The History of Archaeobotanical Practice in China

This chapter traces developments in the study of ancient plant remains in China over the last century with a particular focus on the last 40 years. Although analyses of ancient plant remains in China occurred in the 1960s, archaeobotany developed into a fully-fledged discipline only after the turn of the 21st century. We illustrate the main actors in the establishment and development of the discipline in China, the development of research trends, and how these were impacted by the overall political landscape and research directions in archaeology. We also retrace the institutionalisation of the teaching and practice of archaeobotany. We explore how general developments in archaeological practice have contributed to archaeobotanical research, archaeobotanists’ shifts in research, and the reasons behind these changes. We also analyse the contribution archaeobotanical practice has made to Chinese archaeology and the place of Chinese archaeobotany in global trends. Although archaeobotany initially focused on the origins of agriculture and the domestication of the main plant species, today research has expanded to include historical periods, the evolution of diet, cooking practices, and other topics. The chapter anticipates that the tremendous progress made in the discipline in recent decades will continue, with more and more studies published each year. Finally, we set out future directions and highlight the need to integrate multiple disciplines in the study of ancient plant remains and to develop reference collections for improving identification beyond the major staple crops.