In the National Museum of Natural History of France, a complete skeleton fossil of a rhinoceros has been on display for a century, and its "sister" is on display at the other end of Eurasia - the Northern Xinjiang Museum in Tianjin. This museum is the predecessor of Tianjin Natural History Museum, and now it is one of the two areas of Tianjin Natural History Museum. Behind it is a French man's decades of scientific research experience in northern China, and also hides the century old code of Sino French archaeological cooperation.
On January 27, tourists visited the Beijiang Museum. Photographed by Li Ran, reporter of Xinhua News Agency
A French naturalist named Zhihua
On the campus of Tianjin Foreign Studies University, there is a two storey German style building. More than 100 years ago, a Frenchman named "Sang Zhihua" settled here. His real name is Emile Lisang. "Sang Zhihua" is a Chinese name for himself. In 1914, Sang Zhihua came to Tianjin and began his 25 year scientific expedition in northern China, especially in the Yellow River and Haihe River basins, with a journey of more than 50000 kilometers.
Sang Zhihua has formulated detailed plans and objectives for his scientific investigation in China, covering investigation, collection, placement, research, etc. With the increasing number of specimens collected in scientific research, Sang Zhihua began to prepare for the construction of the Yellow River Baihe Museum (i.e. the Northern Xinjiang Museum). In 1922, the north building of the museum rose from the ground. The North Xinjiang Museum has a collection of up to 200000 pieces. It is the only museum in China that has been completely preserved in its original site, original buildings, original collections, original exhibits, original historical documents, etc., and enjoys a high international reputation in the 1930s.
On the way of scientific research, Sang Zhihua made every effort to collect specimens of all disciplines for the Museum, but unlike many Western scholars who came to China at the same time, Sang Zhihua left most of the specimens and achievements he had collected during his many years of scientific research activities in northern China in China. He said: "I can't plunder the cultural relics collected in the Baihe Museum of the Yellow River from all over the country... I always adhere to the principle that all the only ancient biological relics found in the world must remain in the discovery site."
The origin of the name "Sang Zhihua" has not been verified, but the Frenchman has used 25 years to personally interpret the meaning of "aspire to China". In an interview with French media, he said: "We love Chinese people and we respect their customs." Sang Zhihua returned to France in 1938 and never came to China until his death. His experience in China was recorded, and together with the Northern Xinjiang Museum he founded, he left a strong mark in the history of Chinese archaeology.
The addition of another geologist and paleontologist
With the increasingly rich collection and the continuous expansion of the Northern Xinjiang Museum, Sang Zhihua's awareness of looking for collaborators has become increasingly strong. In 1923, at the invitation of Sang Zhihua, French philosopher, geologist and paleontologist De Ri came to the Northern Xinjiang Museum to carry out a joint scientific investigation. They formed the "French Paleontology Survey Group", which went deep into the hinterland of northwest China and found many important fossil specimens and stone tools.
The collection in Beijiang Museum was taken on January 27. Photographed by Li Ran, reporter of Xinhua News Agency
In the summer of 1922, Sang Zhihua collected a batch of fossil specimens during his investigation in Salawusu, Inner Mongolia. The next year, De Rijin, who had just come to China, found a small incisor fossil by accident when sorting out these specimens. After being identified by Canadian anatomist Bu Dasheng, it was identified as human and named "Ordos Tooth". Later, it was called "Hetao Human Tooth" by prehistoric archaeologist and paleontologist Pei Wenzhong. This is the first ancient human fossil found in China.
The scientific investigation of Sang Zhihua and De Rijin has provided a lot of first-hand data for the study of paleontology in China. Under the leadership of these two French scholars, a group of young Chinese scholars have grown up and become the leading figures in Chinese archaeology. Jia Lanpo, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, recalled that "De Rijin taught me a lot of knowledge, and I became his assistant. De Rijin is my favorite teacher." Li Jizeng, "the father of Chinese archaeology," commented that "De Rijin's work reports are almost all exemplary. Most of China's fossil experts, geologists and prehistoric archaeologists have had a very beneficial influence. "
Centennial Code of Sino French Archaeological Cooperation
"Archaeological cooperation between France and China began in 1914, when Emile Lissan and two other scholars went to China successively... The main task of these researchers was to study and excavate fossils. They established contacts with Chinese experts, including Pei Wenzhong, who was the first discoverer of a complete skull of 'Peking Man'..." In 2004, on the 90th anniversary of Sang Zhihua's scientific research in China, A report by Radio France Internationale told the French people about the past of French Chinese archaeological cooperation.
The skeleton fossils of rhinoceros, which are now preserved in the French National Museum of Natural History, were found in Salawusu, Inner Mongolia. This is the most valuable gift given to the French National Museum of Natural History by the Northern Xinjiang Museum, which still uses the collection number of the Northern Xinjiang Museum.
The French National Museum of Natural History also holds a copy of China's Paleolithic Age, an academic book jointly compiled by Sang Zhihua and De Rijin, which introduces China's paleontology and archaeological discoveries to the international community, making China play an important role in international research on geology and paleontology, paleoanthropology and Paleolithic archaeology.
"The scientific investigation by Sang Zhihua and De Rijin not only promoted the development of geology and paleontology and archaeology in China, but also promoted the academic cooperation between China and France in these fields to a certain extent," said Zhang Caixin, curator of Tianjin Natural History Museum, "These cooperation and exchanges have laid a solid foundation for the continuous cooperation between China and France in the fields of geology, paleontology and archaeology, and have had a far-reaching impact."
Sang Zhihua's workbench restored in Beijiang Museum. Photographed by Zhang Yuqi, reporter of Xinhua News Agency
In 2009, the Tianjin Natural History Museum signed a cooperation agreement with the French National Museum of Natural History to carry out cooperation and exchanges in scientific research, scientific investigation, researchers, scientific publications, etc. On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France this year, researchers from the North Xinjiang Museum will also go to France to discuss cooperation matters, and continue this century long story of Sino French archaeological cooperation.
After more than 100 years of wind and rain, the former site building of the Northern Xinjiang Museum still stands quietly on the Tianjin Racetrack Road. Over a century, this museum has witnessed the exchanges and mutual learning between Chinese and Western civilizations, the friendship stories thousands of miles away, the years of turbulence between China and France over the past 60 years, and a new chapter of Sino French archaeological cooperation. (Reporter: Lei Mingyu, Wang Hui, Qiao Benxiao; Editor: Yang Jun, Liu Chen, Du Sege, Xu Xiaolei)
