Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) recently hosted more than 20 archaeologists. The Archaeological Observation Workshop of Chinese Ancient History and Legends was organized by the Social Sciences Center and welcomed archaeologists from all over the world. Representatives from institutions in China, Canada, Hong Kong, and Macau attended the workshop, which saw SUSTech Council Vice Chairperson Li Fengliang speak to the attendees.

Li Fengliang congratulated the Social Sciences Center for holding the workshop and appreciated the topics of the conference. He said that the small and precise organization of the workshop and the gathering of archaeologists at home and abroad indicates that this conference was of high quality.

The workshop is designed as an opportunity for face to face discussion. China has been linking archaeological materials to documentary records, and there has been some concern about this. The meeting was able to dispel some of these concerns. The scholars believe that the true spirit of science requires finding the truth and exploring problems at the same time, which means that neither can be neglected.

The historical records started with the Five Emperors, which have been questioned by many historians. However, the last 30 years has seen the archaeological discovery of large ancient cities in Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan, and Hubei that are believed to be about 4000 years old. Those city sites fit within the Five Emperors literature, so more questions are being asked about whether this legend could possibly be true.

Most of the participating archaeologists are top-rate scholars who manage large-scale ancient city excavation work or academic experts who have devoted themselves to archaeology in recent years. The discussion involved the insight of “early China” and “historical legends” in field archaeology, documentary records, and unearthed documents. They also shared their latest research results.

Most scholars believe that China’s historical legends are largely credible, in that they can be proved, at least in part. Some scholars have suggested that Pre-Qin Dynasty and Shu Kingdom records can be traced archaeologically.

This selective academic workshop was highly praised, as it had a high level of academic sensitivity. SUSTech expressed its academic spirit through this workshop. Renowned archaeologist and former dean of the Institute of Archaeology and Culture of Peking University Li Boqian said: “SUSTech is a research-based university with a focus on science and engineering. This workshop was of great significance and I expect that it will develop a unique road in cultural heritage.”