When I first dialed the phone, Wang Jing, the person in charge of the archaeological excavation site at the Liuli River site, was discussing new discoveries with the team members on the construction site.
In 1974, the discovery of two Western Zhou tombs brought the Liulihe Site into people’s sight. The largest bronze vessel unearthed in the Beijing area, the Jin Ding, and the first museum’s treasure, the Boju Li (commonly known as the Niutou Li), both come from here. Since then, the veil of Beijing as the capital of the Yan state has gradually been lifted.
The brand new story will start in 2019. With the resumption of archaeological excavations at the Liuli River site, young archaeologists of Wang Jing’s generation walked into the archaeological site and into the city of Beijing over 3000 years ago.
However, the archaeology of the Liulihe Site is only a microcosm of Beijing’s archaeological cause in recent years. The history of Beijing slowly unfolds in the hands of archaeologists.
Tai Bao Yong Yi
A group of bronze statues, You, Jue, and other artifacts with the same inscriptions provide unquestionable evidence for the city’s construction history of over 3000 years in Beijing.
Wang Jing, the person in charge of the archaeological excavation site at the Liulihe Site, clearly remembers that these bronze artifacts were unearthed last winter. Tomb 1902 is a relatively small and medium-sized noble tomb, with an area of only 7 square meters. It is quite surprising to be able to excavate bronze ware in such a small area
Wang Jing and the team extracted several bronze artifacts as a whole indoors. During the cleaning process, the cover of the bronze vessel was first opened, and it was found that the same inscription was cast on the inner wall of the cover and the bottom of the vessel body, which was relatively clear. At that time, I saw the content of ‘Tai Bao Yong Yi’ at first glance and felt very excited, “Wang Jing said.
The inscription in Youzhong can be distinguished as follows: “Taibao Yongyi, Yanwan Marquis’s Palace…” The general meaning is: “Taibao built a city in Yongyi, and then feasted at Marquis’s Palace
According to historical records, “King Wu of Zhou destroyed Zhou and conferred the title of Zhao Gong on Northern Yan.” The inscriptions such as “Tai Bao”, “Yong Yong”, and “Hou Gong Gong” strongly prove that more than three thousand years ago, the important minister of King Zhou, Zhao Gong, personally visited the Yan capital, which is now the site of the Liuli River Yan Capital Site, and built the capital city of Yan.
Sun Qingwei, Vice President of Peking University, stated that the inscriptions on the bronze Tiliang You provide indisputable textual evidence for Beijing’s over 3000 year history of urban construction, and have unique value in the study of world urban history, making it a “treasure of Beijing”.
The bronze Gui unearthed last year with a three thousand year old cover is also very interesting. The newly unearthed copper Gui from M1901 shares the same patterns as the jade Gui unearthed more than 40 years ago. Archaeological researchers have inferred from the inscriptions that the covers and bodies of these two Guis were probably confused during burial.
Since 2019, with the approval of the National Cutural Heritage Administration, the Beijing Institute of Archaeology, together with the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the School of Archaeology, Culture and Museum of Peking University and other units, has carried out archaeological work on the city site and burial area of the Liulihe Site.
The curtain opens, and the surprises brought by the Liuli River are endless. Over the past three years, the legacy of the Liuli River.The site has discovered large-scale rammed earth buildings outside the palace area, excavated three small rammed earth buildings, cleared five early Western Zhou tombs, and unearthed over a hundred cultural relics such as bronze and jade.
The Liulihe Site, which has rich types of relics and complex connotations, is not only a historical witness to Beijing’s over 3000 year urban civilization, but also an important example of the formation of the diverse and integrated pattern of the Chinese nation.
On a sunny day, one is covered in soil and on a rainy day, one is covered in mud
This year, the archaeological focus of the Liulihe Site is on the city site area. Wang Jing introduced that archaeologists are currently excavating a rammed earth site in the city of Liuli River. This building is of a large scale and in line with the weather of the Yandu Site of the Western Zhou Dynasty. Unfortunately, the rammed earth buildings in the city were severely damaged by late accumulation, and it may be difficult to restore the building’s own housing structure
Unlike the previously excavated burial areas, the difficulty of excavation in the city site area is higher, with more overlapping and breaking relationships, and more complex phenomena. Recently, we have been constantly overcoming these difficulties, “Wang Jing said.
