Unveiling the Mystery of the First Dynasty: An Integrative Approach to the Archaeology of Early China

Recorded: April 11, 2025
Event: Whither Global Antiquity? Retrospection and Future Directions
Citation: Li Min. “Unveiling the Mystery of the First Dynasty: An Integrative Approach to the Archaeology of Early China,” Global Antiquity: Whither Global Antiquity (April 11, 2025).

by Li Min (University of California, Los Angeles)

This paper provides a critical examination of the competing narratives surrounding the search for the legendary first dynasty in early China, focusing on the scholars caught between these ideological poles and the shifting debates revolving around this topic. In exploring the ways both nationalist agendas and Western skepticism have shaped historical interpretations, the paper highlights the tension between the state’s desire to project itself into ancient history and the Western tendency to dismiss the Xia dynasty as mere state propaganda. Drawing on these contrasting views, this paper argues that such polarized perspectives have limited the scholarly understanding of the Xia and its place in the broader historical context. In light of these ideological conflicts, it explores the potential for a more balanced and global approach to ancient Chinese history—one that transcends these entrenched narratives and encourages a nuanced, inclusive examination of antiquity. Through a careful analysis of how scholars have navigated these issues in the past and how they might do so in the future, this paper calls for a shift towards a more open, integrative approach to the study of ancient civilizations.

About the Speaker

Li Min holds a PhD in Archaeological Anthropology from the University of Michigan and is currently an Associate Professor of East Asian Archaeology in the Departments of Anthropology and Asian Languages and Cultures at UCLA. His primary research focuses on the archaeology of prehistoric and Bronze Age China, with particular interests in state formation, ritual performance, sacred landscape, and Bronze Age Eurasian interactions. His research also involves the history of archaeological thought, the archaeology of early modern global trade, and the conservation of cultural heritage. He is the author of Social Memory and the Origins of the State in Early China (Cambridge University Press, 2018) and the co-founder of the UCLA Waystation Initiative, which facilitates the voluntary return of cultural objects.