Biographical Profile
Xu Hong, male, was born in July 1963 in Gaizhou City, Liaoning Province. He is a Research Fellow at the Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS). He graduated with a degree in Archaeology, from the Department of History, Shandong University in 1984 and stayed at the university as a faculty member, serving successively as Assistant Lecturer and Lecturer. He obtained a Master's degree in 1989; in the same year, he completed the training program for archaeological team leaders at the National Cultural Heritage Administration. In 1992, he was admitted to the Department of Archaeology, Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. He earned a Doctoral degree in 1996 and subsequently joined the Institute of Archaeology. He retired in 2023. He has served as Director of Xia-Shang-Zhou Archaeology Division of the Institute of Archaeology, Leader of the Erlitou Archaeological Team, Professor and Doctoral Supervisor at the University of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Council Member of the Archaeological Society of China, and Executive Deputy Director of the Xia-Shang Archaeology Professional Committee.
Major Work
His research primarily focuses on the archaeological study of early Chinese cities, early states, and early civilizations. He has successively participated in and directed field projects, including the excavation of the Dinggong Longshan Culture city site in Zouping, Shandong; the excavation of the palace area at the Yanshi Shang City site in Henan; and led the drilling and excavation of the Erlitou site in Yanshi, Henan, as well as the regional archaeological survey of the central-eastern Luoyang Basin.
Major Achievements
•Xu Hong, Yuan Jing & Zhao Haitao (eds.). Erlitou (1999–2006). Cultural Relics Press, 2014.
•Xu Hong & Yuan Jing (eds.). Sixty Years of Erlitou Archaeology. China Social Sciences Press, 2019.
•Xu Hong. Archaeology of Pre-Qin City-Sites (2 Vols.). Jincheng Publishing House & Xiyuan Publishing House, 2017.
•Xu Hong. Treading on Ruins in Search of Ancient Cities. The Commercial Press, 2021.
•Xu Hong. Tracing the Origins of China. Henan Literature and Art Publishing House, 2021.
•Xu Hong. Focus on Erlitou. Bashu Publishing House, 2022.
•Xu Hong. Interpreting Early China (Slipcased Edition, 4 Vols., including The Earliest China, Why China, Great Capitals Without Walls and The Bronze Wave in East Asia). Joint Publishing (Hong Kong) Co., Ltd., 2022.
•Xu Hong. Discovery and Reasoning: Chronicles of Archaeology (I). Shanxi People's Publishing House, 2021.
•Xu Hong. The Enigma of Sanxingdui: Chronicles of Archaeology (II). Zhengzhou University Press, 2022.
•Xu Hong. A History of China Through Its Cities. Henan Literature and Art Publishing House, 2024.
