Passing down history

Xing Yuting, 26, a new member of the Xianyang Archaeology Institute, participates in the census for the first time and has become a member of Li's team. She highlights Li's role in the team, especially during their visit to the Shijiayuan Site from the Western Zhou Dynasty (c. 11th century-771 BC) in Chunhua county.

Hidden under layers of terraced fields, not yet excavated, the site could only be identified by its sections which contained pottery pieces and animal bones. Census members visited the area twice and hiked in the fields but failed to find it, leaving them frustrated.

"At that time, Li encouraged us by repeatedly saying 'It's no big deal. If we cannot find it today, we'll come tomorrow and find it,'" Xing recalls. "She convinced us to view our setbacks with a lighthearted perspective and, ultimately, we succeeded."

To Xing and other team members, Li "shines like the sun" within the team. "I learned so many things from Li, an experienced archaeologist who teaches us lessons we cannot learn in a classroom. Her ways of communicating and treating people also guide my growth," Xing adds.

Bai Xuefan, 23, a senior archaeology major at Northwest University in Xi'an, Shaanxi, also participates in the census. He shares Xing's view that the census work imparts knowledge that cannot be learned in a classroom.

"We are told in class about pottery pieces from different eras but only when we discover the real pieces at the sites, hold them and identify them can we recognize their differences," Bai says.

He also learns from senior members of the team. "Many of our members are approaching retirement age but they hike in the mountains all day with us," he adds. "I have learned so many things from them. In some ways, the census work is a kind of inheritance."