Archaeological Science and Experimental Research Center
The Archaeological Science and Experimental Research Center was established in 1995 and is dedicated to integrating advanced technologies from the natural sciences with archaeological research through interdisciplinary collaboration. Its predecessor was China’s first radiocarbon dating laboratory, founded in 1965 by Qiu Shihua and Cai Lianzhen. This laboratory was recognised as a pivotal milestone, marking the proactive engagement of Chinese archaeology in building and developing the field of archaeological science.
The center has been successively designated by the CASS as a Key Supported Discipline, a Key Discipline, a Priority Discipline, and a First-Class Key Supported Laboratory. In 2010, it became the National Key Research Base for Archaeobotany and Archaeozoology under the National Cultural Heritage Administration. Currently, it operates as a pilot National Key Laboratory for Philosophy and Social Sciences supported by the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee.
The center features diverse analytical methods, advanced laboratory facilities, extensive research collections, robust data resources, strong research capacity across a broad range of fields, and a talented research team. It has consistently remained at the forefront of the discipline and holds a strong reputation both in China and abroad.
Cultural Heritage Conservation Research Center
The Cultural Heritage Conservation Research Center was established in 2007 through the merger of the Large-Scale Site Conservation Center, founded by the Institute of Archaeology in 2005, and the Conservation Group that had operated under the “Old Technology Office” of the institute since the 1950s. The institute holds a Class-A qualification for the survey and design of cultural heritage conservation projects, as well as a top-tier qualification for the conservation of movable archaeological artefacts.
Since its establishment, the center has been committed to research and practice in archaeological heritage preservation and utilisation, emergency conservation of movable excavated artefacts, laboratory-based micro-excavation and information retrieval, and the conservation and restoration of excavated cultural materials. It emphasises interdisciplinary integration across the humanities and social sciences, natural sciences and engineering technology. Its research covers a wide range of fields, with distinctive strengths in textile archaeology, laboratory archaeology, conservation science and technology, protection and sustainable use of large-scale archaeological sites and foundational theoretical research on cultural heritage.
