Telling the Story of Beijing’s « Origin of the City »
At the Capital Museum, Chinese and foreign guests visited the special exhibition « Taibaoyong Yan – The Liulihe Site in Fangshan. »
Research into Beijing’s « origin of the city » has gained a powerful new think tank. At a recent salon on « The Interpretation of Archaeological Heritage Value and Sustainable Development, » the Beijing Municipal Institute of Archaeology joined forces with several national-level research institutions to establish the Liulihe Site Archaeological Research Alliance. This alliance will pool superior resources to jointly advance the archaeological research, protection, utilization, and value interpretation of the Liulihe Site.
The Liulihe Site, selected as one of « China’s Top Ten Archaeological New Discoveries of 2024, » is increasingly known to the public for providing evidence of Beijing’s over 3,000-year history of city construction. As an important archaeological site from the Western Zhou period in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, it is key evidence for studying Beijing’s early urban development, the history and culture of the Yan state, and cultural exchanges between north and south.
« We hope that the newly established alliance will create a more open platform for collaborative research focused on the Liulihe Site, enabling resource sharing and complementary advantages, » said a representative. The Liulihe Site is a model example of the archaeology of Western Zhou feudal state sites. The collaboration of several strong archaeological institutions within the alliance is expected to expand the depth and breadth of research into Beijing’s « origin of the city, » continuously enriching historical information and cultural heritage value.
The Liulihe Site Archaeological Research Alliance invited the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the National Cultural Heritage Administration’s Archaeological Research Center, the School of Archaeology and Museology at Peking University, and the Archaeology Department of the Palace Museum to participate in the joint development. During the salon, relevant experts and scholars gathered to focus on the value interpretation and sustainable development of the Liulihe Site, sharing insights and discussing future plans.
One perspective shared was that the value extraction of the Liulihe Site should be approached from two dimensions: intrinsic value and heritage value. Beyond clarifying its value as the capital city and initial enfeoffment site of the Western Zhou Yan state, there should be further exploration of the achievements of the Western Zhou period in material, technological, spiritual, and cultural aspects, as well as its relationship with the subsequent formation and development of traditional Chinese culture and thought.
In the future, these questions are expected to be explained in detail, restoring a more complete historical picture. « Deepening archaeological research through central-local cooperation will create a synergistic effect greater than the sum of its parts, » explained a representative. The alliance will concentrate the professional technical strengths of its member units to form a high-level joint archaeological team. Using interdisciplinary methods, it will conduct systematic and refined archaeological survey, exploration, and excavation work on the Liulihe Site, deepening the understanding of the site’s cultural connotations, settlement layout, functional zoning, and diachronic evolution.
« Scientific archaeology » was a frequently mentioned term at the salon. « The Palace Museum has extensive experience in capital city archaeology, cultural heritage conservation science, and exhibition display. It will utilize cutting-edge technological means, such as digital technology, to promote refined archaeological excavation work at the Liulihe Site, » said a representative. The alliance will leverage the advanced facilities and technical advantages of its member institutions in scientific testing, cultural relic preservation, and laboratory archaeology to jointly conduct on-site protection, analysis, testing, and restoration research on unearthed artifacts and features, comprehensively enhancing the site’s information extraction capabilities and cultural relic preservation standards.
The Liulihe Site will also become a « strong magnetic field » for attracting archaeological talent. The alliance will establish talent exchange and training mechanisms. By co-supervising postgraduate students and jointly conducting field archaeology practices, it will build a high-level platform for cultivating archaeological talent, reserving professional strength for the long-term study of the site. More notably, institutions like the Palace Museum will collaborate with the municipal archaeology institute to jointly hold exhibitions and public archaeology activities, promoting the timely transformation of archaeological findings and vividly telling the story of Beijing’s « origin of the city. »
Beijing’s public transport system has added new members to its « short, frequent, fast » bus routes. On September 22, four new routes began operation, providing quick connections between residential communities and subway stations, facilitating residents’ travel.
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