Our school held a symposium on the identification of oracle bone inscriptions in the collection and academic research on commercial culture

Time:2025-08-20
Views:

On August 12th, the symposium on oracle bone script identification and academic research on commercial culture in the collection of Xingtai University was successfully held. This is a specific measure to implement Xingtai's "Cultural Revitalization of the City" strategy and promote the in-depth development of two major research projects undertaken by our university in the humanities and social sciences of higher education institutions in Hebei Province, namely the "Exploration of the Origins of Early Shang and Pre Shang Culture in Eastern Humans and the Eastern foothills of Taihang Mountain" and the "Research on the History and Culture of Ancestral Yi Migration to Xing and Chinese Commerce" funded by the Hebei Social Science Fund.

This event is organized by the Institute of Business History and Culture at Xingtai University. Inviting the leader of the expert group, Song Zhenhao, member of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, honorary president of the Chinese Pre Qin History Society, and authoritative expert in oracle bone and pre Qin history research; Zhu Fenghan, professor of history at Peking University, former executive vice director of the National Museum of China, and consultant of the Chinese Pre Qin History Society; Huang Dekuan, director and professor of the Excavated Documents Research and Protection Center at Tsinghua University, director of the Chinese Language Museum, and president of the Chinese Language Society; Cai Yunzhang, researcher at the Luoyang Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology and consultant of the Chinese Pre Qin History Society; Qi Hangfu, vice dean and professor of the School of Literature at Zhengzhou University, deputy director of the Chinese Character Civilization Research Center, and president of the Henan Writing Society; and Qiao Yanqin, professor at the Key Laboratory of Oracle Bone Script Information Processing of the Ministry of Education. Our school's Party Secretary Jia Yunxiao, President Cai Zhenyu, Deputy Party Secretary Xu Huimin, relevant functional department heads, and teacher representatives attended.

During the event, the expert group affirmed the achievements made by our school in conducting research on the history and culture of Zuyi's migration to Xing and the Chinese merchants, and officially issued the "Identification Report on Oracle Bone Inscriptions in the Collection of Xingtai College". The expert group unanimously believes that the 9 editions of oracle bones in the collection of our school's Commercial Culture Exhibition Hall all come from relevant relics in Xingtai area. From the aspects of the texture, rust color, and cutting techniques and shapes of the oracle bones, they should be related to the Yin Ruins oracle bone inscriptions. Among them, the back of the No. 2 oracle bone inscriptions can be drilled, chiseled, and burned, and the front oracle bone inscriptions can be identified. The era should be between Erligang in Zhengzhou and Huanbei Shangcheng, and it has important academic research value. The expert group suggests that Xingtai University should fully leverage its geographical advantages, introduce talents, establish a team, strengthen horizontal cooperation, gather research strength, seek support from relevant departments, accelerate the survey and excavation of Shang Dynasty sites, further obtain more historical evidence, and strive to make greater progress in the study of the history and culture of Xingdi in the Shang and Zhou dynasties.

Jia Yunxiao expresses sincere gratitude to the experts for their highly responsible, rigorous and professional appraisal work. He stated that this event is of great significance and further strengthens our university's confidence and determination to conduct research on the history and culture of the Shang, Zhou, and Xing regions. The university will carefully review the guidance provided by research experts, optimize research directions, strengthen research capabilities, accelerate research pace, produce high-quality research results, and effectively shoulder the historical mission of serving cultural heritage and development in local universities.