In early March, Zeng Qi, a famous archaeologist and professor at Sun Yat-sen University, passed away in Guangzhou due to illness at the age of 87.
After learning the news, teachers and friends who had worked with Mr. Zeng Qi, students and juniors who had been mentored by him wrote articles to express their condolences. A large number of commemorative articles at home and abroad were forwarded and disseminated online.
"First Western University and then Central University, he devoted himself to cultivating archaeological talents, and his talents are all over the world; from Guanzhong to Lingnan, he devoted himself to studying prehistoric society, and his reputation spread throughout the world." This is Mr. Zeng Qi's student, Archaeological Research at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Chen Xingcan, director of the institute and curator of the Yin Xu Museum, wrote an elegiac couplet for him.
Zeng Qi was born in 1937 in Chao'an, Guangdong. In 1959, he graduated from Northwest University with an archeology major and stayed at the school to work. In 1975, he was transferred to Sun Yat-sen University and taught successively in the Department of History and Department of Anthropology, serving as lecturer, associate professor, and professor. After his retirement in 2000, Zeng Qi was successively employed as a librarian of the Cultural and Historical Research Center of the Guangdong Provincial People's Government, a member of the Expert Committee of the Guangdong Provincial Bureau of Cultural Relics, and a special researcher of the Chaoshan Cultural Research Center.
At the farewell ceremony for Zeng Qi’s body, more than a hundred archaeologists came from all over the country to commemorate their extremely beloved friend and mentor. Dozens of units including the Archeology Department of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, the Archaeological Society of China, and the Institute of Archeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences sent messages of condolence. From a series of memorial articles written by students and narrations from family members, the reporter was able to restore the scenes of the famous archaeologist’s work and life during his lifetime——
Cultivate a group of backbones in the archaeological field
Quan Hong, a second-level researcher at the Guangzhou Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology and president of the Guangzhou Cultural Relics and Museum Society, is one of Professor Zeng Qi’s closest students. He clearly remembered that the last time he met his teacher was February 17, 2024 (the eighth day of the first lunar month), when Quan Hong and several students of the same grade made an appointment to go to the teacher's home to pay New Year's greetings.
"The teacher is very energetic and has an amazing memory. He can accurately call out the names of classmates who have not seen each other for many years and are engaged in other professions. He can even name the work department." Quan Hong said.
Teachers are the most important social role in Professor Zeng Qi's life. From his stay in school in 1959 to his retirement in 2000, from Northwest University to Sun Yat-sen University, Zeng Qi educated countless people and cultivated a number of backbones in the archaeological field. In 1975, after Zeng Qi was transferred back to Sun Yat-sen University, he focused especially on prehistoric archeology in the Lingnan area. "Looking back on the 42 years since we entered school in 1981, we have benefited from the education we received from our teachers." To this day, Quan Hong still remembers that Zeng Qi took them to Xiqiao Mountain in the South China Sea, the Hunan Provincial Museum, and the Maba Shixia site for field investigations during his studies. experience.
Xiang Ming, currently the director of the Zhejiang Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archeology, studied archeology in the Department of Anthropology at Sun Yat-sen University in 1985 and was one of Zeng Qi's students. "Teacher Zeng taught us two courses, "Neolithic Archeology" and "Southern Neolithic Archeology," and I was the class representative and got scores of 94 and 85 points respectively," Xiang Ming recalled.
Today, Xiang Ming has become an authoritative expert in the study of Neolithic Archeology and Liangzhu Culture in Zhejiang, and Zeng Qi’s teachings undoubtedly laid a good foundation for him. Xiang Xiangming’s undergraduate thesis was titled “Primitive Religion Reflected in Liangzhu Jade Artifacts”, with Zeng Qi as his advisor. “To this day, I still have the draft of the thesis with Teacher Zeng’s annotations. Teacher Zeng not only added notes and content, but also included typos. None of them were spared.”
Even in my seventies, I’m still running around in the fields
In Quan Hong's view, teachers are famous for helping students learn. His senior brother Fu Xianguo, a researcher at the Institute of Archeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, also said: "Mr. Zeng Qi has determined and influenced the life pursuits of his classmates. Many people went to Sun Yat-sen University to study. Students who were ignorant began to understand under the guidance of Mr. Zeng Qi." Archeology, understanding archeology, understanding archeology, and making it a lifelong pursuit.”
Quan Hong mentioned that with the help of Teacher Zeng, many students from Chinese universities have been admitted to scientific research institutions and schools such as the Institute of Archeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and Peking University.
In the teaching and research of prehistoric archeology, Zeng Qi paid special attention to the Neolithic archeology in the southern region. Quan Hong mentioned that in the twenty years since 1976, Zeng Qi led students to Xiqiao Mountain for many teaching internships such as archaeological excavation and investigation. He has conducted in-depth research on the Neolithic archeology in China, especially in the South, and has put forward unique views on many issues such as the cultural characteristics and development sequence of the Neolithic Age in China, and the temporal and spatial framework of the Neolithic Age culture in South China. Based on the unearthed materials from the Xiqiaoshan Site Group and other sites, he has been conducting long-term research on the remains of microliths, shouldered stone tools, and geometrically printed pottery in South China. In 1995, he published "The Lighthouse of the Pearl River Civilization—Xiqiaoshan Ancient Site in the South China Sea." "The teacher likened Xiqiao Mountain culture to the 'Lighthouse of Pearl River Civilization,' which was recognized by the academic community. The study of two types of stone tools in Xiqiao Mountain has set an chronological benchmark for the study of prehistoric culture in the Pearl River Delta."
