Technology, Production, and Social Changes in Chinese Archaeology

Part of: Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)

This collection contains the abstracts of the papers presented in the session entitled "Technology, Production, and Social Changes in Chinese Archaeology" at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

This session explores the profound impacts of technological advancements and production techniques on societal transformations within Chinese archaeology. By examining key prehistorical/historical periods, we will explore how technology in a wide array of natural resources, such as plants, animals, soils, minerals, metals, water, labor, etc. not only enhanced production capabilities but also triggered profound social changes. This session aims to expand discussions through the examination of diverse cultural materials to highlight the intricate connections between technological progress and social structures.

Participants will gain insights into how these advancements influenced economic-political systems, social differentiations, and ritual practices. Featuring a discussion on how integrating archaeological data with diverse approaches can offer a more nuanced understanding of the development of ancient Chinese civilization, this session underscores the pivotal role of technology and production in driving social changes, in order to provide a comprehensive perspective on the dynamic interactions between humans and non-human factors.

Other Keywords
Paleoethnobotany • Material Culture and Technology • Archaeometry & Materials Analysis • Asia: East Asia

Resources Inside This Collection (Viewing 1-13 of 13)

  • Documents (13)
Documents
  • Alcohol Production and Consumption at Zhouyuan: Continuity and Change Across Dynastic Transition (2025)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Jingbo Li.

    This is an abstract from the "Technology, Production, and Social Changes in Chinese Archaeology" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. This study investigates alcohol production and consumption practices at the Zhouyuan site during the Chinese Bronze Age. Using microfossil analysis, including starch, phytolith, and fungal identification, the research examines fermentation technology, and use of vessels associated with brewing and consumption. By...

  • Bronze Technology and Sociopolitical Dynamics in Sanxingdui Culture (ca. 1300-1000 BC, Southwest China) (2025)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Xiaoge He.

    This is an abstract from the "Technology, Production, and Social Changes in Chinese Archaeology" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. This research explores the development of bronze technology in Sanxingdui Culture and its impact on ritual practices and political strategies in Southwest China (ca. 1300-1000 BC). By integrating recent excavation findings and testing results, the study examines the distinctive casting techniques and decorative methods...

  • Bronzization and the formation of Sanxingdui Culture (2025)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Tianlong Jiao.

    This is an abstract from the "Technology, Production, and Social Changes in Chinese Archaeology" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. The emergence and transformation of the Sanxingdui culture are closely connected with the social and cultural changes of Bronze Age China. The concept of bronzization provides a dynamic framework to understand the formation and transformation process of the Sanxingdui culture. The introduction of bronze metallurgy to the...

  • Cultural Evidence Indicates the Late Arrival of Modern Humans in Southern China during the Upper Pleistocene (2025)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Yuduan Zhou.

    This is an abstract from the "Technology, Production, and Social Changes in Chinese Archaeology" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Cultural remains are important indicators of modern human presence in the Late Pleistocene across Eurasia. Recent debates on the initial appearance of modern humans in southern China focused on its timing, two different opinions could be summarized: pre-70 ka vs post-50 ka, while disputes on hominin taxonomy,...

  • Exploring plant bast fiber utilization in Neolithic societal transitions on the south Mongolian Plateau (2025)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Yahui He.

    This is an abstract from the "Technology, Production, and Social Changes in Chinese Archaeology" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. <html> The exploitation and technology of plant bast fiber have played a crucial role in human daily life for millennia. However, due to its perishable nature, plant fiber has remained underexplored in archaeological research. Recent advances in residue analysis using polarized light microscopy have proven effective in...

  • Jade crafting activities in Neolithic China (2025)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Yadi Wen.

    This is an abstract from the "Technology, Production, and Social Changes in Chinese Archaeology" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Jade has became one of the most enduring symbol in East Asia since Early Neolithic period. Extensive investigations have been conducted focusing on jade final products from the perspectives of aesthetic values, morphological typologies and sociocultural significance. Nevertheless, little is understood about the nature of...

  • Prehistoric Pottery Production of Coastal Hunter-Gatherer in Pearl River Delta, China (2025)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Jing Cheng.

    This is an abstract from the "Technology, Production, and Social Changes in Chinese Archaeology" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. The significant deposition of pottery wares at Xiajiaoshan in the Pearl River Delta, China, reveals the possible scale of pottery production by hunter-gatherer communities of the Xiantouling culture, dating back to approximately 7000-5000 BP. This preliminary research aims to explore the craft production technology of...

  • Production and Circulation of Fine Black Wares in Late Neolithic Shandong (2025)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Anne Underhill.

    This is an abstract from the "Technology, Production, and Social Changes in Chinese Archaeology" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. A debated issue for the late Neolithic, Longshan period in eastern China is the nature of the production and circulation of fine black wares. Southeastern Shandong is especially distinguished by the quantity of vessels that have fine paste, polished black surfaces, and elegant forms—yet direct evidence for production in...

  • Red Rice Alcohol in Southern China: Two Ways of Traditional Brewing and Their Implications for Archaeological Research (2025)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Ran Chen.

    This is an abstract from the "Technology, Production, and Social Changes in Chinese Archaeology" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. China has a long history of making alcohol using different cereals. Recent archaeological studies demonstrate that people began producing hongqujiu (red rice alcohol) in the early Neolithic. However, because this product is produced and consumed in limited areas today, there is limited information about how it is made....

  • Social Collapse in the Huaihai Region in Late Imperial China (2025)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Jingpu Li.

    This is an abstract from the "Technology, Production, and Social Changes in Chinese Archaeology" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. The Huaihai region, strategically interconnected with the three major regions of Jiangnan, the Central Plains, and North China, was a critical geopolitical zone in imperial China. However, as an area severely impacted by the recurrent flooding of the Yellow River, it became the focal point for numerous peasant uprisings...

  • The Sources and Processing of Fuel for Lamps in the Han Dynasty (2025)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Yufei Deng.

    This is an abstract from the "Technology, Production, and Social Changes in Chinese Archaeology" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. The Han dynasty was a prosperous period for lamps which used animal fat (or beeswax) and vegetable paste oil as fuel. While several articles used ORA to confirm the upper class's consumption of animal fat, we argue that commoners often used liquid oil. The pottery oil lamps in the shape of quotidian utensils were widely...

  • Stone artifact production and utilization at Xiatang during the early Neolithic in China (2025)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Xiaohe Chen.

    This is an abstract from the "Technology, Production, and Social Changes in Chinese Archaeology" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. This study investigates the knapped stone artifacts unearthed from the Xiatang site, including those associated with the Shangshan Culture, Kuahuqiao Culture, and Hemudu Culture. Using attribute and technological analysis methods, the research examines how early Neolithic stoneworkers selected and utilized raw materials....

  • Worked Bone Technology in Prehistorical Sedentary Lives in China (2025)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Jie Shen.

    This is an abstract from the "Technology, Production, and Social Changes in Chinese Archaeology" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Worked bone technology played a crucial role in the productive activities, social dynamics, and technological development of prehistoric sedentary societies. This research integrates use-wear analysis, residue analysis, and experimental archaeology to investigate the acquisition of raw materials, as well as the...