Leaving no stone unturned

Yuan Jing, a researcher with the Institute of Archaeology at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and a member of the 13th CPPCC National Committee, says China now has only about 600 registered "leaders of archaeological excavations" working in the field, and 1,760 institutions have archaeological licenses, which leaves a huge gap in the study of the booming archaeological findings around the country.

"Some archaeologists have to work over 300 days a year in the field. They are too exhausted to categorize the findings and display their significance to a wider public," Yuan says.

He proposed that central government departments related to education, finance and human resources draft plans to nurture young talent and improve salaries in archaeological work.