Xinjiang's archaeological progress highlighted in work report

The 2025 Xinjiang archaeological work report meeting is held in Beijing from Sunday to Monday, gathering scholars to discuss the latest archaeological progress in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region last year.

The Xinjiang Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology cooperated with more than 10 institutes to carry out 12 active projects last year, unveiling the importance of Xinjiang in the history of Chinese civilization.

Professionals from the institute also participated in 205 archaeological projects that are paving the way for urban construction or cultural relics conservation. Furthermore, by deepening cultural exchanges and cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative and actively participating in archaeological work in Central Asia, the institute achieved a breakthrough in going global.

Altogether, 28 scholars and experts lectured on field archaeological discoveries, technological analyses used in archaeological projects, cultural relics conservation, and material collection.

Two archaeological projects, the Badam east cemetery site in Turpan and the Youyilu cemetery site in Kuqa, are highlighted at the event, as both yield epitaphs of Tang Dynasty (618-907) senior officials who worked in Xiyu (a historical term referring to today's western regions of Xinjiang and parts of Central Asia) even after the An-Shi Rebellion (755-763), an event traditionally linked to the dynasty's decline, demonstrating the Tang government's continued administrative presence in the region during a period with limited historical records.