Biography
Dr Guohua YANG is from central China, close to the Yellow River. He took an MA in Public Archaeology at UCL Institute of Archaeology and in the history of art and archaeology at SOAS, University of London (2003-04). He was employed as Deputy Director, Expert Committee of China Cultural Heritage Foundation, in the Ministry of Culture, P.R. China (2008-10). In addition, he worked as a Heritage Expert (National Programme Assistant for Culture) at UNESCO Office Beijing (2008-09) focussed on the production of an international textbook: Paper Conservation Guidelines: The Methodology of Paper Conservation and Paper Making Traditions in East Asia. He also worked as a free-lance Assistant Researcher on the project “Chinese Sites for UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List: Presentation and Management” for SOAS, University of London, UK, in collaboration with Bologna University, Italy (2009-10). He is the author of World Heritage in China (English and Chinese), Beijing: Central Party Literature Press, 2008. He came to University of Cambridge in 2009 to start a PhD in Archaeology on World Heritage Studies, under the supervision of Professor Marie Louise Stig Sørensen (Supervisor) and Professor Martin Jones (Advisor). Dr Yang is currently Senior Research Associate, McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research (and a Post-Doctoral Member of the Cambridge Heritage Research Centre), and Co-Principal Investigator of the Project “The Yangshao Culture: 100 Year Research History and Heritage Impact” (2018-24), at the Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge.
Research
Dr Yang's interest is ancient cultures and ancient civilizations of China. Previous projects have investigated the use of the concept of patriotism in the state promotion of heritage in China, the ideological significance of World Heritage designation, and development of the Chinese script.
In his current position as Senior Research Associate and Co-Principal Investigator on the project ‘Yangshao Culture: 100 Year Research History and Heritage Impact’; he focus on the roles of substantial historiographic research and museum studies and investigate constructions in the dissemination of a notion of the Yanshao Culture as regional and national heritage. This research will investigate what effects emerging practices of Heritage Studies and museums building programs have on the state’s ideological use of the Yangshao Culture, and whether the notions of authenticity, difference and uniqueness on which local museums are based will undermine the ‘official narrative’ which uses Yangshao Culture objects to legitimise the current ethnic configuration of China.
Key Publications
Yang, G. & M.L.S. Sørensen 2023. A journey back in time: The Character of the Yangshao Culture through Objects and Sites (English and Chinese), Shaanxi Normal University General Publishing House. (accepted and forthcoming book)
Sørensen, M.L.S. & G. Yang 2023. “‘Discipline Formation’: the Yangshao Culture and the European Influences in the Development of a Modern Chinese Archaeology”, European Review, Cambridge University Press. (accepted and forthcoming paper)
Sørensen, M.L.S. & G. Yang 2023. “Under the Surface: Development of an explorative archaeology in China”, Archaeology, History, Philosophy and Heritage: Essays in Honour of Tim Murray, Springer. (accepted and forthcoming paper)
Sørensen, M.L.S. & G. Yang 2022. Clever Hands: How to look at the Yangshao Culture Painted Pottery (English and Chinese), Shaanxi Normal University General Publishing House.
Sørensen, M.L.S. and G. Yang. “The 100 Years Anniversary of the Discovery of the Yangshao Culture: the nature of a celebration”, CHRC Bulletin, October 2021: 12: 2-3.
Yang, G.; Sørensen, M.L.S. and B. Davenport. News on the research project “Yangshao Culture: 100 Year Research History and Heritage Impact”, CHRC Bulletin, on 15 January 2019: 1-2.
Yang, G. & S. Tan 2013. Mysterious, Holy, Imperial: Splendours of Jade in the Yuzu Museum of Art in China (English and Chinese). Beijing: China Social Sciences Press.
Yang, G. 2008. World Heritage in China (English and Chinese). Beijing: Zhongyang wenxian chubanshe (Central Party Literature Press).
Yang, G. 2007. (ed.) The Handbook of Marks on Chinese Ceramics (for Gerald’s new edition), UK.
