At 0:00 on April 15, the School of Archaeology, Culture and Museums of Peking University released an obituary: Mr. Yan Wenming, a member of the Communist Party of China, a famous archaeologist, and a senior professor of philosophy and social sciences at Peking University, died at 20:13 on April 14, 2024 in Beijing at the age of 92.
Mr. Yan Wenming was born in Huarong, Hunan Province in October 1932, graduated from the Department of History of Peking University in September 1958, majored in archaeology and stayed on to teach, was promoted to professor in December 1986, was hired as a doctoral supervisor by the Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council in 1990, and was hired as a senior professor of philosophy and social sciences at Peking University in 2005. He used to be the head of the Department of Archaeology of Peking University, a member of the Academic Committee of Peking University, a member of the expert group of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, the vice chairman of the Archaeological Society of China, a standing committee member of the International Union of Prehistory and Protohistoriography, and a corresponding member of the German Institute of Archaeology.
"From the study of Yangshao culture, I seem to have found a key"
Professor Yan Wenming began with the study of Yangshao culture and expanded to the entire Neolithic Age, making important contributions to the establishment of the archaeological system of the Neolithic in China.
Not long after staying at Peking University, in 1960, Yan Wenming led his students to Luoyang Wangwan for the first time for archaeological practice, and instructed them to use the Wangwan site with clear stratigraphy and meticulous staging as a yardstick to measure the staging of the nearby Yangshao site.
In 1989, Yan Wenming's 30-year-old work "Yangshao Cultural Research" was published, whose academic significance is by no means limited to Yangshao culture itself, and has an important theoretical guiding role for the entire Chinese archaeological research.
In a media interview, Yan Wenming said: "From the study of Yangshao culture, I seem to have found a key to further observe Chinese Neolithic culture. Archaeology is a research problem, and the study of Yangshao culture cannot only be demonstrated from Yangshao Village, Hu Shi has a sentence that I agree with - 'bold assumptions, careful verification'. To make bold assumptions, we must have ideas, we must have an open mind, we must make a clear understanding of a problem, and we must have baton thinking. It's impossible to make mistakes if you don't want to make mistakes in the first place. ”
The poetic theory of "double-petaled flowers".
"Intensive Reading of Chinese Archaeological Classics" includes many articles by archaeologists, and Yan Wenming's "The Unity and Diversity of Chinese Prehistoric Culture" is also listed.
This is a paper submitted by Yan Wenming in June 1986 for the International Symposium on "General Principles of Ancient Chinese History and Social Sciences". In this paper, China's Neolithic culture is described as a giant double-petaled flower, with the Central Plains Cultural Zone being the heart of the flower, the surrounding Ganqing, Shandong, Yanliao, the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, and the Jiangsu-Zhejiang Cultural Zone being the first layer of petals, and the outer cultural areas being the second layer of petals. The Central Plains Cultural Zone is located in the center of the flower, playing a central role in connecting the cultural districts, and also radiating culture to the surrounding cultural districts, while the peripheral cultural districts maintain their own vitality......
This theory of "double-petaled flowers" is both academic and poetic.
Exploring the source of Liangzhu scientific excavation
As one of the key projects of the Chinese civilization exploration project, since the 80s of the last century, the archaeological excavations of Liangzhu have continued to surprise the world, and more than 300 high-grade cemeteries, altars, jade ritual systems, and large palace foundations have been found here. The academic community's inherent cognition of Liangzhu culture has been refreshed again and again.
The discovery of the ancient city of Liangzhu opened a new era of archaeology in Liangzhu. A Liangzhu territory with the Taihu Lake region as the main body, spanning the Yangtze River in the north, Anhui and Jiangxi in the west, and southern Zhejiang in the south, is finally clearly visible. A prehistoric civilization about 5,300 years ago characterized by rice cultivation, jade, earth construction, and urban construction is about to emerge.
Yan Wenming once introduced in CCTV's "Everyone" program that during the archaeological excavation of Liangzhu, he paid special attention to the "miniature carving" on the jade cong on the spot, and Yan Wenming even commented on the ancient city of Liangzhu as "the first city in China". "This is a very important place for us to explore the origins of civilization," he said. ”
Yan Wenming once said in an interview with the main station: "This is a country, but we originally thought that there was a little dawn of civilization, but when we looked at it later, it was not right, and such a large system could not be built by a strong political power? ”
"I'm just diligent in farming, not about the harvest"
December 15, 2023, Shanghai. The 5th World Archaeological Forum awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award to Professor Yan Wenming of Peking University.
It is the highest honor bestowed by the World Forum on Archaeology and recognizes scholars who are globally renowned, have profound academic attainments, and have had a broad and far-reaching impact on the field of archaeology.
"This is not only a recognition of Mr. Yan Wenming's outstanding contribution to the development of archaeology, but also an affirmation of his unremitting efforts to promote the importance of archaeology to the public for the common future of contemporary society and mankind." ”
Mr. Yan Wenming said.
"Thank you for the high honor that has been given me, but I am only diligent in my cultivation and do not care about the harvest. 92-year-old Mr. Yan Wenming wrote his own speech.
Professor Yan Wenming once said
"Civilization" in his name
It is the fate of his work in the exploration of the source of civilization
This was taken by his father from the "Shangshu Shundian".
"Junzhe Civilization"
There are many archaeologists represented by Professor Yan Wenming
A curiosity that is infinitely close to the truth of history
This inspires more archaeologists
Keep exploring and go deeper and further
In memory of Mr.
Source: CCTV News