Bulletin Autumn‧Winter 2000

P ROBING PREHISTORIC HONG K ON G Data from local excavation sites indicate that, as early as the New Stone Age, at around 5,000 BC, Ho ngKongwas already inhabited. Cultural remains fromthe remotepasthave been uncovered in various sites on Hong Kong Island, Lamma Island, Lantau Island, and in Tuen Mun and Ma Wan. At The Chinese University, researchers fro m The Centre for Chinese Archaeology and Art of the Institute of Chinese Studies have since it s founding i n 1978 been collecting an d processing excavation data for the study o f local history. Over the last decade, they have also participated actively i n field wo rk a t n ume r o us sites i n Ho ng Kong an d Macau, a nd - uncovered a large amoun t of buried relics. From 1987 to 1989, the centre uncovered cultural remains belonging to si x different eras from the Jin an d Tang Dy n a s t i es t o mo d e r n i t y three feet below the ground in Tun g Wa n on L a n t au Island. This wa s followed by the a jade yazhang sceptreanda p e r f e ct se t o f chain a c c e s s o r y of t he Sh a ng Dy n a s t y i n Tai Wa n o n Lamma Island. Both were d i s p l a y ed i n ' Na t i o n al Tr e a s u r es — Essence o f China's Historica l Relics', an exhibition held from 1997 to 1998 t o mark the return of Hong Kon g to Chinese sovereignty. Relics of the Shang Dynasty on Lamma Island: a perfect set of chain accessory (left), and ajade yazhang sceptre ( right) CHINES E UNIVERSIT Y BULLETI N A u t u m n . W i n t er 2000 4