Research center for Frontier Archaeology And Center for Foreign Archaeology

Director：LI Yuqun

Deputy Directors： Wu Xinhua   Liu Guoxiang

Staff:  Guo Wu, Wang Peng, Tong Tao, Sang Li, Huang Shan            

 Major Research Areas and Academic Projects 
The research area of the Frontier Archaeology refers mainly to the current land border areas and the ocean border regions of China. It includes mainly the archaeology of Northeastern China (Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang Provinces and adjacent oceans), archaeology of the Inner Mongolia (Including Ningxia and northern Gansu), archaeology of Xinjiang (extending to the Hexi Corridor), archaeology of Tibet (also including some areas in Qinghai), archaeology of Yunnan (also including adjacent areas in Guizhou and Guangxi ) , archaeology of the South China Sea (Fujian and coastal area of Guangxi and Guangdong, Hong Kong , Macao and Taiwan, including under water archaeology).
 The major academic projects include mainly the study of the chronology and the systems of the archaeological cultures in the border areas, the interactions between the ancient frontier cultures with the cultures in the Central Plain over time, and the cultural exchanges between ancient China and the adjacent areas. The archaeology of the frontiers focuses mostly on the regional ethnic archaeology with diverse subjects. Chronologically it covers prehistory to the Ming Dynasty with a focus on the post-Han Dynasty archaeology.
 Center for Foreign Archaeology currently focuses on the archaeological studies of the neighbor countries. These researches help to further develop the frontier archaeology.
 Center for Frontier Archaeology and Center for Foreign Archaeology were established in 1999.  There are three archaeological teams: the Inner Mongolia Team (including the Northeastern Team ) , Xinjiang Team , and Tibet Team.

1. Inner Mongolia Team
This archaeology team was first established in 1959, and it has accomplished greatly in the archaeology of the pre-Qin period in the southeastern Inner Mongolia. The archaeological sites it excavated include, but not limited to, the Xiajiadian site, the Fuhegoumen site, the Xinglongwa site, the Zhaobaogou site, and the Xishuiquan site. These excavations established the basis for naming the Upper Xiajiadian Culture, the Lower Xiajiadian Culture, the Fuhe Culture, the Zhaobaogou Culture, and the Xinglongwa Culture. These cultures represent a basic chronological sequence of the archaeological cultures in the areas north of the Yanshan Mountain. In addition, team members also conducted archaeological projects in western Inner Mongolia and the northeastern China. The ongoing project also includes a collaborative archaeological excavation and research project with the local archaeological institutions on the tombs of the Liao and the Jin Dynasties.
 It has published two comprehensive archaeological reports: "Dadianzi " and "Aohan Zhaobaogou".
 Past Team Directors: Guanmin LIU, Jinxiang Liu
 Current Team Directors: Xinlin DONG, Guoxiang LIU

2. Xinjiang Team
This archaeology team was founded in 1978. Its main academic goal is to study the archaeological cultures of Xinjiang, with a focus on the archaeological cultures in southern Xinjiang (south of the Tianshan Mountain).
 Major archaeological projects include the excavations of the Buddhist temple site of Khoco Uighur period in Beiting (Jimusar County), the Chawuhugou cemetery (Hejing County), the Qunbake cemetery ( Luntai County), the Wumachang site ( Qitai County), the Jiawaairike cemetery (Qiemo County), and the Duogang cemetery (Baicheng County).
The team has published a comprehensive archaeological report "The Buddhist Temples of Khoco Uighur period in Beiting ".
Past Team Directors: Binggen SUN, Guoqiang GONG
Current Team Director: Xinghua WU

3. Tibet Team
It was established in 1990. It has conducted mainly the archaeological surveys and excavations in southern Tibet.  Major project includes the excavation of the Qugong site near Lhasa. It has published a comprehensive archaeological report “Lhasa Qugong”. 
Past Team Director: Renxiang WANG
Current Team Director: Huimin ZHAO

April 26，2015 updated