Peking University, December 13, 2022: To carry out multi-disciplinary discussion on the evolution of human land relationship in river basin settlements, promote international cooperation, academic exchanges and personnel training for the sustainable development of river basin settlements and heritage, Peking University and University of Cambridge co-hosted a seminar on Human-Land Relations of Early River Valley Civilisations which was held virtually on November 29, 2022. It gathered experts at home and abroad to give keynote reports and thematic reports.
The theme covered not only the theoretical research on human land relationship and human water relationship, but also the development and evolution of prehistoric culture in the Yellow River basin, the Yangtze River basin, the Danube River basin, the Ouse River, the arid region in western China, the Nenjiang River basin and other regions and cross regions, as well as the analysis of specific heritage cases such as the Aktala Heritage Site, the Pearl River Delta Historical and Cultural Block, and the Gulangyu Colonial Heritage. The seminar discussed the archaeological analysis of the prehistoric period and the adaptive development path of the current and future watershed settlement heritage protection from the perspective of concepts and digital technology.
Peking University and University of Cambridge have maintained a long-term friendly strategic partnership and have cooperated closely in the fields of environmental science, earth science, medicine, astronomy, engineering, physics, materials, humanities and society, providing a high-quality platform for personnel training and scientific research cooperation. This meeting is an important link for the two universities to build an international strategic partnership. Vice Minister of the International Cooperation Department of Peking University, Dr. Zheng Ruqing, hoped the meeting would lay a solid foundation for the multi-disciplinary and international cooperation and exchange, as well as talent training and team building of the early civilisation settlement research in the basin, and help the cultural heritage and high-quality development of the basin.
In the closing speech, Wang Fang thanked all participants for sharing their insights and jointly promoting the study of river basin civilisation and cultural heritage. In recent years, the Chinese government has paid close attention to cultural heritage and archaeological work, while continuously focusing on the basin environment. They have introduced major national strategies such as ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River basin, and the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt. This interdisciplinary seminar is a positive response to this effort.
Experts sharing their research in Keynote Reports and Theme Reports
Written by: Aqilah Anuar
Edited by: Fan Xueyuan