Yang, G. 2005. (ed.) Ancient Chinese Bronze Vessels Overseas (for T. Wang’s project), History of Art and Archaeology Department, SOAS and UCL Institute of Archaeology, University of London, UK.
Yang, G. 2001. (ed.) The Collected Works of Sanmenxia Archaeology, for Xu, H. & H. Yang. Singapore Trend (F.E.) Publishing Centre and Beijing: National Archives Press.
Yang, G. 2000. (ed.) The Discoveries and Researches of Guo State Tombs Sites, for Wang, B. Singapore Trend (F.E.) Publishing Centre and Beijing: China Social Science Academy Press.
Yang, G. 1996. Shijimo de muyangren (The End of the Century Shepherd). Beijing: International Culture Press (a book of Chinese poetry).
Publications (including paper presentation):
Yang, G. gave a paper Presentation of "The development and evolution of architecture during Yangshao Culture Period in the Yellow River Basin" at the Peking University - University of Cambridge Seminar on Human-Land Relations of Early River Valley Civilisations (online), 29th November 2022.
Yang, G. participated in the First Yangshao Forum, organized and hosted by Society for Chinese Archaeology, IA of CASS, Henan Academy of Social Sciences, Henan Provincial Administration of Cultural Heritage, and Sanmenxia Municipal People’s Government held in Sanmenxia City, 27th November 2022.
Yang, G. participated in the 7th Cultural Heritage Interdisciplinary Advanced Forum and Cultural Relics Conservation Technological Equipment Exhibition, and the 10th NPU Institute of Culture and Heritage Aoxiang Forum for Distinguished Young Scholars at Northwestern Polytechnical University in Xi’an, 12th November 2022.
Yang, G. gave a paper Presentation of "From Museum to National Archaeological Park: A history of Chinese Museums focused on the exhibition of the Yangshao Culture" at Oxford University Conference on the History and Practice of Archaeology in Chinese Cultural Sphere, 23rd August 2022.
Yang, G. gave a paper Presentation of “Yangshao Culture and Yellow River Civilisation” at Luoyang Forum in Luoyang City, 24th October 2021.
Yang, G. gave a paper Presentation of “Yangshao Culture and World Heritage” to the First International Forum of the Yangshao Culture in Mianchi, 20th October 2021.
Yang, G. gave a paper Presentation of “The Yangshao Culture: 100 Year Research History and Heritage Impact” at the Architecture College, Taiyuan University of Technology, 14th August 2021.
Sørensen, M.L.S. and G. Yang. 2021 “Chinese archaeologists launch the fourth excavation at the Yangshao village site in the 99th year since Anderson’s first excavation in 1921”. (Project Updates | Cambridge Heritage Research Centre https://www.heritage.arch.cam.ac.uk/research-projects/yangshao/project-updates)
Sørensen, M.L.S. and G. Yang. “Heritage and politics: Chinese President Xi Jinping stresses ‘better understanding of Chinese civilization through archaeology’”, CHRC Bulletin, Nov. 2020: 22-3.
Yang, G. “The Yangshao Culture: 100 Year Research History and Heritage Impact” was presented to the Education Section in the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, in London on 10 April 2019.
Yang, G. and B. Davenport. Project poster presentation “The Yangshao Culture: 100 Year Research History and Heritage Impact” produced for the CHRC Heritage fair at the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research in Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge in October 2018.
Other Professional Activities
Dr Yang is a Member (Professional) of World Archaeology Congress, a Peer Reviewer on Asia Heritage for Routledge (Taylor & Francis Group), a Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland and a Fellow of the Cambridge University Philosophical Society. He is a Visiting Professor at the Taiyuan University of Technology and Honorary Professor at the Architecture College of Taiyuan University of Technology. Currently, he is also a Member of the Editorial Board of The International Journal of Chinese Character Studies. He has been a Council Member of the International Artists’ Association since 1999.
