China seeks to bring archaeology closer to public

BEIJING, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) -- China is seeking to bring archaeology closer to the public, with a new five-year plan setting out priorities for research, international cooperation and the wider presentation of archaeological findings.

China now has 65 national archaeological site parks, which are increasingly becoming visitor destinations. Visits to these parks rose from 20.97 million in 2021 to 97.74 million in 2025, with a total of 303 million visits over the five-year period.

A museum built largely underground at the Dahecun National Archaeological Site Park in Zhengzhou, central China's Henan Province, displays more than 1,500 artifacts illustrating the history of a Neolithic settlement dating back about 7,000 years. In Luoyang, also in Henan, several major archaeological sites spanning different historical periods have become cultural landmarks woven into the modern cityscape.

"Archaeological work is moving from a niche specialty toward broader public engagement," said Zhang Lei, head of the archaeology department of the National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA).

The administration has issued a plan for archaeological work during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030). It calls for deeper research into the origins and development of Chinese civilization, stronger international cooperation, greater use of technology and wider dissemination of archaeological findings.

China will continue the Chinese Civilization Origins Project and major projects under the Chinese Archaeology Program, with research focusing on the origins of civilization and the formation of early states.

Archaeological work will be deepened at major sites, including Erlitou, the Yin Ruins and Sanxingdui. The plan also calls for research tracing the development of civilization along the Yangtze River, further study of human origins and evolution in East Asia, and more archaeological work on maritime cultural heritage in the South China Sea and East China Sea.

International cooperation is another priority. China will carry out joint archaeological projects with foreign partners, focusing on Belt and Road partner countries, and develop five to 10 model projects for Sino-foreign archaeological cooperation.

The plan also calls for closer collaboration between archaeology and the natural sciences, humanities and social sciences. China will strengthen archaeological laboratories, develop and apply key technologies, and advance research in digital and intelligent archaeology.

Training the next generation of archaeologists will be essential to these efforts. Shen Ruiwen, head of Peking University's School of Archaeology and Museology, said the school will support the compilation of textbooks on Chinese archaeology, promote standardized training bases and strengthen a training model combining classroom instruction, fieldwork and laboratory research. It will also expand targeted training in lesser-known academic fields.

Zhang Zhiguo, deputy director of the NCHA's National Center for Archaeology, said the center would continue to strengthen its laboratories and scientific archaeology teams, promote interdisciplinary research and deepen international cooperation. It will also upgrade equipment, develop technologies and improve management to support archaeological work.

Beyond research itself, the plan emphasizes the interpretation, use and wider dissemination of archaeological findings. Authorities will advance the publication of major archaeological reports, improve the management of archaeological archives and promote regular procedures for the transfer of excavated cultural relics.

Efforts will also be made to expand educational activities at archaeological sites and public archaeology programs, while diversifying the ways in which findings are explained and shared.

The aim is to ensure archaeological discoveries contribute to the public's knowledge of history and cultural heritage, as well as to academic understanding of China's past.