The new trend of "cultural and museum fever" is blowing towards young people! Archaeology, cultural relic restoration, intangible cultural heritage inheritance and other majors are gradually becoming a "favorite" related field | majors | new trends
Why do prospective college students fall in love with archaeology and cultural heritage? What difficulties and challenges will you face after choosing a relevant major? How to transform passion into a career in future learning? The reporter interviewed several prospective college students who are about to enter the fields of archaeology, cultural relic protection technology, and intangible cultural heritage protection, as well as scholars and professionals who have studied and researched in related fields for many years.
Qu Yuan's orange, Wu Zixu's neck cutting friendship with Sun Wu, and Zilu's coronal death... Su Xi said that due to her love for archaeology and historical knowledge, she not only pursued every episode of "China in Classics", but also could almost tell the story plot of each episode.
Since middle school, Su Xi has developed a strong interest in historical objects such as museums, cultural relics, and biographies of ancient people. Through historical relics, he enjoys imagining and perceiving emotions spanning hundreds or even thousands of years, as well as a person's life experiences. In order to bring her passion into reality, at the age of 17, she sought the consent of her parents and made the Archaeology major at Northwestern University her first choice for the college entrance examination.
Once upon a time, majors such as archaeology, cultural heritage, and intangible cultural heritage inheritance were synonymous with being obscure and niche, but in recent years, they have become the preferred choices for some young people. The Examination and Evaluation Center of Beijing Normal University has participated in the release of a "Report on the Interest of Post-2000 College Entrance Examination Volunteers", which shows that in the field of humanities, the top three majors that students are most interested in are history, cultural relics and museum studies, and examination.
Su Xi clearly felt that with the continuous popularity of various museums and cultural and museum programs, the field of archaeology is increasingly being seen and gradually moving from a niche to a popular one.
The direction of one's heart, simply walking through the past
Guan Yue, who is waiting for the admission result, is a science candidate from Henan. Before filling out her application, her relatives and friends advised her to study electrical engineering automation as there were more job opportunities. However, her goal was to work at the Dunhuang Research Institute, so she did not hesitate to choose the major of cultural relic protection technology.
"Why does a girl have to go so far away?" Faced with questions from family and friends, Guan Yue did not waver. She vividly remembered the story of Zhong Fangrong, a Hunan girl she saw in a magazine in high school, who firmly chose to study archaeology, and the sentence written by Fan Jinshi, the "daughter of Dunhuang," in her article "Together for a Thousand Years": "Generation after generation of young people who aspire to the excellent traditional Chinese culture and art, facing extremely difficult material life and the loneliness of the vast Gobi Desert, walking through the stars and the moon, one after another..."
Anhui candidate Zhang Shengxian's first choice is to protect the intangible cultural heritage of Yunnan Academy of Arts. She chose this major because she is interested in history and enjoys the process of restoring cultural relics. "Seeing broken old objects being repaired in one's hand gives a deep sense of accomplishment."
"At first, her parents were quite opposed, thinking that there was no future after graduation and it was difficult to find a job." Zhang Shengxian said, on the one hand, because she really liked this major, and on the other hand, she constantly advised her parents that although this industry does not require many people, there is always someone to do it. As long as she studies well, she doesn't have to worry about not finding a job. Gradually, the attitude of parents changed from reluctantly agreeing to supporting.
Guan Yue comes from the countryside, but her parents did not stop her from pursuing her dreams. My father also gave her a book titled "My Heart Goes Home to Dunhuang" on her birthday. Before filling out her application, a mother with a low level of education said she hoped she could study her favorite major and achieve her goals through hard work.
Learning is like a retrograde journey, a reed leads to navigation
Dr. Wang Qingli, a PhD in archaeology from Wuhan University, shared her educational experience and stated that under the influence of documentaries and related books, she has decided to study archaeology in the future since middle school. As she studied science in high school, she chose to major in Cultural Relics Protection Technology in college, and later pursued a graduate degree in Archaeology.
