Miscellaneous Gleanings from Archaeology (Phoenix Branch Collection)

张庆捷Phoenix Books, Ltd. · ChinaJun 2023

Rating 3.9
Word count
125K words
Chapters
36
ISBN
9787550634442

Tags

Essays and Miscellany DiscoveryPlank Road RemainsField ArchaeologyArchaeological SiteArchaeological LifeYellow River ArchaeologyScholar MemoirAcademic EssaysArchaeology NotesArchaeological Study

Summary

This book, part of the "Phoenix Branch Essays" series, is renowned archaeologist Zhang Qingjie's reflection on and summation of nearly forty years of his archaeological career, chronicling an archaeologist's tireless quest. It contains both thrilling field notes and serious research papers, leading readers into mysterious excavation sites. Opening the book, one can see an elderly woman walking swiftly along an Eastern Han plank road on a cliff over ten meters high by the Yellow River; a monument erected by a Northern Wei emperor standing silently for over 1,500 years amid towering mountains; and how villagers in Taiyuan, digging a drainage canal, became bound across time and space to an ancient kingdom a thousand miles away. Why did an archaeologist get distracted and fall into the Yellow River? What is it like to seek the past glory of the Tang dynasty in a foreign land? What vicissitudes have the surviving Buddhist statues beneath an ancient temple undergone over a millennium? Let Mr. Zhang Qingjie tell readers one by one.

Editor's review

Kaogu Zacai is a collection of essays by the veteran archaeologist Zhang Qingjie, reflecting years of fieldwork and scholarly reflection; it appears in the "Phoenix Branch Essays" series, which focuses on essays by scholars in the humanities. This is not a rigorous academic report but a plain, vivid account of discoveries at excavation sites, the unraveling of historical puzzles, and the joys and hardships of a scholar's career. Mr. Zhang has long devoted himself to the archaeology of the Northern Dynasties through the Sui and Tang, especially the study of major sites in Shanxi. Many chapters stem from major projects he personally took part in, such as the Yu Hong and Xu Xianxiu tombs, offering readers a firsthand perspective imbued with humanistic warmth.

The book's value lies in its distinctive cross-disciplinary character. It is professional—fine details reveal precise analysis of artifact forms and tomb structures—yet also accessible, restoring cold excavated objects to vivid fragments of ancient life and belief. The author is not content to state "what" but strives to explore "why," guiding readers to consider the social forms, cultural exchange, and intellectual change behind artifacts. Discussions of Sogdian figures and Zoroastrian remains, for example, vividly present the multicultural landscape of medieval China. This approach—from objects to people, from surface to depth—lifts the book beyond ordinary popular archaeology, making it a window onto the complexity and continuity of Chinese history.

Overall, Kaogu Zacai is written in plain yet richly grounded prose, revealing another side of the scholar beyond rigor: curiosity about history, warmth toward civilization, and a sense of responsibility for spreading knowledge. It serves well as supplementary reading for specialists and offers history enthusiasts solid and enjoyable enrichment.

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Reading tips

  1. For particular chapters, look up the archaeological reports or related papers on the Yu Hong Tomb, the Xu Xianxiu Tomb, and other sites mentioned in the book for further reading.
  2. Keep a historical map at hand to match the places and sites mentioned in the text and strengthen your sense of space.
  3. The chapters are relatively independent, suitable for reading selectively in spare moments; there is no need to read straight through.

About the publisher

Phoenix Books, Ltd. China · Founded in 1984

Phoenix Books, Ltd. specializes in collating and publishing Chinese classics in literature, history, and philosophy, along with related academic works. Its publishing areas cover ancient poetry, classical literature, folk literature, literary appreciation, medicine, and Eastern philosophy, forming distinctive sectors in classical text collation, historical documents, and academic research. Its catalogue includes poetry collections such as The Collected Works of Su Shi, Li Bai, Xin Qiji, and Wang Wei; classical drama and fiction such as Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio and The Injustice to Dou E; and scholarly editions such as the Collated Edition of Zhouhou Beiji Fang (2 volumes) and An Introduction to the Study of Chinese Texts Abroad (Revised Edition). Its author resources include scholars such as An Pingqiu, Zhang Peiheng, Ma Zhanggen, Zeng Zaozhuang, Yu Xianhao, and Yang Zhong, as well as classic writers such as Pu Songling and Guan Hanqing.

Contents

  1. 版权信息
  2. 弁言
  3. 自序
  4. 第一辑 走进古代
  5. 山西省汉唐美术考古新收获
  6. 山西北朝唐代名酒考略
  7. 中国古代的求雨方式
  8. 崔浩之诛
  9. 北魏文成帝《南巡碑》的发现与意义
  10. 大同电厂北魏九号墓发现的题记与壁画
  11. 忻州九原岗北朝壁画墓
  12. 第二辑 丝路纪行
  13. 碎叶城中祭李白
  14. 丝绸之路的历史起源
  15. 山西北朝文明漫谈
  16. 北齐带盖细颈铜瓶的变迁
  17. 2018年乌兹别克斯坦和塔吉克斯坦考察日记（4月29日—5月11日）
  18. 丝绸之路与古代山西
  19. 榆社县博物馆藏石佛造像选介
  20. 虞弘墓展示的外来风情
  21. 第三辑 漫谈杂忆
  22. 隋唐考古的重要收获
  23. 一花一世界
  24. 精美的石头会说话
  25. 墓志价值趣谈
  26. 寺观彩塑杂谈
  27. 金石为开
  28. 也说晋文化
  29. 北齐陶俑的特色
  30. 斛律彻墓报告序
  31. 汾阳唐代墓志小识
  32. 平城考古回顾（代序）
  33. 考古发掘报告积压的问题
  34. 留在黄河边的岁月
  35. 朝花夕拾记先生
  36. 《文物季刊》编辑部的故事

FAQ

Is this book highly specialized? Can I understand it without a background in archaeology? The book is positioned as scholarly essays, and the author strives to explain professional discoveries in accessible language. Professional concepts do appear but are explained accordingly; readers with basic historical knowledge can read it smoothly and learn from it.
Does the book include illustrations? What kind? It includes several black-and-white illustrations, mainly line drawings and photographs of sites or artifacts, to support the text. It is not a color album intended for visual appreciation.
What kind of series is the "Phoenix Branch Essays"? It is a series planned by Phoenix Publishing House, mainly collecting academic essays, notes, and reminiscences by Chinese humanistic scholars (especially in history, archaeology, and classical philology), aiming to show the intellectual spark and humanistic sensibility of scholars' careers.

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

张庆捷 Author

Zhang Qingjie is an author about whom limited public information is available. His representative work, Archaeological Miscellanies (Kao Gu Za Cai), is included in the "Phoenix Branch Literary Collection." Judging from the title and its classification, the book belongs to prose and miscellaneous writings and centers on archaeological topics in the form of essays and notes, likely blending field observations, reflections on cultural relics, and reading notes. As no clear records exist regarding his dates of birth and death, nationality, education, or professional positions, his biographical background cannot be described in detail and should not be speculated upon. Based on the available work, Zhang writes for general readers interested in archaeology, history, and culture, with an emphasis on informative yet accessible prose that balances professional archaeological description with personal essayistic reflection. This miscellany-style writing helps bring archaeology closer to the public, allowing readers to encounter sites, artifacts, and fragments of historical research in an easy manner. Only one work by him is currently known, and a fuller picture of his output awaits further material.