Chasing the Call of Antiquity (A Century of Archaeological History)

Author: Cai Fengshu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-08-01
Features: No one can imagine that Chinese archaeology, so distant from us, has always been closely tied to the pulse of history since its inception. The century-long rhythm of the Chinese nation has determined the rise and fall of Chinese archaeology for a century. In 1899, Wang Yirong, the Libationer of the Imperial Academy, discovered the world-shocking oracle bones, and the following year, he fell forever amidst the of the Eight-Nation Alliance. In 1907, Stein, an explorer in the vast desert, stole a batch of national treasures from Dunhuang, marking the beginning of the suffering of the Mogao Caves. In 1927, the first generation of Chinese archaeologists announced the discovery of "Peking Man" to the world at Zhoukoudian in Beijing. However, that skull, which once excited so many Chinese people, mysteriously disappeared amidst the smoke of the Japanese invasion of China. For a hundred years, Chinese archaeology has grown in the squeeze of national disasters, struggling to survive in the cracks. It wasn't until the end of the ten-year catastrophe that the nation's rise expanded vast spaces for archaeology. After the 1980s, Chinese archaeology advanced by leaps and bounds, with numerous major archaeological discoveries, leaving people dazzled. Since then, the archaeology of the new China has followed our nation on the path to glory.