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SCIO press conference on strengthening heritage conservation to carry forward Chinese civilization

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Beijing Radio Television Station:

General Secretary Xi Jinping stressed the integral role of archeology in understanding the rich and profound Chinese culture during his visit to the China National Archives of Publications and Culture and the Chinese Academy of History on June 2 this year. He underscored the significance of conducting research and offering interpretations concerning the origins of Chinese civilization through major programs such as the Comprehensive Research of Origin and Early Development of Chinese Civilization program and Archaeology China program. Could you provide an overview and discuss the value of the Archaeology China program? Thank you.

Yan Yalin:

Thank you for your question. The Archaeology China program is a significant archaeological research initiative established by the NCHA. Its purpose is to conduct comprehensive research with a focus on China's million-year-long human history, its 10,000-year cultural history, and over 5,000 years of civilization history. The program aims to continually deepen our understanding of the long history of the Chinese nation and Chinese civilization through consistent and systematic archaeological endeavors.

In 2018, we initiated three pilot projects to explore the civilization process in the Hetao Irrigation Area and the lower and middle reaches of the Yangtze River. Building on this previous work, in 2020, the NCHA issued Guidelines for the Application and Management of Major Programs within the Archaeology China Program (2020-2035). These guidelines systematically deploy research programs in five key areas and 11 key research directions, including the origins of early and modern humans; early societies; the onset of civilization and early states; the bronze civilizations of the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties, and the early dynastic states; the forms and development of unified multi-ethnic states and settlements; and urban archaeology, underwater archaeology, and more. To date, we have established 18 major projects, such as Xia culture research and cave temple archaeology, and approved the implementation of 427 active archaeological projects. These projects involve 153 sites across 24 provinces, including autonomous regions and municipalities, throughout the country, with 110 archaeological teams from 93 archaeological institutions. Important discoveries have been made at sites such as Liangzhu in Zhejiang province, Shimao in Shaanxi province, Sanxingdui in Sichuan province, Erlitou in Henan province, Xiadacuo in the Tibet Autonomous Region, and Kyak Kuduk Beacon in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, providing brand new physical evidence for China's history of civilization spanning more than 5,000 years.

Through the implementation of the Archaeology China program, several outcomes have been achieved: first, we have made progress and breakthroughs in major fields and key issues. Our research into the processes of regional civilization has been comprehensively advanced, strengthening weaker areas and obscure fields of archaeology. Second, we have promoted the development of archaeological capabilities and disciplines. Archaeology has closely cooperated with the natural sciences, the humanities, and the social sciences. Awareness of research topics and technology has significantly increased, and the breadth and depth of research have been continuously expanded. Third, we have strengthened the archaeological community. High-level scientific research platforms have been established through cooperation between central and local governments, schools and local governments, and provinces. Through collaborative research, many young and middle-aged scholars have emerged. Consequently, the professional and scientific capabilities of the archaeological workforce have been continually improved. Fourth, we have achieved significant results in educating the public about history. The Archaeology in China platform has published 75 important discoveries, enabling the public to promptly understand the latest archaeological discoveries and historical research results. These publications have received widespread attention and praise.

In the future, we will be committed to developing archaeology in a broader vision, aiming for a more expansive and broad development of Chinese archaeology. We will continue to implement the project on tracing the origins of Chinese civilization and the Archaeology China program, shaping a unique and distinctive Chinese archaeological style. We plan to delve deeply into and interpret the five defining characteristics of over 5,000 years of Chinese civilization, which is uninterrupted, innovative, unified, inclusive and peaceful, striving to make new and substantial contributions to the development of modern Chinese civilization. Please continue to pay attention to China's archaeological endeavors. Thank you.