During the day, Wang Jing and her team members will conduct field excavations at the archaeological site. At night, they will return indoors and organize photos, records, and charts for the day. “We will hold regular meetings to discuss new discoveries, and sometimes also engage in some sharing and public archaeological activities
This kind of work has become commonplace for Wang Jing and the team members. In Wang Jing’s words, it means “on a sunny day, you are covered in soil, and on a rainy day, you are covered in mud. Although it’s hard, everyone enjoys it.
In summer, in order to provide more sufficient lighting and easy identification within the construction site, even if it is hot, sheds are often not built on site. In winter, in order to better protect the ruins, archaeologists sometimes cover them with blankets, build sheds, and add heating.
In Wang Jing’s view, it is not the people who need to fight against the weather, but the ruins that need to be showcased, as earthen sites often do not receive much attention from everyone due to their low showability. Sometimes, we even sacrifice the comfort of human archaeology in the wilderness to better protect the site
At present, there are more than 40 archaeological excavation teams in Liuli River, including staff from the Archaeological Research Institute, technicians, graduate students from cooperative universities, and migrant workers, with an average age of only over 30 years old.
Wang Jing is very excited to be deeply involved in the archaeological work at the Liuli River site. In her words, it means that she has been fascinated for a long time. She graduated from the School of Archaeology and Culture at Peking University, with a research focus on Xia, Shang, and Zhou archaeology. During school, the teacher often mentioned the Liuli River site, “Wang Jing recalled.
When it comes to the archaeological expectations for the Liulihe Site, Wang Jing stated that they have always wanted to clarify the true radiation range of the Liulihe Site, the layout concept during the construction of the city, the relationship between inside and outside the city, and the survival status of different groups of people.
Searching for the City Wall.In 2016, in order to cooperate with the construction of Beijing’s urban sub center, the Beijing Archaeological Research Institute conducted large-scale archaeological work in Lucheng Town, Tongzhou District, and discovered the Han Dynasty Lu County Ancient City site and its surrounding tombs, unearthed a large number of important cultural relics.
This year, archaeologists discovered wooden and bamboo slips in wells of the Eastern Han Dynasty, which is the first discovery in archaeology in the Beijing area.
At that time, Sun Mengzheng, the head of the archaeological project at the ancient city site in Lu County, and his colleagues cleared a well in the southeast of the suburban site area and discovered a sealed mud box. The clay seal box is usually attached to the bamboo slips, and the concave part in the middle is filled with clay seal, which was more common during the Han and Jin dynasties.
He and his colleagues inferred from this that there were bamboo slips and sealing mud inside the well, so they carefully cleaned it up bit by bit and finally discovered wooden and bamboo slips.
Due to the limitations of preservation environment and conditions, the excavation of wooden slips and wooden slips is relatively common in arid areas in the south and northwest, and it is very rare to excavate them in sites in Beijing. Sun Meng introduced that wooden slips and slips are prone to damage, and protection is still the main focus. In the future, we will interpret them under the premise of doing a good job in protection.
The discovery of the Han Dynasty road is crucial for understanding and understanding the scope and boundaries of suburban ruins. This archaeology also discovered the largest cellar during the Wei and Jin dynasties for the first time. Sun Meng introduced that the cellar is mainly made of iron, with a variety of types, including daily necessities, agricultural production tools, weapons, and so on. He speculated that this may be related to the turbulent background of the Wei and Jin dynasties.
According to historical records such as the “Han Shu”, “Shui Jing Zhu”, and “Later Han Shu”, Lu County was established in the early Western Han Dynasty and belongs to Yuyang County; Wang Mang was renamed as Tongtong Pavilion and was under the jurisdiction of Tongtong County; In the Eastern Han Dynasty, the name “Lu” was changed to “Lu”, and it was originally called Lu County. This city site was the capital of Lu County during the Han Dynasty.
In 2016, finding the city wall and determining the boundary of the city site was a task faced by Sun Meng and his colleagues. Ultimately, archaeologists determined the location, scope, and form of the city site through comprehensive investigation, local drilling, and key excavations.
This is also Sun Meng’s first time specializing in city site archaeology. He stated that the archaeological work on the city site has a long duration, involves a lot of content, and is relatively complex.
Parallel Protection of Cultural Relics and Urban Development
Since the beginning of the new century, Beijing has entered the fastest growing period in the history of various construction projects. In order to cooperate with these projects, archaeological work has been comprehensively carried out, and the workload has increased exponentially.
