 Professor
Wang Zhongshu, one of the most prominent archaeologists in the present-day
Asia, enjoys internationally high reputation. He was born in Ningpo, Zhejiang
Province, in 1925. He graduated from the Faculty of History of Peking
University in 1950, and joined the Institute of Archaeology, within the
Chinese Academy of Social Sciences the same year. Ever since, he has engaged
himself in scientific excavation at important ruins, and made all possible
efforts in establishing a discipline of anthropology in China.@
His academic focus
encompasses from the Ages of the Warring States, and through the Periods
of Chin, Han, Sui, and Tang. He has made remarkable achievements in studying
various subjects, including castle towns, tombs, and bronze mirrors of
ancient times. His research method has a distinctive feature, which is
that he comprehensively scrutinizes archaeological objects obtained from
excavation sites, such as relics and remains, together with remaining
historical records which are available in relative abundance, and then
proves his hypothesis.
Professor Wang has
undertaken initiatives in numerous research excavation projects of historical
significance. Among them are the large tomb in Guwei-cun, Hui Xian, Henan
Province, which is believed to have belonged to the Wei Dynasty in the
middle of the Age of Warring States, and the tomb of Lord Zhongshan Jing
and his wife constructed in the middle of the Western Han Period in Mancheng
Xian, Hebei Province. These discoveries have greatly influenced the academic
circles of not only archaeology, but also historical studies, in China
and abroad.
He has also made an
important contribution from an educational perspective, by writing general
remarks on archaeology in the Han Period, ancient China's castle town
systems, and tomb-building methods, based upon his broad knowledge accumulated
through his many years' commitment to research work.
In the meantime, the
1972 discovery of the Takamatsuzuka Tomb in Japan provided Professor Wang
with impetus to take deep interest in Japanese archaeology and her ancient
history. The enthusiasm led him to conduct research on sankakubuchishinjukyo--triangular-rimmed
bronze mirrors with mythical figure and animal designs--which were unearthed
in Japan, the Takamatsuzuka Tomb, and the origin of ancient Japan's castle
town systems. Following the series of research work, he has proposed a
unique theory concerning the history of ancient Sino-Japanese relations.
Above all, he caused a controversy among the academic circles of archaeology
and historical studies in Japan when he introduced his new theory, claiming
that the triangular-rimmed bronze mirrors unearthed from the Early-Kofun-Period
tombs in Japan were manufactured by Chinese craftsmen who had come over
to Japan from the then Chinese state of Wu. This assumption contradicted
with a commonly accepted view that the bronze mirrors were presented to
the messengers of Himiko, female ruler of the early Japanese political
federation known as Yamatai, from the imperial court of the Chinese Dynasty
of Wei.
In addition, Professor
Wang has served many important posts dealing with science, the preservation
of cultural assets, and international relations of China. He has also
participated in international conferences held in Japan and the Republic
of Korea, given lectures at universities in the U.S.A., and thus contributed
to the enhancement and popularization of scientific research activities
in China and abroad. Furthermore, he has rendered services to training
young scholars.
Professor Wang Zhongshu's
achievements have not only contributed to the systematization of Chinese
archaeology and to the explication of early Sino-Japanese relations, but
also exhibited the significance of Asian culture to the world, and thus
Professor Wang Zhongshu is truly worthy of receiving the Grand Prize of
the Fukuoka Asian Cultural Prizes. |
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