Female Scholars and Their Contributions to Chinese Archaeology

Abstract

Most China archaeologists known abroad tend to be male; however, women have long contributed significantly to archaeological practice in China and make up an increasingly larger proportion of archaeology students. This does not mean, of course, that there is a level playing field for men and women. Men more often lead field projects, and research institutions focusing on fieldwork tend to employ considerably more men, while women rarely hold high-level positions. This chapter introduces female pioneers in the field of Chinese archaeology who are internationally hardly recognized, starting with the early forerunners in paleography and then moving on to the first women involved in excavations during the first half of the twentieth century. We then turn to the first generation of university graduates after the Cultural Revolution (1966–76) and end with a discussion of the place of women in the archaeology boom in China since the 1990s. Our focus will be on women in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) actively involved in fieldwork. Additionally, non-PRC-nationals who work with archaeological material from China will receive mention.