The Beginnings of Chinese Civilization

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xi

   PDF

2. Digging up China Past

   • Chi Li

   Pages 1-12

3. Origin and Early Development

   • Chi Li

   Pages 13-29

4. The Bronze Age of China

   • Chi Li

   Pages 31-51

5. Archaeology

   • Chi Li

   Pages 53-60

6. Archeological Survey of the Fêng River Valley, Southern Shansi, China

   • Chi Li

   Pages 61-72

7. Some Anthropological Problems of China

   • Chi Li

   Pages 73-78

8. Some Anthropological Problems of China: Reconsidered

   • Chi Li

   Pages 79-88

9. Racial History of the Chinese People

   • Chi Li

   Pages 89-96

10. Back Matter

    Pages 97-112

    PDF

This book presents a collection of archaeological and anthropological writings by Li Chi, the founding father of modern archaeology in China. It is divided into two parts, the first of which traces back the rise of Chinese civilization, as well as the origins of the Chinese people; in turn, the second part reviews the rise of archaeology in China as a scientific subject that combines fieldwork methods from the West with traditional antiquarian studies. Readers who are interested in Chinese civilization will find fascinating information on the excavations of Yin Hsü (the ruins of the Yin Dynasty), including building foundations, bronzes, chariots, pottery, stone and jade, and thousands of oracle bones, which are vividly shown in historical pictures. These findings transformed the Yin Shang culture from legend into history and thus moved China’s history forward by hundreds of years, shocking the world. In turn, the articles on anthropology include Li Chi’s reflections on central problemsin Chinese anthropology and are both enlightening and thought-provoking.

• Li Chi
• Chinese Civilization
• Shang Dynasty
• Chinese Archaeology
• Yin Shang Culture

• Beijing, China

  Chi Li

Li Chi (1896–1979), archaeologist, anthropologist, and the founder of Chinese archaeology, received his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1923. After being associated briefly with the Freer Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., he returned to China and taught for a short time. In 1928, he became the Director of Archaeology at the Academia Sinica, the Chinese national research organization. Li Chi’s leadership in the archaeological excavations of Hsi-yin Tsun, Anyang, and Chang-tzu-yai influenced the development of Chinese archaeology in the latter part of the 20th century.        

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