Bulletin Number Five 1985

tion Series, a Monograph Series, a Studies Series and a Bibliographical Series, and altogether twelve books have been published. Three years ago, a professor of the University of London came to visit our Centre and was deeply impressed by what I have done so far. This visit may have led directly to my election by Th e British Academy. Q: When was archaeology developed into a formal discipline and how does it relate to anthropology? A: Archaeology may be divided into Chinese archaeology and Western archaeology. Western archaeology as a formal discipline has a histor y of one or two hundred years, but Chinese archaeology has a much longe r history. If we take archaeology to be the study of ancient remains, archaeology in China has indeed a very early beginning and its history may be traced back to the Han Dynasty at the end o f the second century B.C. By the Sung Dynasty, traditional Chinese archaeology had become a specialized discipline, known as Chin-shih-hsueh (金石學) .A vast literature began to accumulate, reaching its height in the Ch'ing Dynasty. The modem development of archaeology in China happened only after the arrival of Western archaeologists who worked together wit h Chinese archaeologists in field excavations. The Chinese term 'K'ao-ku-hsueh' (考古學) was then used to translate 'archaeology', denoting modern archaeology. As for the relationship between archaeology and anthropology, we may put it this way: anthropology is the study of the culture of living peoples, centering around their activities, and archaeology is the study of the culture of past peoples, with emphasis on history and cultural relics. Q: Could you please tell us the practical value of archaeology? A: Apart from being a hand-maiden of history, archaeology serves also as a foundation for the study of art. The contribution of archaeology is all the more invaluable in the substantiation of historical records and in unfolding the true visage of history, especially prehistory, with unearthed relics. Besides, official history recorded only the rise and fall of dynasties, mainly changes undergone by the upper class, leaving the achievement of the common folk untouched. Such gaps in the historical records may also be filled in by archaeological finds. The most significant contribution of archaeology towards the history of Chinese culture is in establishing the prehistory of many millenia. Before, it was said that we are the descendants of Huang-ti, and counting from this first ancestor, our culture is but four to five thousand years old. But archaeological finds of recent decades have proved that the vast country of China was already populated four or five hundred millenia ago. The Chinese culture has evolved continuously since and is really the oldest living culture i n the world. Q: When you were teaching at the West China Union University ， you advocated the use of ‘native materials' instead of foreign data to teach archaeology and anthropology. Has this method of teaching since then been widely adopted by China and overseas universities? A: I have no idea whether other people have adopted this method of teaching. At Cambridge University, I continued to use 'native materials' to teach Chinese archaeology, and many of my students now teaching in Europe, America, South America and Australia will certainly make use of my teaching materials. They may also be using this teaching method. Q: In the study of the cultural development of China ， you have, instead of viewing Chinese history as an alternation between periods of unification and periods of division, emphasized the intermingling of peoples and mixing of cultures, with synthesis as the most powerful moving force. Is this your personal viewpoint or is it prevalent among anthropologists? A: It is my personal viewpoint. The archaeological excavations proved that China is a vast country with rich natural resources and its peoples are varied. With tribal integration and cultural assimilation as its aim, China has succeeded in having a common spoken and written language for its peoples, and has achieved political and historical unity, bringing all the peoples under heaven as a family. But I must admit that anthropologists and historians view things fro m different standpoints. Anthropologists realize that owing to the difference in environment, different races have their own living habits and customs, and have created their own varied and multifarious cultures, which are all results of their struggle for survival and should not be classified as high or low, primitive or sophisticated. Therefore they do not have any prejudice against any culture in their studies. Q: It is obvious to your readers that you have always longed for the unity of mankind and great harmony of the world. Do you think that in this disintegrated modem world it is possible RECENT DEVELOPMENTS 23