Outstanding contributors to the preservation and understanding of Hongshan culture

Su Bingqi (1909-97)

Su, a founding figure of Chinese archaeology, devoted his career to studying the origins of Chinese civilization and formulating a series of profoundly influential theories. In the 1980s, drawing on his studies of Hongshan and other prehistoric cultures, he proposed a three-stage model for the formation of China, arguing that the interaction, convergence and integration of diverse civilizations scattered across the vast territory ultimately gave rise to the pluralistic yet unified Chinese civilization.

This framework challenged the earlier view of a single-origin model, thereby opening new paths for tracing the formation and development of Chinese civilization from multiple regional perspectives. His intellectual legacy continues to shape contemporary understanding of both Hongshan culture and the broader origins of Chinese civilization.

Su Shenzhi, daughter of Su Bingqi, said: "His deep love for his motherland led him to consider what has made China and how Chinese civilization originated and developed. With that perspective, he was able to make good use of archaeological evidence and propose theories based on it."