China is one of the ancient civilizations of the world, with a rich collection of ancient ruins, relics and sites, ranking first in the world cultural heritage. During the Northern Song Dynasty, there was a "golden stone science" with an academic research nature on the mainland, such as Li Qingzhao and his wife who were good at it. By the end of the Qing Dynasty, epigraphy represented by Luo Zhenyu and Wang Guowei pushed their research to the peak. However, modern archaeology, based on fieldwork and excavation, emerged relatively late on the mainland.
In 1900, Wang Yuanzhen inadvertently discovered the Tibetan Scripture Cave in the Dunhuang Grottoes in Gansu Province, which contained a large number of precious scriptures from the Northern Wei Dynasty to the Tang and Song Dynasties. In 1907, the British archaeologist Stein came; in 1908, the French archaeologist Bo Xihe, who was proficient in sinology, came. Later, the Japanese, the Russians, and the Americans all came. Due to the shameful acts of the Western powers, the scrolls, murals, and sculptures have suffered immeasurable losses.
Beginning on October 27, 1921, scientific archaeological excavations led (with official approval) by the Swedish geologist Anderson were carried out in an orderly manner at the site of Yangshao Village in Shichi County, Henan Province, and he named the Neolithic culture he discovered "Yangshao Culture". After public discussion, this excavation is regarded as a sign of the birth of modern Chinese archaeology.
In October 1928, historian Dong Zuobin presided over the first excavation of oracle bones in Xiaotun Village, Anyang, Henan, which indisputably revealed the Shang Dynasty to the world. In 1929, paleontologist Pei Wenzhong presided over the excavation of the Zhoukoudian site, the first to find the skull fossil of the "Peking Man", and in 1933 presided over the excavation of the "Cave Man on the Top of the Mountain".
In 1930, archaeologist Liang Siyong participated in the excavation of the Chengziya site in Longshan Town, Licheng County, Shandong Province, presided over by Mr. Li Ji (the founder of Chinese archaeology), and found the "three stacks" of Xiaotun (Shang Dynasty), Longshan and Yangshao cultural relics piled up and down in the Hougang site of Anyang, Henan the following year, and the "Longshan culture" was famous at home and abroad.
In 1934, Ge Weihan and Lin Mingjun excavated the Sanxingdui site in Guanghan City, Sichuan Province for the first time, and the mystery of the Bashu civilization was unveiled after large-scale excavations in the 1980s. In 1936, Shi Xin presided over the archaeological excavation of the Liangzhu site in Yuhang County, Zhejiang Province, and in 1959, he was officially named "Liangzhu Culture" by Mr. Xia Nai.
Archaeology is mainly divided into prehistoric archaeology and historical archaeology. Through excavations, the close interaction and exchange of civilizations in the Yangtze River Basin, the Yellow River Basin and the Liao River Basin have been discovered, and it is these diverse cultural communities that together constitute Chinese civilization. The remains of millet and millet dating back nearly 10,000 years have been found at the Donghulin site in Beijing and the Xinglongwa site in Inner Mongolia, and rice remains dating back about 10,000 years have been found at the Yutouyan site in Hunan.
In 1974, the Terracotta Warriors and Horses were excavated, and the majestic Great Qin came to the face; in 1987, the underground palace of Famen Temple was excavated, and the real body of the Buddha bone relic was excavated; in 2011, the tomb of the emperor Hai Xiahou was excavated, and the largest Han tomb was shockingly unveiled. In October 2021, the list of "Top 100 Archaeological Discoveries in a Hundred Years" was announced, and those who are interested may wish to take a look. Hemudu ruins, Banpo ruins, Zenghou tombs, Mawangdui Han tombs, Bohai State ruins, "Nanhai I" shipwreck and so on.
The Erlitou site discovered by Yanshi in Henan may be the late capital of the Xia Dynasty, which is still controversial. The ruins of the double locust tree in Heluo Town, Gongyi, Henan, may be the capital of the Yellow Emperor's era, and Heluo Town is located in the place where the Luo River joins the Yellow River, so it is named "Heluo Ancient Country", where the earliest silkworm ivory carving artworks on the mainland have been unearthed.
Due to the disastrous consequences of the excavation of Dingling Tombs, the Ming Tombs and the Tombs of the Thirteen Tombs, the Tang Qian Tombs, the Tombs of the First Emperor of Qin and other royal tombs were never actively excavated. When the technological conditions are not yet fully available, it is absolutely wise for us to leave our wealth to future generations
I have previously written an article "Gene Sequencing Studies Show that the Chinese Nation is Linked by Blood", and those who are interested may wish to take a look.