Why did many parts of the country welcome this craze? Xuelin's Essay | This Just Passed Summer

This summer has just passed, and many parts of the country are experiencing a wave of cultural and tourism research and learning. Among them, research activities related to archaeology, targeting museums and heritage sites, are particularly significant.

Just over a decade ago, archaeology was considered a rare skill among ivory towers. Some people know that archaeology still originated from tomb raiding novels, and then mistakenly equate archaeology with tomb raiding. This is not only due to the fact that archaeology is far from real life, but also related to the fact that archaeology has not yet crossed the boundaries.

For more than 100 years, starting from the stage of discovery and research where archaeology is only about excavation and cultural relics are only about collection, Chinese archaeology has been pioneering and expanding into a vast field of protection and utilization. Nowadays, archaeology is not only striving to comprehensively and truthfully showcase ancient and modern China to the world, but also entering a new stage of revitalizing and utilizing archaeological achievements and resources to support economic and social development.

Reviewing the past and learning new things can lead to becoming a teacher. The excavation of the Yangshao Site in Mianchi, Henan in 1921 opened the prelude to ancient China, which is rarely recorded in ancient literature, and became the beginning of Chinese archaeology. The excavation of Yin Xu in Anyang in 1928 proved the history of the Shang Dynasty with archaeological discoveries, and confirmed the authenticity of the records in the Records of the Historian. In 1929, the first fossil of a Beijing ape human skull was discovered at the Zhoukoudian site in Beijing, marking the entry of Chinese archaeology and science into the world level exploration of "where do we come from?".

In the 1950s, site museums were built at Zhoukoudian in Beijing and Banpo in Xi'an, which became an early attempt at the social utilization of archaeological resources in China. Since then, museums have also been built at important archaeological sites such as the Terra Cotta Warriors, Hemudu and Liangzhu in the Qin Mausoleum, which has driven the construction of disciplines and changed the public's view of cultural relics.

Nowadays, there are various ways for the public to participate in archaeology:

One is archaeological popular science works carried by various media, including books, newspapers, radio, documentaries, educational films, variety shows, etc. This is a one-way output of knowledge and ideas, where the audience does not need to be physically present and can selectively receive the required information.

The second is archaeological education, including general education in archaeology in universities, public lectures aimed at society, etc., mainly based on oral and experiential teaching by archaeologists, with more systematic knowledge output and a certain degree of communication and interaction with the audience.

The third is to rely on exhibitions and exhibitions at museums and archaeological sites, where physical objects are the main carrier of knowledge transmission, allowing audiences to gain the most intuitive experience about archaeological achievements and archaeological sites.

The fourth is various archaeological activities, including summer camps, construction site open days, research activities, archaeological volunteer activities, etc., which place great emphasis on experience and interaction. Participants can personally participate in archaeological work, experience archaeological life, and engage in real-time communication and interaction with the organizers.

These diverse forms of public archaeological practices allow participants to flexibly choose based on their personal interests and time, meeting different levels of needs. For those who crave knowledge but have limited time, archaeological popular science works provide a convenient way; For those who wish to interact and exchange ideas with experts, archaeological education provides face-to-face opportunities. For those who prefer seeing for believing, archaeological exhibitions provide a richer range of choices; As for various archaeological activities, they conform to the current pursuit of experiential learning, allowing participants to immerse themselves in the fun of archaeology.

During this summer, there are also many channels and opportunities for the public to participate in archaeology and experience archaeology.

For example, the Liangzhu Research Camp of "Why Civilization · Youth Archaeology Team" is planned and guided by the digital platform of China Central Radio and Television Corporation (CCTV) and the Cultural Heritage Communication Committee of the Chinese Cultural Relics Society.

For example, there are currently two highly anticipated archaeological exhibitions on the beach in Shanghai - the Shanghai Museum's "Empirical China: Songze Liangzhu Civilization Archaeological Exhibition" and the Shanghai Museum of History's "Seizing Treasures from the Yangtze River Estuary - The Second Scientific Archaeological Progress".

It goes without saying that the charm of archaeology is being presented to people in an unprecedented way. It is no longer a niche in the professional field, but a cultural experience involving the entire population. In order to meet the needs of this era, the National Conference on Cultural Relics Work further proposed a new policy for China's cultural relics work in the new era: "Protection first, strengthening management, exploring value, effective utilization, and making cultural relics come to life."

For archaeologists, "bringing cultural relics to life" means focusing on building a comprehensive system of cultural relic value dissemination, promotion, and utilization across all types, chains, media, and directions, making people closer to cultural relics and integrating them into public life; For the general public, we are no longer just bystanders, but can become participants and sharers of archaeological achievements for a better life.

As archaeology emerges from the ivory tower of discovery and research, and moves towards a world of protection and utilization, as Shan Jixiang, former director of the Palace Museum, once said, "Today, we know that protection is not the purpose, nor is utilization the purpose. The true purpose is to pass on. The brilliant culture created by our ancestors, through our hands, through our times, through our country and cities, how to pass it on to future generations is the fundamental task."

In short, only when archaeological achievements and resources are integrated into social life and become a cultural way of life for people, can excellent traditional Chinese culture be better inherited and promoted.