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, passed away 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.
According to the obituary, Mr. Yan Wenming is the main designer and leader of the archaeology discipline and talent training system of Peking University, the founder of the discipline system of Neolithic archaeology in China, the leader of the development of archaeology in China, the thinker of Chinese archaeology and cultural heritage protection, and an outstanding archaeological educator, who has cultivated many outstanding talents for the cause of archaeology and cultural heritage protection in China and even the world, and is a banner in the field of Chinese archaeology.
The passing of Mr. Yan Wenming is a great loss to Peking University and to the cause of archaeology in China.
Laid the system of Yangshao archaeology and Neolithic archaeology
Starting from the excellent research of Yangshao culture, Yan Wenming made a comprehensive and in-depth investigation of the Neolithic period in the whole country, and established the chronological and genealogical framework of Chinese Neolithic culture.
On the basis of analyzing and studying a large number of archaeological data, he summarized the cultural development genealogy of the Neolithic in China into four stages of development: early, middle, late and "copper-stone era", tracing the tradition of the Paleolithic Age and the bronze civilization of the Xia, Shang and third dynasties, which is integrated with the historical pattern of China's social development, and has contributed to the establishment of the archaeological system of the Neolithic in China, which has influenced it to this day.
Mr. Yan Wenming is on the front line of field archaeology
He used the speculation of a philosopher and the vision of a poet to gain insight into the structural beauty of China's prehistoric civilization, put forward the thesis of "double-petaled flowers", and told the code of Chinese civilization that has continued to this day.
This is a paper submitted by Yan Wenming for the International Symposium on "General Principles of Ancient Chinese History and Social Sciences". "From the time I thought about this structure to the time I finally preached it, it didn't take more than a month. "In this paper—
China's Neolithic culture has been 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......
In an interview with the media, Yan Wenming said that the characteristics of Chinese civilization can be summed up in eight words: "pluralistic integration and sustainable development." He said, "Until now, China is still a pluralistic and integrated ...... There is a deep source of cultural self-confidence, it is not a castle in the air, nor is it a myth written by the ancients, it can be seen through archaeology. ”
Last year, he received the World Archaeological Forum Lifetime Achievement Award
On December 15, 2023, the 5th World Archaeological Forum awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award to Professor Yan Wenming of Peking University.
The Lifetime Achievement Award, the highest honor bestowed by the World Forum on Archaeology, recognizes scholars who are globally acclaimed, have profound academic attainments, and have had a broad and far-reaching impact on the field of archaeology. This is the first time that the forum has awarded this award to a Chinese archaeologist.
At that time, Mr. Yan Wenming wrote his own words: "Thank you for giving me a high honor, I am just diligent in farming, not caring about the harvest." ”
Mr. Yan Wenming said. Image source: CCTV news client
Mr. Yan Wenming once said that the "civilization" in his name is his fate to engage in the exploration of the source of civilization, which is taken by his father from the "Junzhe Civilization" in the "Shangshu Shundian".
He uses his life to interpret the love of his life,
Use knowledge to explore the truth of history.
In memory of Mr.
Go all the way!