage of civilizational development from ancient remains and to unveil the details of historical progress and the drivers of civilizational development. On that basis, we can reflect on the development direction of human society," Shi said.

The congress this year includes 28 professional committees, which will together give more than 570 reports in 28 parallel sessions focusing on different historical periods and different fields of archaeological studies, such as underwater archaeology, zooarchaeology, which is the study of animal remains from archaeological sites, and archaeometry, the use of scientific techniques in dating archaeological remains.

Beyond the academic sessions, the congress will also reach out to the public. As part of the event, 22 public lectures are being organized in Yuncheng and other cities of Shanxi.