The iconic node appeared in 2014. At that time, the “Measures for the Protection and Management of Underground Cultural Relics in Beijing” were implemented, which clearly required that construction projects with a total land area of over 10000 square meters within the old city and construction projects with an area of over 20000 square meters outside the old city should undergo archaeological investigation and exploration. Thus, the principle of “archaeology first” was officially established..Significantly increased enthusiasm for participating in the protection of underground cultural relics and archaeological work.
In recent years, people often see the figures of archaeologists at engineering project sites of all sizes in Beijing. Archaeological research has not only played a fundamental role in the overall protection of the old city of Beijing, but also coordinated with the construction and development of the city.
In 2017, archaeologists conducted archaeological excavations on the Xibanqiao and riverway ruins during the Ming and Qing dynasties, providing new physical data for exploring the historical features of the Inner Jinshai River system in the central urban area of Beijing since the Ming Dynasty.
Last year, the excavation of Ming Dynasty water beasts at Zhengyang Bridge was of great value for studying the moat in front of Zhengyang Gate, as well as defense, water conservancy, and transportation systems.
In the Yongding River Cultural Belt of the Xishan Mountains, archaeology in the Jin Dynasty discovered for the first time the moat, city walls, Ma Mian and other outer city wall systems. It also discovered remnants of city sites such as Dongkaiyang Square, Kaiyuan Square, and Xianzhong Square, which played an important role in studying the changes of ancient cities such as Tang Youzhou, Liao Nanjing, Jin Zhongdu, Yuan Dadu, and Ming and Qing Beijing.
Archaeological work has also played an important role in coordinating with major national projects such as the Beijing Subcenter, Daxing International Airport, the Winter Olympics, and the World Horticultural Exposition.
As of the end of 2021, the Beijing Institute of Archaeology has completed 56 archaeological excavations at the sub center, with a total excavation area of approximately 230000 square meters. Nearly 10000 ancient tombs, roads, water wells, and other relics have been excavated. The ancient relics discovered in the sub center have a large number, a long duration, complete forms, rich artifacts, and concentrated distribution, establishing a three-dimensional structure and interactive relic system with the Han Dynasty Lu County Ancient City Site.
In Zhang Zhonghua’s view, the protection of cultural relics and urban development have formed a win-win situation, and the concept of “protecting while developing, developing while protecting” has been implemented.
The next step is not only to cooperate with urban construction, but also to do some proactive archaeological work to conduct in-depth research on Beijing’s underground cultural relics resources and the history of the city, “he said.
Go to the public
With the rapid growth of Beijing’s archaeological industry, in recent years, the concept of “public archaeology” has gradually entered the public eye, and more and more people are entering archaeological sites, especially the Yuanmingyuan archaeological site.
In 2016, Yuanmingyuan made its first live broadcast of archaeological activities on new media such as Weibo, WeChat, and live streaming software, showcasing the archaeological site of Yuanying Temple in the Western Tower Site area to the public. Zhang Zhonghua recalled that at that time, archaeologists still held a mobile phone for live streaming, and the equipment was simple.
Speaking of the initial decision to open the archaeological site to the public, Zhang Zhonghua candidly and with a smile said that he initially expressed opposition. At that time, I also wrote several protest letters by Lu Xun
He was pleased that since the opening of the Yuanmingyuan archaeological site to the public, they have received encouragement from the public. He increasingly feels that the more open the construction site is, the more tolerant and understandable the public is..Some new challenges. For example, archaeologists are exposed to professional knowledge, and it takes some effort to popularize this content to the public in a simple and understandable manner. But he often does it by example.
Wang Jing also enjoys this tirelessly. In the second Beijing Public Archaeology Season recently held, the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Cultural Relics invited 20 groups of families to visit the archaeological excavation site of the Zhouyandu Site in the west of the Liuli River to explore the “earliest Beijing city” together.
Under the leadership of Wang Jing and his team members, 20 groups of families experienced archaeological exploration and excavation work on site, using excavators, observing soil samples, collecting pottery pieces, and recording information. In the process of communicating with the public, Wang Jing discovered that some people came with curiosity and were able to ask some very detailed questions. After hearing her and the team members’ explanations, she realized that archaeology was not quite what they had imagined. When they left, the public gained a lot and even smiled back at them, asking them to take care of themselves.
