Revealing Fresh History through the Social Function of Cultural Relics (Footnote)

Sun Ji, a famous cultural relics expert and senior librarian of the Central Research Institute of Culture and History, recently left us."Learning with one heart makes great achievements", said Huo Hongwei, a researcher from the Archaeology Department of the National Museum of China, and many other scholars

Sun Ji, a famous cultural relics expert and senior librarian of the Central Research Institute of Culture and History, recently left us.

"Learning with one heart makes great achievements", said Huo Hongwei, a researcher from the Archaeology Department of the National Museum of China, and many other scholars. Sun Ji was transferred to the Archaeological Department of the former History of China Museum (the predecessor of the National Museum of China) in 1979 and retired in 1990. But he is a lifelong research librarian of the National Museum of China, and people often see him in the museum. Many scholars cherish and enjoy the conversation time with him at the dining table in the cafeteria, peering into the path of knowledge from a few words. He believed that most of the people who respected them as "cultural relics" were once the daily Household goods of life of the ancients, and they had their own place in the social life at that time. From the perspective of the social function of cultural relics, vivid historical scenes can be seen. If the angle is appropriate and the focus is properly adjusted, you can still see the details of certain major events, the essence of special skills, and the shining beauty that does not fade with the passage of time. This concept of reconstructing common sense is increasingly accepted by more and more people, and it also runs through Sun Ji's works and various exhibitions planned.

In academic terms, Sun Ji was carefully guided by two famous teachers, Shen Congwen and Su Bai, and passed on his lifelong learning to students such as Yang Zhishui and Ge Chengyong. In July 2022, the "Clothing in Literature: Commemorating the 120th Anniversary of Shen Congwen's Birthday Academic Forum" was held at the National Expo. Sun Ji gave a keynote speech discussing the mutual verification of clothing and literary descriptions. This is not only an important method of ancient clothing research, but also a summary of the two most important achievements of Shen Congwen's life.

Sun Ji enjoys a high reputation and influence in the cultural and museum industry. He has repeatedly defended and demonstrated national key precious cultural relics collection projects, and at the age of 87, he still insists on teaching on-site for frontline cultural relics import and export responsibility appraisal personnel. Sun Ji has provided a lot of academic support for both the exhibition of cultural relics abroad and the pursuit of lost cultural relics. For example, he has repeatedly provided assistance and suggestions for the return of lost overseas cultural relics, promoting the return of cultural relics such as the Bronze Tiger Ying lost to the UK and the Bronze Group artifacts lost to Japan, such as the Zeng Bofu.

In his later years, Sun Ji mainly wanted to do two things: one was to hold an exhibition of ancient Chinese clothing, and the other was to organize and publish his own collection of works. In February 2021, at the age of 91, he served as the curator and planned the "Ancient Chinese Costume Culture Exhibition" for the National Expo, which quickly sparked a craze for visitors. The exquisite display of cultural relics goes without saying, but what is even more unforgettable is the various auxiliary exhibits and knowledgeable line drawings. He directed the team of Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology to restore the 15 ancient figure sculptures and costumes, which completely reproduced the overall image of the ancient clothing accessories and became the model of ancient clothing accessories. He also went to the exhibition hall several times to personally explain, for over two hours, which was impressive.

In 2022, the School of Archaeology and Museum of Peking University celebrated the centenary of the establishment of the Archaeology major and awarded the "Outstanding Alumni Award of the School of Archaeology and Museum" to outstanding alumni such as Fan Jinshi and Sun Ji, which he valued.

Nowadays, the eight volume version of the "Collected Works of Sun Ji" has undergone multiple proofreads by him, and the proofs have all been revised and are about to be published.

Zheng Jiali, a researcher at the Zhejiang Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, recalled the excitement when he read Sun Ji's Illustrated Materials of Material culture of the Han Dynasty around 1998.

The Illustrations of Material culture Materials of the Han Dynasty is Sun Ji's representative work, which enjoys a good reputation in academic circles at home and abroad. In this book, ancient artifacts and ancient literature are integrated, like a Han Dynasty encyclopedia. The entire book covers all aspects of social life in the Han Dynasty, and almost all archaeological discoveries in the Han Dynasty are included. Although the examination of one object is not limited to one object, it draws on rich and rigorous arguments, and the pen can always be used interchangeably. The method of combining physical objects with literature to name various ancient artifacts and revealing the relationship between people and objects during this process, thus revealing various historical styles of Han society. This research method has enlightened many scholars and led them on the path of research.

The strict and precise line tracing in Sun Ji's works were all drawn by him personally. The time spent on drawing is often several times that of writing, and the hard work he puts into each book can be imagined. My family recalled that sometimes, after dinner, he sat down and started painting. When he finished painting, he looked up and it was already dawn. Now that the printing conditions are good, many archaeological and cultural relics books directly use photos instead of line tracing. But Sun Ji believes that line tracing plays an irreplaceable role in depicting the details to be presented more clearly.

Sun Ji said in an interview: "The people of the Han Dynasty created brilliant culture and countless inventions. From astronomy and mathematics to irrigation and water conservancy, from brick and tile making to driving and shipbuilding, wisdom shines everywhere. Not to mention the contributions of silk weaving, paper making, metallurgy, porcelain making and other universally favored contributions, which have effectively promoted the process of human civilization. The ancient Material culture of China is the pride of Chinese people, and this belief should promote today's China People have the confidence to better create their own new lives

Sun Ji's other book, Ancient Material culture of China, has also had a profound impact. This book has a textbook like popularity and fluency, not only earning it the title of "China's Good Book" in 2014, but also being repeatedly reprinted and translated into foreign languages for publication. It can be said to be widely circulated and beneficial to academic circles. Many people fall in love with History of China by reading Sun Ji's books. Although he has left us, the works he has left that are often read and updated will continue to attract new readers.

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