Archaeological Anthropology Notes

Author: Zhang Guangzhi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1999-07-01
Features: Sometimes I daydream, imagining a talented, innocent, and diligent Chinese youth who has chosen archaeology as a lifelong career. In my dream, this young person comes to ask me, an elderly archaeologist, for guidance. Although this is just a fantasy, I have prepared my answer in case it ever happens. First, I would congratulate him for choosing a discipline with boundless prospects. The second thing I would tell him is to respect the elderly and the wise. The third point I prepared to mention is to advise him not to limit his reading to archaeology. Most of the 46 articles in this small book have already been published. Many of them were originally published in Chinese newspapers and magazines for the general public. A few are more academically inclined, but they are also written with the goal of making complex topics accessible. I believe readers will not encounter difficult or obscure language. The 44 articles are divided into five groups. I call the first group "Dog's Tail 'Preface' to a Fine Book," because the books for which I wrote prefaces are all worth reading. My prefaces, included in these books, benefit from the original works' prestige. Perhaps someone will read them. The second group of texts is titled "Large Topic, Small Work," indicating that I am fully aware that large topics should not be handled lightly. However, I hope readers can see the vast foundation behind these brief conclusions through the paper. The titles of the third and fifth groups of articles are self-explanatory. The fourth group consists of a column I wrote for the Beijing China Cultural Relics News starting in the summer of 1993. Since the China Cultural Relics News often published my articles late, I don’t know if all the submitted manuscripts were published. Below the title, if there is no date and year marked with stars, the article is printed based on the original manuscript. If it has already been published, the published text is used. Additionally, interviews with Mr. Chen Xingcan, Mr. Ha Ji Feili, and myself are included as appendices.