Agenda

Workshop on the Practice of Chinese Archaeology
27 October 2025, 14.30-17.45
Conference Room, San Sebastiano

Up to 2024 China had 59 UNESCO listed sites, of which 44 are cultural sites, ranking second in the world. This includes several archaeological sites discovered within the last century, such as the First Qin Emperor Mausoleum with its Terracotta Warriors, Yinxu -the capital city of the Late Shang Dynasty, and the ancient Neolithic ruins of Liangzhu. Ever since the discovery of the Terracotta Warriors made international headlines, new archaeological excavations in the country continue to impress the world every year and domestic archaeological tourism has increased drastically in the past few years. This growing interest can be exemplified by the March 2021 four-days long CCTV’s live broadcast of the then newly discovered Sanxingdui pits archaeological excavation.
The upcoming publication of the edited book by Oxford University Press “The Oxford Handbook of the History and Practice of Chinese Archaeology” is an occasion to reflect upon the development of the discipline, the incredible expansion it had in the last decades, and the cultural impact Archaeology is having on China as a whole. 
This workshop will give participants an opportunity to dialogue with the editors of the books, Dr. Anke Hein and Prof. Julia Lovell. Speakers will outline past development of archaeological practice in the country and trace potential future directions, delving into changing methodological approaches, interpretative frameworks, shifts in research topics, the progressive growth of domestic cultural heritage tourism, especially that related to archaeological parks, and how this may impact future directions of the discipline.

Programme

14.30-14.40 Introduction

14.40-15.10 Dr. Anke Hein (University of Oxford) & Prof. Julia Lovell (Birkbeck University of London) presentation of the forthcoming volume The Oxford Handbook of the History and Practice of Chinese Archaeology

15.10-15.40 Dr. Anke Hein (University of Oxford), A century of Archaeological practice in China

15.40-16.10 Dr. Rita Dal Martello (Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia), Archaeological Sciences in the context of modern Chinese Archaeology

16.10-16.15 short break

16.15-16.45 Prof. Julia Lovell (Birkbeck University of London), Public Archaeology in China – A Social, Cultural and Political History

16.45-17.15 Dr. Beatrice Gallelli (Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia), Archaeology in contemporary Chinese political discourse

17.15-17.45 Discussion