Zeng Qi's important contributions to the archeology of the Lingnan region were not limited to Guangdong. He also went to Hong Kong many times to conduct archaeological surveys and excavations. Yi Xibing, the current director of the Guangdong Revolutionary History Museum, recalled that his two visits to Hong Kong for archaeological work were the times when he had the most contact with his teachers. During the excavation of the Ho Chung site in Saigon, “the teachers dug and shoveled the earth just like us. There are very few workers on the construction site, less than one worker per square meter, and they are only there to assist us, so the teachers and students of the archaeological team have to clean up by themselves."
After retiring, Zeng Qi couldn't take any time off. He has more opportunities to interact with students and participate in academic activities and research visits across the country.
Yi Xibing still remembers that in 2021, the 84-year-old Zeng Qi readily agreed to his invitation and personally went to the Zengcheng Jinlan Temple excavation site to inspect and provide guidance. "In the morning, we went to the site for guidance, and at noon we went to the archaeological institute's warehouse to observe the unearthed relics until the afternoon. We were all worried that his body would not be able to bear it, so we prepared to send him home to rest. As a result, Teacher Zeng was very interested and insisted on attending the evening class. Birthday party.”
【Interview】
Zeng Chaoxi: My father’s biggest hobby is reading
Yangcheng Evening News: Why did Mr. Zeng Qi choose to major in archeology?
Zeng Chaoxi: My father was born in Hong Kong in 1937. In order to escape the Japanese invasion, my grandfather took his family away from his hometown of Shantou and moved around. From 1937 to 1938, he lived in Hong Kong and returned to Shantou after the victory of the Anti-Japanese War. My father has four brothers in total. Except for my uncle who joined the army, the others are all college students. My father was admitted to the History Department of Northwest University in 1955. When he was in his second year of college, the school established the archeology major, and my father became the first archeology student at Northwest University.
While studying at Northwestern University, my father was fortunate enough to study under many academic leaders. For example, paleographers Tang Lan, Chen Mengjia, and Hu Houxuan, archaeologists Zhang Changshou and Shi Xingbang, as well as old gentlemen such as Su Bingqi and Yan Wenru of Peking University. In 1958, my father participated in field surveys and archaeological excavations at the Daming Palace ruins and Yaozhou Kiln ruins in the Tang Dynasty.
Yangcheng Evening News: Professor Zeng Qi stayed at Northwest University to teach after graduating in 1959. In 1975, he was transferred to Sun Yat-sen University to teach. Why did he return to Guangdong?
Zeng Chaoxi: In 1975, shortly after the archeology major of the History Department of Sun Yat-sen University was established, with the encouragement of Professor Liang Zhaotao of Sun Yat-sen University, he was transferred from Northwest University to work at Sun Yat-sen University. Professor Liang Zhaotao later reestablished the Department of Anthropology at Sun Yat-sen University, and he served as the director of the department. His father also participated in it. Of course, when my father returned to Guangzhou, he also wanted to be closer to his hometown so that it would be easier to take care of the family, because after all, my grandparents are old.
Yangcheng Evening News: What is your greatest influence on you?
Zeng Chaoxi: My father loves reading, which has a great influence on me. Our house is filled with books on archeology and history, and sometimes I look for them when I’m bored. When I was in the fifth or sixth grade of primary school, my father started giving me lessons and teaching me ancient Chinese. At that time, he picked up a copy of "Gu Wen Guan Zhi" that he had read when he was in college. I still remember the chapter "Cao GUI's Debate" in it, which left a deep impression on me. This allowed me to receive enlightenment earlier than my classmates.
Yangcheng Evening News: Your father is a famous professor of archeology. When you filled out your application for the college entrance examination, did he want you to study archeology?
Zeng Chaoxi: When I was in middle school, I was very interested in history and archeology. But at that time, to be honest, the overall economic environment was not very good. The income of archeology is not high, and the society does not pay attention to it, so it is still a relatively unpopular profession. My academic performance was pretty good, and I was recommended to Sun Yat-sen University in 1991 to major in economics.
Yangcheng Evening News: What was your father's attitude at that time? Did you have any objections?
Zeng Chaoxi: No. After I graduated from college and worked in a bank, my salary was higher than that of my father, which helped my family improve the financial situation. Although my father was a professor at that time, his salary was not high and his life was very simple. In 2003, my father took me to Xi'an to visit his most respected teacher, Mr. Shi Xingbang. Mr. Shi Xingbang was almost 80 years old at that time and lived with his wife. We entered his home and saw that the living conditions were very simple, which left a deep impression on me. Scholars of that era were purely academic, lived in poverty, and did not have many material requirements. My father was the same way, but at the same time, they both had their own academic pursuits.
Yangcheng Evening News: You call Mr. Quan Hong your brother. I guess you have a good relationship with your father’s students in private?
Zeng Chaoxi: It should be said that he has a close relationship with his early students. At that time, the living conditions in the dormitories of Sun Yat-sen University teachers were not good. There were no separate apartments for teachers. They all lived in the tube building in the east area of the campus, adjacent to the student dormitories. So my father's students were very close to him and they often came to the house to chat.
Yangcheng Evening News: Outside of work, what are your father’s hobbies and habits in life?
Zeng Chaoxi: My father’s biggest hobby is reading. He can sit and read quietly for most of the day. He is also used to taking notes in the book while reading. In addition, in terms of diet, as a southerner, he likes to eat pasta very much. Having lived in the north for 20 years, I am used to eating pasta.
Yangcheng Evening News: In your mind, what kind of person is your father?
Zeng Chaoxi: My father in life is also an ordinary person. He is a filial son, a responsible husband, and a generous and wise father. I think the five words "gentle, kind, respectful, frugal and generous" better reflect my father's life.
Yangcheng Evening News reporter literature and art