Bringing the Field to the Ivory Tower

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ID: 322004
2026
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Abstract
Abstract With the introduction of Western-style modern archaeology to China in the early 20th century, Chinese intellectuals recognised its methodology as distinct from text-based approaches to studying the past. However, rather than having a background in archaeology, some early pioneers in Chinese archaeology were trained in text-based disciplines such as history and philosophy. The divergence between text-based and excavation-centred methodologies was far from clear-cut when archaeology began to be institutionalised in China. What led these scholars to join efforts to establish archaeology in Chinese academia? How did their nonarchaeological training shape their understanding of archaeology and its place in studying China’s past? This chapter aims to answer these questions by examining the careers of Xu Xusheng and Huang Wenbi in the Republican period. Educated in history and philosophy, both Xu and Huang had limited exposure to archaeology when they joined the Sino-Swedish Scientific Expedition in 1927. Their hands-on experiences in field excavations and direct encounters with potential violations of Chinese sovereignty in the joint mission turned their attention to building up China’s own archaeological research programs. Playing a pivotal role in the archaeological division of the Institute of History at Beiping Academy (a state research institution established by the Republican state in 1929), Xu and Huang, together with their counterparts in Academia Sinica, strove to transform archaeological excavations in China from Sino-foreign joint ventures between individual institutions into state-sponsored national projects.
Reference Key
openalex_W7170073675 Use this key to autocite in the manuscript while using SciMatic Manuscript Manager or Thesis Manager
Authors Yajun Mo
Journal Oxford University Press eBooks
Year 2026
DOI
10.1093/oxfordhb/9780197800324.013.0016
URL
https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780197800324.013.0016
Keywords Keywords not found

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