Recently, the shortlist for 2016’s Ten Major Archaeological Discoveries, the so-called Oscar Award in Archaeology, has been announced in Beijing, and three of which are attributed to the XMU alumni who are archeology majors graduated from the Department of History.
The Ten Major Archaeological Discoveries Award is by far the highest and the most authoritative national award established in the field of archaeology in China in order to showcase the latest archaeological discoveries in China, as well as novel concepts, methods and techniques as regards Chinese archaeology. And the evaluation criteria mainly include academic value, historical significance and artistic value. Of the top ten, the discovery of the archaeological site of Qingtongxia Dove Mountain in Ningxia is headed by XMU alumnus Peng Fei, class of 1999, the Department of History; alumnus Yang Zelin, class of 1996, is in charge of the archaeological work of the kuzhaikeng Village celadon kiln site in Yongchun County, Fujian Province; alumnus Lin Guocong, class of 1999, heads the underwater discovery of the olive-green porcelain kiln of the Tang and Five-Dynasties Periods at Zhejiang Province.
XMU archaeology enjoys a long history, its relevant researches could be dated back to as early as 1930s. More than that, it is the only academic unit in China that specializes in maritime archaeology. Over the past decades, XMU archaeology faculty and students have achieved significant research results in multiple areas such as prehistoric archaeology and ethnohistory in southeastern regions, historic maritime sites and maritime archaeology, etc. The three archaeological discoveries mentioned above are part of the abundant fruits of the XMU archaeologists thanks to their long-term adherence to the academic tradition and personnel training mode par excellence.
Edited by: Zong Yuchen and Li Yujie
