On May 13, 2016, Peking University (PKU) welcomed scholars to the international forum on Sino-European Building Archaeology.
Li Yansong, Vice President of PKU, welcomed the guests. He briefly introduced the collaboration between PKU and European universities, especially the University of Leuven, who co-hosted this conference. This program, initially launched in 2014, is a good example of the increasing and improving Sino-European cooperation.
Michael Malherbe, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium, delivered the opening remarks. Mr. Malherbe expressed his delight to be present at the occasion, and he was happy to see the University of Leuven, his old school, playing a key role for this program. He also mentioned the rich history of cooperation between Chinese universities and Belgian universities, which benefited each other a lot.
The introductory of “Why an International Forum on Sino-European Building Archaeology” was given by two speakers. Thomas Coomans, Professor of University of Leuven, Department of Architecture, explained that the idea had come from the observation on current conditions of two disciplines, and “Building Archaeology” on its own had unique questions, methods and scholars. The aims of this forum are to brainstorm as well as to develop this area.
Xu Yitao, associate Professor for the School of Archaeology & Museology of PKU, first stated his understanding of archaeology. We should focus on not only on the structures of antiques, but also assess their contemporary value. Then, he expressed his love for this vocation as well as his pride on the improvement of teaching faculty and the ability of young scholars of PKU today, which was also the purpose of all fellow scholars present at this conference.
Written by: Xu Rui
Edited by: Wei Yuchen
