Books explore archaeological, cultural and scientific record to inspire future

Books released by the Chinese Academy of History at a news conference in Beijing on Tuesday show that history can offer references for modernization with Chinese characteristics.

The books, drafted by several national-level research institutes, span a wide range of topics, including archaeology and political, revolutionary and scientific history.

They are the newest fruits of President Xi Jinping's guidance on cultural inheritance and development, delivered almost a year ago.

When Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, visited the academy on June 2 last year he underlined the importance of shouldering new cultural missions and building a modern Chinese civilization. He then noted the five prominent features of Chinese civilization: consistency, originality, uniformity, inclusiveness and peacefulness.

Civilizational China: Archaeological Explanation of Prominent Characteristics of Chinese Civilization, one of the new books, is a comprehensive review of recent achievements in archaeology. The academy organized top-tier scholars from around the nation to compile the book.

Using physical evidence unearthed across China, ranging from jade items, pottery, bronze ware and murals to city ruins, the book shows how prominent characteristics were formed and connected with each other and how they have jointly contributed to the evolution of Chinese civilization, Zhang Guochun, one of its authors and deputy director of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of Archaeology, said at the news conference.

"It's not only a theoretical work," Zhang said. "The book is written to offer a general view of Chinese civilization for the public."

Another book, Road of Painted Potteries: The Early-stage East-West Cultural Communication and Eurasian World System, written by Han Jianye, an archaeology professor at Renmin University of China, chose a new angle to review Eurasian cultural exchanges.

It traces prehistoric communication over 5,000 years based on a boom in the production of painted pottery. Along the "road", the technology of cultivating grains like millet spread westward from present-day China, while bronze metallurgy, sheep herding, the use of chariots and wheat cultivation spread eastward.

"The painted pottery witnessed the infancy of civilizations," Han said. "And the exchange kept bringing new blood to their own growth and created the vitality of Chinese civilization. It created the foundation of the Silk Road in later history."

The General History of China during Modern Times (Revised Edition), focuses on the period from 1840 to 1949 and provides a vivid picture of Chinese society based on comprehensive studies on politics, economics, schools of thoughts and other fields. The Brief History of Modernization with Chinese Characteristics follows the growth of the Communist Party of China and New China and, through comprehensive analysis, places their achievements in the grand picture of Chinese history.

Historical Outline of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China explores the country's development in related fields and its interaction with education, economics, cultural and social progress.

"It may provide some inspiration and experiences for scientific innovation in the future," said Bai Chunli, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Ma Yuan, deputy director of the Chinese Academy of History, said: "History studies aim not only to review the past … From now on, historians should bear a stronger cultural mission and contribute their wisdom in the great rejuvenation of our nation."