Huang Bin is working in an excavation unit 

Huang Bin, a 28-year-old archaeologist, considers his work both boring and repetitive and interesting and meaningful at the same time. This contradiction reflects a personality trait - he is introvert but can be very expressive when it comes to archaeology. After obtaining his master’s degree in cultural heritage and museum from Wuhan University in Hubei Province, he found a job at the Xiaoshan Museum in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, in December 2019. 

The museum offers him the job he desires. He has to work in the open air at the excavation site, far from the city centre. That’s where his passion lies.   

Every day he gets up at six in the morning to be at the site before seven. He spends the whole day on site and at the end of the day records the information gathered in his excavation diary and keeps all the finds. “Many people think that archaeological excavations consist of digging up treasures from tombs, which is exciting. But in reality, it is just an ordinary job,” he said. 

The reason he decided to become an archaeologist is simple: a love for history and a passion for uncovering the secrets of the past. He has dedicated his life to this cause.  

Huang Bin is drawing sketches at a site 

On the site 

On the outskirts of Hangzhou, there are a few makeshift plastic huts where he rests and eats. Outside, a huge excavation site stretches out. This is his “office” where he works almost every day of the year, except during torrential rains. 

According to him, archaeological work can be divided into three parts: excavation in the field, interior design, and publication. Excavations are the prerequisite and foundation for interior setting, which mainly involves checking, restoring and mapping the excavated remains with a view to publish them. The excavations are usually published in the form of reports to facilitate research. 

“Our work is hard, with our faces to the ground and our backs to the sky,” he said. He loves a peaceful work atmosphere, and his personality is ideal for his line of work. “Despite having a tan, I have fantastic health owing to my exercise.” 

The camaraderie among the archaeologists is something that pleases Huang the most. “We’re all young individuals with a love for archaeology and a shared objective,” he said. They collaborated on a site with more than 10,000 square metres of ruins last year, the most significant of which was an artefact from the Liangzhu civilisation. They stayed on the site last summer despite the high temperatures, cleaning the Liangzhu tomb in the sweltering sun with their bodies drenched in sweat and their skin tanned. “We spent a lot of time pouring our souls into the work. We are thrilled to be working in an area full of historical artefacts,” he said. 

He said that most of the artefacts he discovered are not on public display. However, some were on display during the temporary exhibition Discover Hangzhou 2021 held at the Hangzhou Arts and Crafts Museum in 2022. 

Cultural relics of the Zhujiaqiao site in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province

A lifelong commitment 

Archaeology and urban planning are closely linked. The cost of excavation and cultural preservation has increased dramatically with the development of modern urbanisation. Since 2019, Huang has devoted his time to preventive archaeology, which aims to study archaeological remains that might otherwise be ruined by construction work.  

According to him, each piece of land is subject to an archaeological survey and archaeological exploration before it can be offered for sale, and an archaeological excavation is required if cultural deposits are found after the exploration. Significant discoveries made during the excavation process will also need to be protected in situ or relocated. 

In cooperation with the Hangzhou Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, 49 preventive archaeological projects covering an area of 2.27 million square metres, and five archaeological excavation projects covering an area of 10,300 square metres and uncovering more than 2,400 cultural relics were carried out in 2022. 

One must always expand their knowledge and develop their professional skills if they want to do this work properly. For him, archaeology is the study of our history. Excavated artefacts are preserved, restored, and displayed. They are also an important way to understand and explore the production methods and lifestyles of our ancestors. In particular, archaeology enables us to understand the emergence and transmission of Chinese civilisation, local cultures, and modern society. The most important aspect of this is that it continually refreshes our understanding of history and brings us closer to the times in which our ancestors lived. According to him, “doing so helps us to better grasp the magnificent and brilliant civilisation they established, expands our understanding of Chinese civilisation, and boosts people’s cultural confidence.”  

“As an archaeologist, it will be difficult for me to make such amazing discoveries as the Sanxingdui and the Terracotta Army. However, as long as I can see the cultural relics presented to the world, I think my effort will be worthwhile, so I will continue to do so,” he told ChinAfrica.  

Cultural relics of the Zhujiaqiao site in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province

Archaeological Ruins of the City of Liangzhu 

The archaeological remains of Liangzhu, which are situated in the Yangtze River Delta on China’s southeastern coast, provide insight into an ancient regional society with a unified belief system based on rice farming in Late Neolithic China. The Yaoshan site, the upper dam area near the valley’s mouth, the lower dam area on the plain, and the city make up the entire site. With clay monuments, urban planning, a water conservation system, and different burial sites, these remains offer a unique illustration of an old urban.