Chinese expert Zhou Xi’an (Left) works at Ta Keo Temple, part of the complex of Angkor Archaeological Park in Siem Reap, Cambodia, in July 2018. Photo: Mao Pengfei/XINHUA

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The name Angkor is derived from the Sanskrit nagara, meaning “sacred city.” As a modern concept, Angkor refers to a regional center consisting of monumental buildings, reservoirs and walls whose political influence reaches over the vast majority of Southeast Asia. About 100 remaining sites of the Angkor Empire fall within an area of 200 square kilometers around Angkor, archaeological complex in today’s northwestern Cambodia. These buildings are collectively called Angkor historic sites.

After Western colonists found Angkor’s historic sites between the 17th and the late 19th century, Système de l’école franêaise d’Extrême-Orient and other research institutions carried out archaeological excavations and restoration work.

In 1992, Angkor Wat was listed on the World Heritage List as endangered heritage. The next year, UNESCO called upon France and Japan to bring together multiple countries and international organizations to rescue Angkor Wat. They established the International Coordinating Committee for the Safeguarding and Development of the Historic Site of Angkor, thus starting the largest international collaboration ever for cultural heritage preservation. Zhang Deqin, then director of the National Cultural Heritage Administration, led a delegation to an international conference on preserving Angkor temples in the same year. China thus became one of the action’s earliest participants.

In 1997, the administration entrusted the Chinese Academy of Cultural Heritage to form a team to preserve, restore and study Chau Say Tevoda. The team set to work in 1998, marking the academy’s first cultural preservation project in Cambodia and the Chinese government’s first engagement in Angkor protection.

Chau Say Tevoda is an Angkor temple just east of Angkor Thom and directly south of Thommanon across the Victory Way. Built in the early 12th century, the walls and pedestals of each individual building are engraved.

The Chinese project team formulated three fundamental principles based on the temple’s situation. Rescue, reinforcement and site protection referred to regular protection while maintaining the basic circumstances of its construction. Significant restoration was a major measure that did greatest change to cultural relics.

The work had two stages. Preliminary research took place between 1998 and 1999 in which Chinese experts investigated construction damage and conducted exploratory research on archaeology and geological engineering. They also tailored maintenance plans to prepare for the second phase that lasted from April 2000 to June 2007. In December 2008, the maintenance work of Chau Say Tevoda was completed.

In 2006, the National Cultural Heritage Administration and the Cambodian Angkor Heritage Authority signed an agreement that the two governments would make coordinated efforts to protect Ta Keo, another Angkor temple. Located about one kilometer east of Angkor Thom’s Victory Gate, Ta Keo is a temple-mountain style structure constructed of huge sandstone blocks. It was built from the end of the 10th century to the outset of the 11th century.

In November 2010, the Ta Keo protection and restoration project began. At the same time, Chinese experts conducted comprehensive preliminary research, involving multiple disciplines such as architecture, archaeology, structural engineering, geotechnical engineering and protection science. Their 17 research reports helped achieve crucial progress. In December 2018, the restoration work on Ta Keo came to an end.

In January 2018, Premier Li Keqiang paid an official visit to Cambodia. The Chinese and Cambodian governments issued a joint communique stating that China would continue to support the protection and restoration of Angkor temples, Preah Vihear Temple, Beng Mealea, the palace ruins in Angkor City and other cultural heritage. By then, the Chinese government had engaged for two decades and worked on five sites across two regions. Their list of achievements is indisputably remarkable, and it behooves us to reflect on past archeological efforts as a more useful guide to future work.

The historic sites of Angkor fall into many types and their circumstances of damage vary greatly. Despite differing ideas, relics protection experts across the world have agreed on the principles and objectives. Anastylosis is a widely adopted method for restoring stone buildings. The collapsed parts must be kept in place, so that the buildings can be restored. However, some stone buildings outside central Angkor are seriously damaged. Do we need to fix them? In this case, a proper archaeological excavation makes more sense than restoration as it helps us know more about the buildings’ scale, layout and attributes, providing information for architectural exhibitions and use in the future.

Why do we study the history of Angkor? It is insufficient to explore Chinese civilization merely based on our own materials. Comparison with other ancient civilizations is essential. Li Xueqin, a renowned Chinese archaeologist, said that one of the important approaches to studying ancient Chinese civilization is comparative research, allowing people to more fundamentally understand ancient Chinese civilization itself. Apart from Chinese archaeology, he advocated the necessity of learning foreign and world archaeology.

Chinese archaeology is bound to enter the global stage and be integrated into the world. Archaeological work forms the bedrock of the protection and study of Angkor’s historic sites. Only by carrying out scientific excavation can we have a solid grasp of the sites, better restore buildings and restore the truth of history. The study of Angkor’s architecture will enhance our value perception and deepen our understanding of Angkor history.

The local government organized archaeological excavations around Prasat Trapeang Thlok and Tuol Ta Lo when it aimed to expand Siem Reap Airport. A 10th–11th century paddy site related to living places and handicraft workshops was found. Foreign archaeologists used lidar to image the area covered by the jungle of Litchi Mountain and discovered an early city site from the Angkor period. The city site is about 350 years older than Angkor Wat. Established in 802, it was the first city during the Angkor Empire. They also investigated around Angkor Wat and Koh Ker, discovering many streets, settlements, temples, ponds and other relics.

Current Angkor research focuses on capital cities, temples and other buildings. These studies and the interpretations of more than 1,300 inscriptions can outline a general social outlook of the Angkor period. There is still much room for improvement in terms of quantity and refinement of archaeological work in Angkor, according to the research of Xu Yan and Wang Yuanlin.

Since the 20th century, Western scholars, especially French scholars, have been engaged in archaeological activity in Angkor. They own the discourse of archaeological excavations and research, dominating academic theories and arguments in the field, such as George Coedès, Henri Marchal and Henri Parmentier. The leading figures study inscriptions, art and architecture and are involved in archaeological excavations, protection and restoration of Angkor cultural heritage. In addition, they have laid a foundation for historical research.

Despite its 20 years in Angkor archaeology, China is still marginalized in its collaborating role in the protection and restoration work. The country has yet to form an independent theoretical system and academic arguments. It lags far behind in the fields of migration, cultural exchange and economic relations between South China and Southeast Asia. It has made some progress in the study of Chau Say Tevoda and Ta Keo, but there is a lack of Angkor research regarding societal history, religious history and cultural history. Also, China needs to devote more attention to

comprehensive research that touches upon Angkor civilization and ancient Khmer history.
As a part of the world, China has maintained close ties with Southeast Asia since ancient times. For example, the japonica rice in the lowlands of Southeast Asia originated in China, and the cultivation of millet, pigs, dogs and cattle all spread from China. In the course of China’s historical development, interaction with the outside world has always been crucial. We encountered difficulties in the study of Chinese civilization because we failed to observe other ancient civilizations and conduct comparative research. Therefore, exploring Angkor’s historic sites is an attempt to understand contemporary Southeast Asian culture and thereby to understand ancient Chinese civilization in a deeper way.

 

edited by MA YUHONG