On 18 December 2024 (Wednesday), SEAMEO SPAFA invites you to the Social Wing of the SPAFA Building to hear from two Chinese professors who will give talks on the topic of archaeobotany (morning session) and the conservation of palm-leaf manuscripts (afternoon session). The talks, which will be conducted in the English language, are open to the general public and admission is free, but registration is required to attend.
*We regret to inform that the afternoon session’s talk has been cancelled. Registered participants have been notified by email and/or phone call. We apologize for any inconvenience caused.*
REGISTER YOUR ATTENDANCE (mandatory) to attend both or either one of the talks, HERE, or scan the QR code:
MORNING SESSION
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AFTERNOON SESSION *CANCELLED*
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Morning Session | 09:30-11:30 hours (GMT+7) *Check-in opens at 08:30 hr*
Title of the Talk: “Before and After the Silk Road: Archaeobotanical Studies in Ancient Turpan of Xinjiang”
Speaker: Prof. Dr. Hongen Jiang (Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing)
Topic:
Turpan is located in the northwestern part of China, where the climate is very dry, and many desiccated plant remains were so well preserved. Before the opening of the ancient Silk Road, the local culture belonged to the Subeixi culture (~1300BC-200AD), and the ancient people managed a semi-pastoral and semiagricultural lifestyle. They planted very few cereals including bread wheat, naked barley and common millet, and they still used wood drilling technique to get fire. Cannabis was used for psychic altering purpose, but not for cereal or fiber. Only one grapevine was discovered, which suggested horticultural activity.
After the opening of the Silk Road, Turpan played key roles for the communication between the East and the West. During the 3th to the 9th century, there were huge changes of plant utilization in ancient Turpan. Different cereal remains were discovered in the Astana cemetery in Tupan, including foxtail millet, common millet, wheat, naked barley, as well barley. Cannabis with bigger size was used as cereal instead of the other utilizations. Oil seed like sesame were unearthed, while both flax and cannabis fibers were discovered. Furthermore, fruit remains of pear, apple, Chinese date, walnut, apricot, grape, as well as sweet melon, were discovered. Among the plant remains discovered, there were local plants like apple and walnut, but there were also elements from the inner part of China like apricot and Cannabis seeds with big size, as well from the westward like flax.
In sum, the opening of the Silk Road enlarged the plant diversity of the ancient Turpan, which also enforced the prosperity of the society of the ancient Turpan of China.
About the Speaker: Hongen Jiang, Ph. D., tenured full Prof., Vice Dean of the Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing
Graduated from the Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Prof. Hongen Jiang has been doing research in archaeobotany for more than 20 years. He is dedicated to excavating the potential information of ancient plant remains by using scientific methods, in order to better understand the plant recognition, utilization, as well as the agricultural activities in ancient times, and further evaluate the subsistence economy of the ancient Human being. His research was once selected to be one of the top 10 archaeological discoveries in the world famous journal Archaeology in 2011. To date, Prof. Jiang has published more than 120 papers and one monograph, which have been cited 2355 times, with a h-index of 26 according to data provided by ResearchGate. He has also got three grants from National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), one from the National Social Science Foundation of China (NSSFC), and one from National Key Research and Development Program of China.
*We regret to inform that this afternoon talk has been cancelled. Registered participants have been notified by email and/or phone call. We apologize for any inconvenience caused.*
Afternoon Session | 13:30-15:30 hours (GMT+7) Check-in opens at 13:00 hr
Title of the Talk: “Preservation and Conservation of the Xishuangbanna Palm-Leaf Manuscripts in China”
Speaker: Prof. Dr. Shan WANG (Research fellow, China Academy of Cultural Heritage)
Topic:
This lecture will introduce the collection scale, types of documents, and historical value of the Xishuangbanna palm-leaf manuscripts in China. Through an analysis of the current state of preservation, it is found that despite the achievements of existing conservation measures, the palm-leaf manuscripts still face challenges such as aging and loss, along with deficiencies in technology, funding, and talent. The lecture will propose strategies including strengthening scientific research, increasing financial support, cultivating professional talent, and expanding international cooperation to promote the preservation and inheritance of the palm-leaf manuscripts. This will further enhance their important role in fostering cultural exchanges between China and Thailand.
About the Speaker:
Shan WANG, Ph.D. in Engineering, is a Research Fellow and Postdoctoral Supervisor at the China Academy of Cultural Heritage. She chairs the Papermaking History and Paper Cultural Relics Committee of the Chinese Society for the History of Science and Technology and is a Council Member of the Committee for the History of Science and Technology of Ethnic Minorities of China.
Since 2006, Dr. WANG has been dedicated to the conservation and restoration of paper cultural relics, leading over thirty important national and international projects, as well as scientific research endeavors. Her work includes a major special project funded by the China State Council for the rescue conservation and restoration of precious cultural relics (ancient books and documents) at the Potala Palace in Tibet.
From 2018 to 2019, Dr. WANG serves as a project manager at the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM) in Rome, where she contributed to the advancement of international cultural heritage preservation. Dr. WANG has also been instrumental in the “Fourteenth Five-Year” China National Key Research and Development Plan, where she is leading the initiative “Technical Standards and Application Demonstration for the Conservation and Restoration of Palm Leaf Manuscripts.”
The post Special Forum on 18th December 2024 at SEAMEO SPAFA with Visiting Professor from China, Prof. Dr Hongen Jiang *NOTE: Afternoon session has been cancelled* first appeared on Seameo Spafa.
The post Special Forum on 18th December 2024 at SEAMEO SPAFA with Visiting Professor from China, Prof. Dr Hongen Jiang *NOTE: Afternoon session has been cancelled* appeared first on Seameo Spafa.