Chinese Urbanism Symposium, April 20-21, 2015

This is an Archive of a Past Event

Urbanism has been an important feature of Chinese civilization for more than four thousand years, and recent archaeological discoveries have greatly enriched our knowledge of its origins and developments. This symposium will bring together scholars from around the world to present new findings and exchange ideas about urbanization in early China. We will discuss many issues relating to the origins, appearance, function and dynamics of urban centers from Late Neolithic to the Zhou dynasty in China (3000-200 BC). In order to place Chinese urbanization within a cross-cultural comparative perspective, scholars working on other parts of the world have also been invited to participate in the symposium. The symposium will include four sessions: (1) The emergence of Neolithic cities; (2) the development of cities in the early Bronze Age; (3) traditions and innovations; and (4) theorizing urbanism and comparison with Old and New World cities. Stanford Archaeology Center will provide a platform for international scholarly exchange on this important topic.