Simulated archaeology does not damage the cultural relics themselves, but also allows the public to understand the process of archaeological excavation and the information that needs to be recorded during the archaeological process. “Wang Jing said,” If you truly participate in archaeological excavation as a volunteer or temporary team member, you need to undergo professional training, and it is not something that can be directly used with a shovel
Looking back on her contact with the public in recent years, Wang Jing has expressed many emotions, and the most impressive one for her was last winter.
On December 19, 2021, the online live broadcast of “2021 New Archaeological Discoveries of Liuli River” sparked public attention to the Yandu Site and proactive archaeological excavations. Through the live broadcast, the audience can clearly see the archaeological team members working hard in the underground outdoor environment, standing in the muddy tomb pit, constantly exhaling and hanging cold mud on their clothes.
After the live broadcast, someone placed three large boxes of warm hand treasures in the sentry box at the entrance of Dongjialin Village on the outskirts of the site. They entrusted someone to deliver them to the archaeological workstation and deliberately tore up the delivery information, leaving only the words “Fangshan people” behind.
The three boxes are sealed and properly stored. At that time, Wang Jing and the team hoped to find this “Fangshan crowd”, express gratitude, and invited him to visit the site together to experience the charm of archaeological work up close. Unfortunately, they were unable to find this kind-hearted person in the end. But this kindness from strangers has always made Wang Jing feel very warm.
Although there are many things happening on archaeological sites at present, Wang Jing stated that they have always maintained an open and welcoming attitude towards short videos, live broadcasts, media reports, etc. After all, public archaeology still has a long way to go, and we still have to continue working on it
A special year
This year is also a special year for the archaeological work team in Beijing. (Source: Beijing News).The current Beijing Archaeological Research Institute has experienced a team of archaeologists in Beijing for over 70 years. The change in name reflects the magnificent journey of Beijing’s cultural relics and archaeology industry.
In May last year, the Beijing Institute of Cultural Relics (Beijing Construction Engineering Archaeological Affairs Center) and the Beijing Institute of Ancient Architecture (Beijing Cultural Relics Protection Affairs Center) were integrated to form the Beijing Institute of Cultural Heritage. In February of this year, the Beijing Institute of Cultural Heritage was restructured as the Beijing Institute of Archaeology, and the logo of the Beijing Institute of Cultural Heritage was retained.
The change in name reflects Beijing’s emphasis on archaeological work. In terms of personnel composition, we have also optimized it, which is conducive to the development of archaeological work in the future, “said Zhang Zhonghua.
According to the characteristics of underground cultural relics resources in Beijing, the Beijing Archaeological Research Institute has established three archaeological research departments: Yan Culture, Liao, Jin, Yuan, and Ming and Qing Dynasties; In addition, there are also cultural relics protection research departments, literature research departments, etc. “Scientific and technological archaeology, laboratory archaeology, site protection of cultural relics, etc. are the key points of the next development, which can play a great role in promoting the protection of cultural relics,” said Zhang Zhonghua.
In July this year, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security and the National Cutural Heritage Administration decided to award the Beijing Institute of Archaeology (Beijing Institute of Cultural Heritage) the title of “Advanced Collective in the National Cultural Relics System”. The application materials mentioned the special investigation work of the grotto temple last year.
The survey lasted for nearly six months and covered 9 districts in Beijing. A total of 101 locations were inspected, covering a distance of over 3500 kilometers. 32 cave temples and 33 cliff statues were confirmed, overcoming difficulties such as tight schedules, heavy tasks, cold weather, and inconvenient transportation.
Zhang Zhonghua recalled that at that time, during the coldest period in Beijing in early 2021, cave temples were often built on mountains. Zhang Zhonghua and his colleagues had to stay for a long time as soon as they entered the mountain, with no food or place to live, and the conditions were very difficult.
Archaeological investigation is the most fundamental and important work in the entire archaeological chain. Through investigation, it is possible to preliminarily understand the distribution and preservation status of sites and relics, providing a basis for further archaeological exploration, excavation, protection, and research.
In Zhang Zhonghua’s view, exploring the source of Beijing’s city is a long and arduous journey. From the Jin Dynasty to the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, Beijing has always existed as a capital. We hope to find more archaeological evidence on why Beijing was the capital. In addition, Beijing is at the forefront of the integration of nomadic and Central Plains ethnic groups. We want to understand where Beijing’s contribution lies in the formation of the diverse and unified structure of the Chinese nation
New Beijing News reporter Zhan Shengjie