Shi Xingeng

Shi Xingeng ( – ) was a Chinese geologist, mineralogist, and archaeologist. He is known as the earliest scientific excavator of the Liangzhu site and a prominent researcher of Liangzhu culture, for he conducted the earliest scientific excavations of the archaeological ruins of Liangzhu.

Early life On 2 August 1912, Shi was born in Liangzhu Town of Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China. His father, Shi Fucai, was formerly an employee at a grocery store, while his mother, Luo Lanying, was a farmer. When Shi Xingeng was born, the family's fortunes declined due to legal troubles.

In 1918, Shi Xingeng began attending the Liangzhu Central Primary School. After graduating from primary school in 1924, financial difficulties initially prevented him from continuing his education. However, due to the persistent persuasion of the school principal, his parents borrowed money to support his studies. He then enrolled in the junior section of Zhejiang Provincial First Middle School in Hangzhou. After completing his junior studies in 1927, he joined the artisan class in the Weaving Design group at the Vocational School Attached to the College of Engineering at Third Zhongshan University, where he studied textile design while working part-time. During this period, he also took painting lessons from Chang Shuhong, a teacher at the college. In 1928, he had to discontinue his studies due to poverty.

Career

West Lake Expo In 1929, the West Lake Expo was held in Hangzhou. Shi, recommended by his teacher, became an administrator in Section A of the Art Gallery at the Expo. His responsibilities included managing exhibits, explaining displays, and answering visitors’ questions. This role provided him with significant exposure to valuable artworks and cultural relics. He read extensively about related topics and sought guidance from individuals such as the gallery director, Lin Fengmian, and Section A's chief executive, Li Puyuan, from whom he gained substantial knowledge.

Liangzhu In 1936, Wei Juxian, director of the Nanjing Antiquities Preservation Institute, encountered several stone artefacts and learned from antique dealers that they had been unearthed during the construction of a public cemetery in the Gushan and Laohe Hill area of Gudang, Hangzhou. Wei subsequently contacted the West Lake Museum, and on 31 May, they collaborated on an exploratory excavation at the Gudang site, aiming to confirm the existence of Neolithic culture in the Yangtze River Delta. This marked the first modern archaeological excavation in the region.

Shi, who had no prior archaeological experience, was ordered by the museum to participate in the project. He noticed that some of the collected stone artefacts seemed familiar, resembling items he had often seen in his hometown. The next day, he returned to Liangzhu to search for clues related to Neolithic sites. thumb Shi and Dong Zuobin at LiangzhuAfter discovering the black pottery, Shi dedicated nearly six months to this research. Before obtaining formal excavation permits, he conducted three small-scale preliminary digs: from 1 to 10 December 1936, from 26 to 30 December 1936, and from 8 to 20 March 1937. The first two excavations were at Qipanfen, while the third involved five sites in Liangzhu and two locations at Changming Bridge. In April 1937, Shi completed the manuscript Liangzhu: A Preliminary Report on the Black Pottery Cultural Site in the Second District of Hang County. Scholars from the Institute of History and Philology at Academia Sinica provided guidance on the draft, and in April, Dong Zuobin and Liang Siyong visited Hangzhou and conducted an on-site investigation of Liangzhu, accompanied by Shi.

Death After the West Lake Museum was relocated, its funding was significantly reduced, bringing it to the brink of dissolution. Shi expressed a desire to work at the Central Institute of Archaeology, and Dong Yumao attempted to arrange this, but Shi's lack of formal education prevented it from happening. Dong then recommended him for a position in Rui'an. By August 1938 at the latest, Shi had moved to Rui'an, where he soon took up the role of secretary at the county's Anti-Japanese Self-Defence Committee. On 29 May 1939, he died at the county's Second Hospital due to scarlet fever complicated by peritonitis.

Family In 1930, Shi married Fu Aile, a native of Anxi Town near Liangzhu, and they had three sons named Yiliang, Jianliang, and Jian'an. The names means "remembering Liangzhu", "building Liangzhu" and "building Anxi" respectively. His second and third sons died young. His wife died two years after Shi's death. After 1949, Sheng Xinfu visited Liangzhu to find his oldest son, Yiliang and contacted Dong Yumao. As a result, Shi Yiliang joined the Zhejiang Provincial Museum, formerly the West Lake Museum, in 1951. During the Anti-Rightist Movement, he was reassigned to work in a forestry station. Shi's grandson, Shi Shiying, later worked at the Liangzhu Site Management Office.

Before Shi's work, Wei Juxian and Chen Zhiliang had discovered traces of Neolithic culture in various locations, and He Tianxing had found the Liangzhu site itself.