The Belt and Road · Zero Distance | The common pursuit of Lahat through history | Relics | History

Xi'an/Almaty, August 24th, Xinhua News Agency - Question: A Common Pursuit Through History

Xinhua News Agency reporter

Under the gentle brushing of the brush, pieces of pottery gradually revealed their true appearance, and Ding Yan kept observing and comparing these pottery pieces that had been buried for thousands of years. Despite language barriers and vastly different natural environments and living conditions, the unique earthy atmosphere on brushes, shovels, and pottery pieces made Ding Yan feel that everything was "familiar".

This is the Lahart Site in Kazakhstan, which is an important site on the ancient Silk Road at the northern foot of the Tianshan Mountains. It is also the place where Ding Yan, a researcher at the Shaanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology, will continue to work for the next three months. Ding Yan told Xinhua News Agency

On August 9, 2023, archaeologists worked on the exploration of the Lahart site in the Sino Kazakhstan joint archaeological project. Shen Jizhong

In Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, about 3000 kilometers away from Lahat Site, another scholar Wang Jianxin, who has been engaged in the joint archaeological work of the "the Belt and Road" for a long time, is busy preparing for an international academic conference. Wang Jianxin is the chief scientist of the Silk Road Archaeological Cooperation Research Center. Although he is over seventy years old, he still arranges his schedule thoroughly. After this international academic conference, Wang Jianxin will go to Uzbekistan to participate in joint inspection and academic exchange activities with archaeologists from Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan.

Xi'an, formerly known as Chang'an, is one of the important birthplaces of Chinese civilization and the Chinese nation, and also the eastern starting point of the ancient Silk Road. More than 2100 years ago, Chinese Han Dynasty envoy Zhang Qian set off from Chang'an to the Western Regions, opening the door to friendly exchanges between China and Central Asia.

In recent years, a number of Chinese scholars have set out from Xi'an, together with scholars from countries along the "the Belt and Road", to explore the cultural heritage of the ancient Silk Road, and jointly continue to write a new chapter of Silk Road exchanges.

In 2007, Wang Jianxin carried out work in the ancient city of Jiaohe in Xinjiang. Shen Jizhong

As early as the end of the 20th century, Wang Jianxin began archaeological and research work on the ancient Silk Road. After 10 years of engaging in archaeological excavation and research on the Silk Road in China, Wang Jianxin felt the urgent need to carry out overseas archaeology. "More than 100 years ago, Western scholars proposed the concept of the 'Silk Road', and they have done a lot of work in this field since modern times, occupying the international discourse power of Silk Road archaeological research. Only by mastering more comprehensive first-hand information can Chinese scholars effectively voice the 'Chinese voice' in the international archaeological community."

Zhang Qian's mission to the Western Regions was to search for the Dayue clan, who had been defeated by the Xiongnu and migrated westward to Central Asia. Following the footsteps of Zhang Qian's journey westward in 2009, Wang Jianxin led the Central Asian Archaeological Team of Northwestern University to Uzbekistan to continue carrying out joint archaeological work on the Silk Road.

In August 2003, Wang Jianxin led students to investigate and imitate rock paintings in Nileke County, Xinjiang. Shen Jizhong

For over a decade, Wang Jianxin's archaeological team has been continuously practicing and exploring in Central Asia. They have formed a joint archaeological team with Uzbek archaeologists, and have developed a work model that combines large-scale systematic regional surveys with small-scale scientific and precise excavations. They have made a series of important archaeological discoveries, including the discovery of a number of settlement sites with ancient nomadic and agricultural cultures in the western Tianshan region; Confirmed the characteristics and distribution range of ancient Yueshi, Kangju, and early Guishuang cultures in Central Asia; Established a connection between relevant records in documents such as Records of the Grand Historian and Book of Han and archaeological remains.

The joint archaeological work conducted by Chinese and Kazakh scholars at the Lahart site has also yielded fruitful results. Since 2017, the Shaanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology and the Issyk National Museum of History and Culture in Kazakhstan have formed a joint archaeological team to conduct archaeological investigations and excavations on the Lahart site and nearby related sites.

On August 9, 2023, researchers from the Shaanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology, an archaeological team to Kazakhstan, and staff from the Issyk National Museum of History and Culture in Kazakhstan conducted archaeological excavations at the Lahart site of the Sino Kazakhstan joint archaeological project. Shen Jizhong

Archaeologists from China and Kazakhstan first conducted an investigation and trial excavation of the Lahart site, and then cleared and excavated relics such as tombs, ash pits, and ditches. A large number of iron tools, copper ornaments, stone tools, pottery pieces, pottery spinning wheels, grass mixed mud blocks, etc. were unearthed.

"From these unearthed cultural relics, we can observe the traces of people's lives along the ancient Silk Road, which helps us to conduct in-depth research on the Lahart site and will also make important contributions to the historical research of this region," said Gulimila, the director of the Issyk National Museum of History and Culture in Kazakhstan, who participated in this joint archaeological work. "Not only did Chinese scholars come to the Lahart site, but eight Kazakhstani scholars also went to China to participate in archaeological excavations and exchange experiences."

On August 9, 2023, Ding Yan, a researcher at the Shaanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology, conducted research on the excavated remains at the Lahart Site of the Sino Kazakhstan Joint Archaeological Project. Shen Jizhong

Chang'an will work hand in hand again, focusing on the precious wealth. People to people and cultural exchanges between China and Central Asian countries have a long history. With the vigorous development of joint archaeological work, the prospect of people to people cooperation among countries along the "the Belt and Road" is bright.

In April this year, the first Asian Cultural Heritage Conservation Alliance Conference was held in Xi'an. According to the Xi'an Declaration of the Asian Cultural Heritage Protection Alliance released at the conference, all parties of the alliance will carry out cooperative archaeology around themes such as "human exploration", "origin of civilization", and "Silk Road", excavate the cultural connotations of Asia, and support joint application for world heritage.

At the China Asia Summit held in May this year in Xi'an, China and the five Central Asian countries reached a series of cooperation consensus, including cooperation in joint archaeology, cultural heritage protection and restoration, museum exchanges, and the recovery and return of lost cultural relics.

In 2006, Wang Jianxin conducted an archaeological survey at the Shirenzigou Site in Xinjiang. Shen Jizhong

Through joint cooperation, not only have we achieved fruitful archaeological results, but Chinese archaeologists have also felt kindness and enthusiasm in the local area. Wang Jianxin said that local people will express their friendship in Chinese with "hello" and a smile, and government officials will also give a thumbs up to archaeologists from China. Ding Yan remembers a few years ago, while working at the Lahart site, a Kazakh shepherd living near the excavation site specially sent a sheep to the Chinese team as a welcome gift.

Gulimira said: "The joint archaeological work carried out within the framework of the the Belt and Road initiative is of great significance. We and Chinese archaeologists learn and grow from each other in the excavation practice, which has brought new successful experience to the cultural exchanges of the the Belt and Road."