"When I first learned that I was going to study archaeology, most people didn't understand it and would say, 'Wow, it's so cool,' and some would joke that I would be robbing tombs in the future." Wang Qingli explained that the things I had to learn were not as simple as I had imagined. Most archaeology departments offered courses such as chronological archaeology, field archaeology, archaeological drawing, and cultural relic photography. The learning tasks for each course were different, and the comprehensive quality requirements for students were high.
Participating in internships or conducting scientific research in the field is also a topic that archaeology students cannot avoid. "Carrying a Luoyang shovel, digging soil, transporting soil, and 'observing, hearing, and questioning' the excavated soil, there is no tall archaeological shelter. Sometimes, some objects can be excavated, but most of the time, nothing is found."
Su Xi admitted that she was a bit afraid of going to the field to work on construction sites in the future. However, instead of being tied to a profession or position she didn't like, she was more willing to work hard and sweat for her favorite profession. "Studying any major is not an easy task, why not choose your favorite major?"
Since choosing this major, Guan Yue has been very clear about what she is about to face, but she said that at the age of 18, life has just begun, and she has the courage and time to boldly try.
Power Generation for Love, Promising Future
Cao Bin, Associate Professor of the Department of Archaeology and Humanities at the School of History of Renmin University of China, stated that although archaeology and related majors are relatively niche, their employment is not poor and their jobs are relatively stable.
On May 18, the latest data released by the National Cutural Heritage Administration showed that in 2022, 382 new museums will be put on record in China, and the total number of museums in China will reach 6565, ranking the top in the world, more than double the number of 3069 in 2012. The relevant person in charge of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism has introduced that during the 14th Five Year Plan period, the discipline and team construction of archaeology will be strengthened, and efforts will be made to increase the number of cultural relics research personnel by 25% by 2025.
Cao Bin emphasized that young people's interest in applying for majors is very important, and they should not simply pursue popular majors. Popular majors often have more intense competition, and it is important to focus on whether the major is suitable for oneself. "As long as students enjoy the field of archaeology, after four years of university study and further graduate studies, they will naturally transition to related industries after graduation."
Du Zhengxian, Director of the Department of Archaeology at Zhejiang University City College, has confidence in the employment situation of the archaeology major. "Currently, there are only about 2000 undergraduate, master's, and doctoral graduates in archaeology in a year nationwide, and the demand for talent in archaeology professional institutions across the country is far greater than this number. Therefore, applying for such majors is no longer just about generating electricity for love, but also supported by practical conditions."
Professor Zhang Jingfeng from the School of History and Culture of Lanzhou University said, "Archaeology, cultural heritage, and cultural relic protection majors are a combination of hands-on and brainpower, as well as a combination of practice and theory. They are the most closely related majors in the entire liberal arts field. This requires students to engage in practical learning while learning basic theories, which is the 'construction site' of our archaeology major. However, after employment, as long as they persist in their abilities and persist, they can achieve certain results, and even achievements. Why not do it? With a certain enthusiasm and passion to support them, the hardship of 'going to the construction site' is nothing."
"Archaeology, cultural heritage, cultural relic restoration, and intangible cultural heritage inheritance are all very interesting majors. Nowadays, the working conditions in archaeology are getting better and better, and they are no longer the harsh conditions that people used to think of in the past, such as being exposed to wind, sun, wind, food, and camping. As long as students can practice solid skills and apply the knowledge learned from books to their daily work, there is no need to worry," said Du Zhengxian.
As a "newcomer" who has experienced two majors: cultural relic protection technology and archaeology, Wang Qingli frankly stated that after entering the relevant major, one can see reading literature and going to the field as a trial to test whether one firmly likes this major. "Just like in a relationship, it's important to constantly adapt to this major. If it's suitable, keep moving forward. If it's not suitable, you can also switch careers. It's always about striving towards the direction you love."
