Explore the connections of civilizations thousands of years ago

Tang Huisheng (first from right) at the excavation site at the Bahatar site. Profile picture

At the beginning of the new year, Pakistani historical anthropologist Mazhar Alam drove to the Bahatar site, about 50 kilometers west of Islamabad, to make preliminary preparations for the accommodation, transportation, security and so on of the upcoming Chinese archaeological team – the new season of Sino-Pakistani joint archaeology is about to begin.

In recent years, the civilization exchange and dialogue activities between the countries of the "Belt and Road" have been carried out in depth, and the cooperation between China and Pakistan in people-to-people exchanges, especially in the field of archaeology, has been deepening. In 2018, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan visited China, and the two sides agreed to implement the Implementation Plan of the China-Pakistan Cultural Cooperation Agreement, strengthen exchanges and cooperation in the field of museums, promote the protection and appreciation of cultural relics and handicrafts, and enhance exchanges between the archaeological communities of the two countries.

In April 2018, Tang Huisheng, director of the Comparative Research Center for Ancient Civilizations of Hebei Normal University, went to Pakistan to conduct a study tour and exchange, and inspected the Harappa cultural sites in Bahatar and other places. During the visit, Tang cited an archaeological discovery that impressed Alam – as early as 5,000 years ago, prehistoric civilizations in South and East Asia had the possibility of trade and cultural exchanges.

The friendship between China and Pakistan has a long history, but the two mountains of the Himalayas and karakoram are straddling between the two countries, and the traffic between the two countries is difficult and dangerous. It was not until the 1970s, with the help of China, that the first road from China to Pakistan, the Karakoram Highway, was completed. "Thousands of years ago, human beings have climbed over such majestic and dangerous mountains, which is simply incredible." Alam's heart was filled with sighs. In order to further verify this thousand-year-old civilization connection, he and Tang Huisheng decided to conduct another archaeological excavation of the local Harappan cultural site.

In November of that year, Tang Huisheng returned to Pakistan, this time accompanied by 14 Chinese archaeologists from Hebei Normal University, Nanjing University and the Hubei Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology. They met with Alam and his party, and the archaeological field excavations were officially launched.

"The joint archaeological team drew, photographed, and recorded each piece of pottery piece, and found it together one by one, just like a puzzle gradually completed, and our views were confirmed step by step. The archaeological site may seem boring to others, but to the team members, it is full of surprises all the time. Tang Huisheng said.

In Pakistan, members of the Chinese archaeological team often feel the hospitality of the locals. Archaeological work is carried out in the countryside, and the local farmers, who heard that it was an archaeological team from China, always beckoned everyone to go to their homes for tea and were eager to help the archaeological team. In addition to the archaeological excavations, Tang Huisheng also visited a number of local archaeologists with Alam. Scholars from the two countries talked together and exchanged academic research results without reservation.

In May last year, the State Administration of Cultural Heritage of China and the National Heritage and Cultural Administration of Pakistan signed the Joint Statement on Coordinating the "Asian Cultural Heritage Protection Action" to carry out pragmatic cooperation in the fields of joint archaeology, cultural heritage protection and restoration, world heritage, museum exhibition exchanges, prevention of illegal trafficking in cultural relics and talent training, and jointly promote the development of cultural heritage protection in Asia.

"The desire to communicate and communicate is a human instinct. Thousands of years ago, it was this desire that drove people to go through countless hardships and climb over the majestic snow-capped mountains. Alam said that nowadays, with the rapid development of science and technology, we have such a smooth information channel and convenient mode of transportation, and we look forward to Pakistan and China continuing to strengthen archaeological cooperation under the framework of jointly building the "Belt and Road", carrying out more joint archaeological projects, deepening the understanding of each other's history and culture by the people of the two countries, and enhancing exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations.

People's Daily ( 2022-01-14 17th edition)