China News Service, Chongqing, October 2nd: "Transformation" and "witness" of Li Dadi in the Three Gorges Archaeology for 30 years
Zhong Yi, reporter from Chinanews.com
Before this year's National Day, the "Three Museums and One Courtyard" innovatively created by the Chongqing Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology was officially launched to display cultural relics resources at multiple levels for the society, so that the people can get closer to cultural relics.
Li Dadi, the 57-year-old director of the Institute of Archaeology of the Chongqing Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology and the director of the Grotto Archaeology Center, watched the cold cultural relics become "warm" and the charm of the archaeological cultural relics was released to the greatest extent, and his heart was filled with emotion.
The picture shows a young Li Dadi doing an archaeological excavation.
Photo courtesy of the interviewee
As an archaeologist with 30 years of front-line experience, Li Dadi, who was awarded the title of "National Advanced Worker of Cultural Relics System" in 2022, said in an interview with a reporter from Chinanews.com, "The Three Gorges Archaeology is the starting point for me to devote myself to archaeology, and my life is also Enriched and happy by archaeology.”
From blue silk to white hair, with the changes in the goals and tasks of the Three Gorges archaeological work, Li Dadi has grown from a front-line "practitioner" of Three Gorges archaeology to a "guardian" of infrastructure archaeology, and then to an "organizer" of archaeological work, witnessing Chinese archaeology The career has made great progress and has completed a role change again and again.
In Li Dadi's view, the protection of cultural relics in the Three Gorges area is mainly divided into two stages. One is the protection of the "former Three Gorges" cultural relics before the closure of the river, focusing on rescue; The excavation, the ongoing archaeology of the large site and the construction of the Three Gorges National Archaeological Site Park (Chongqing) put more emphasis on protection and utilization.
In the early 1990s, the protection of underground cultural relics in the submerged area of the Three Gorges Reservoir was imminent.
At that time, Li Dadi, who was engaged in the protection and management of cultural relics, was full of curiosity about the mystery of archaeology.
In order to acquire a skill, he successfully passed the national examination and entered a university to start systematic study.
Li Dadi was 32 years old when he was directly involved in the "Great Battle" of the Chinese archaeological community.
"At that time, more than 70 archaeological units from all over the country gathered in the Three Gorges. The archaeological projects were wide-ranging, spanning, time-constrained, and task-heavy." Li Dadi said that every time he excavated objects were unfamiliar. Archaeological understanding and learning have been rapidly improved.
Crossing rivers by boat, climbing hills, and rivers... In the era of difficult conditions, archaeological fieldwork especially tempered the character and will.
"The excavation cycle of a construction site is at least two or three months, and more than half a year or a year." Li Dadi recalled that in hot summer, the team often had to go out with tools before dawn, and returned to the base near noon, and returned to the base at 4 p.m. go to work.
In the middle of the night, everyone slept on the ground after spraying water on the roof to dissipate heat.
No entertainment facilities, just count the stars in the sky, no air conditioning, sorbet, mung bean soup and sugar mixed with tomatoes are the best in the world.
Arranging excavation materials is a compulsory course for the team members every night. The voltage is unstable, so everyone writes records, perfects drawings, edits photos, and writes reports in the low light.
"Bitterness is bitterness, but people rarely give up the idea of giving up." Li Da said, "Every day there are new discoveries" is the charm of the archaeological industry.
In ten years of field archaeology, Li Dadi has presided over or participated in more than 20 archaeological excavation projects, involving Neolithic, Shang and Zhou ruins, Warring States, Han and Tang dynasties tombs, Ming Dynasty smelting zinc ruins, etc., and published 1 special report on Three Gorges archaeology , more than 20 archaeological excavation reports.
Since 2006, Li Dadi has been in charge of large-scale capital construction archaeology.
In order to alleviate the increasingly prominent contradiction between infrastructure projects and cultural relics protection, he and his team explored the establishment of a "three-level inspection mechanism for cultural relics safety", mobilizing the strength of cultural relics units at all levels, taking responsibility for protecting the soil, strengthening daily supervision, and consciously being the "guardian" of cultural heritage.
Through strengthening linkages and regular inspections, a number of cultural heritages on the verge of being destroyed by construction have been effectively protected.
As the head of the unit's archaeological business department, Li Dadi's work in recent years has focused on the organization and coordination of the follow-up archaeology at the Three Gorges Site. A number of heritage parks and cultural parks that promote the integration of culture and tourism are emerging in Chongqing.
Li Dadi said that it is a great blessing for archaeologists to better meet the needs of people's spiritual and cultural life by excavating value, making effective use, and making cultural relics "live".
Li Dadi mentioned that the continuous improvement of people's awareness of cultural relics protection is the "soil" for the creative transformation and innovative development of cultural relics resources. Chongqing's archaeological achievements have achieved results in scientific and technological upgrading, digital application, and multi-disciplinary participation.
In order to attract more young people to pay attention to archaeology, the Institute makes full use of the practice base for young people, promotes the normalization of research and study tours, invites students to visit archaeological sites, and organizes professionals to teach on campus.
Li Dadi revealed that his team is developing a set of local teaching materials, using the archaeological perspective to tell the history of Chongqing.
He expects that after the teaching materials enter the classroom, the younger generation can better understand their hometown, enhance their homesickness, and enhance their cultural self-confidence.
The picture shows a young Li Dadi sorting out archaeological artifacts.
Photo courtesy of the interviewee
"At present, the conditions and environment of archaeological work continue to improve, the academic research system for archaeology is improving, and the professional level of archaeological talents is constantly improving. The 'post-80s' and 'post-90s' have become the backbone of archaeological work..." said Li Da, who personally experienced And witnessed the continuous prosperity of China's archaeological undertakings, the most exciting.
(Finish)