Social Sciences in China (Chinese Edition)

No.6, 2017

An Analysis of the Different Archaeological Orientations of Xia Nai and Su Bingqi

(Abstract)

Tang Huisheng

Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, under the overall leadership of Marxism, there have been heated interaction and debates between different academic views and research orientations. In archaeological circles, the “positivist school” represented by Xia Nai and the “theoretical school” represented by Su Bingqi interacted in terms of their different research orientations, driving the further development of archaeological research in China. With the advent of the 21st century, Chinese archaeology in China has, for various reasons, found itself dominated by the theoretical school represented by Su Bingqi. An analysis of the thought and research orientations of the two schools can assist in the further prosperity of Chinese archaeology.