On May 27, the Key Laboratory of Archaeological Sciences and Cultural Heritage at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) held a conference to present significant major outcomes, the first meeting of its kind in 2025, at the Chinese Academy of History (CAH) under CASS.

Gao Xiang, president of CASS and director of the CAH, noted in his speech at the conference that each of the first major research works unveiled at the conference reflects the deep integration of multiple disciplines and embodies the collective wisdom and dedicated innovation of the participating scholars.

The conference introduced seven major outcomes covering the restoration of important cultural relics, international collaboration on archaeological sciences and heritage conservation among Belt and Road countries, and the interpretation of critical research subjects.

One notable achievement involved the preservation and restoration of a gilt silver crown unearthed from Tomb M1 at Quangou Cemetery in Wulan County, northwest China’s Qinghai Province. This marks the first successful recovery of intricately shaped crown artifacts from the Tubo Period (7th–9th century), an era that witnessed the heyday of exchanges and integration among civilizations along the Plateau Silk Road.

Another highlighted project focused on the craft, preservation, and restoration of clay dragon heads—architectural elements from the Tang Dynasty (618–907)—discovered amid the ruins of an ancient city in Xiong’an, Hebei Province. Employing computerized tomography, micro X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, 3D laser scanning, and virtual assembly techniques, this research offers new archaeological evidence on the evolution of the dragon motif in Chinese culture and affirms the long historical and cultural lineage in Xiong’an.The protection of relics at the Mingtepa site in Uzbekistan exemplifies China’s transition in archaeological sciences and heritage preservation from a “following” role to a “leading” position, vividly illustrating the expanding global reach of Chinese philosophy and social sciences.

The research introduced at the conference, titled “From Aggregation to Integration: Interaction Between Groups in Central and Southern Inner Mongolia during the Eastern Zhou Dynasty,” adopts multidisciplinary methods to empirically prove the interaction, exchanges, and integration among communities in the region during the Eastern Zhou period (770–256 BCE), reinforcing efforts to cultivate a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation.

In the field of botanical archaeology, “A Preliminary Study on the Remains of Vitis Seeds Unearthed in China: On the Possibility of Cultivating Native Vitis Plants” reveals that native grape species in China have been continuously used for millennia, rather than replaced by Western Eurasian varieties. This indicates a long-term coexistence of Chinese and Western grape plants, with Chinese ancestors possibly managing or cultivating native Vitis from the late Neolithic to early Bronze Age.

“The Source and Transmission Path of Early Natron Glass in China: New Evidence from Dragonfly-Eye-Shaped Glass Beads Dating to the Early Iron Age (1000–202 BCE) in Xinjiang” traces a route of cultural exchanges predating the Silk Road by nearly 400 years. Analysis of the glass beads’ elemental composition confirms Xinjiang’s role as a critical node in the eastward transmission of Mediterranean glass technology.

Lastly, “Reflections on the Alloy Technology and Mineral Source of Bronzeware Unearthed From the Erlitou Site” confirms that the people of Erlitou in Henan Province had mastered advanced bronze smelting and casting techniques, effectively controlling metal resources and organizing production. This technological foundation supported the development of China’s early ritual and musical traditions.

The conference was sponsored by CASS and co-organized by its Bureau of Scientific Research Management, CAH, Institute of Archaeology, and the University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.