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1、ANTHROPOLOGISTS ARE INVOLVED IN THE THREE GORGES PROJECTA field study on the fate of ethnic life and culture under the largest water conservancy project in the worldThis might be the largest reservoir-flooded area in the world. Chinas Three Gorges project is the largest hydropower project in the wor
2、ld to date. How much protection will be exercised over the relics to be submerged? Reliable information indicates that the Chinese Government has spent hundreds of millions of yuan in solving this problem. But now what we care about are these issues: Minority ethnic groups in this area will be flood
3、ed. Has their way of life been given attention? Will their folk customs and relics be protected? The protection of the traditional culture of minorities will reflect the care and concern of the Chinese Government over the culture of ethnic groups. The Cultural Relics Protection Planning and Design G
4、roup of the Three Gorges Project Area has designed the research projects that involve multidisciplinary collaboration, including anthropology. Projects related to anthropology have been properly included in the plan of ethnic folk customs and relics protection. This is the first plan in China design
5、ed to protect the ethnic folk customs and relics for a large engineering project. Professor Zhuang Kongshao, who returned from a post-doctoral research in the University of Washington at Seattle in the United States, was in charge of the project during 1995 to 1998, and is working on some other appl
6、ied research projects now, said: “Anthropologists have been really involved in the emergency research over the cultural heritage at the Three Gorges of Yangtze River. This represents an important effort of the Chinese anthropologists and cultural relics protection planners in publicizing the latest
7、knowledge concerning the protection of the world cultural heritage. ” Chinas Three Gorges project has attracted attention of the world. The project will last 18 years, and the emigration will be going on for 20 years. In 2003, the first batch of generation units of the power station will start gener
8、ating power. By that time, the water level of the reservoir will go up to 135 meters. Thirteen cities or counties will be submerged completely or partly. When the whole project is completed in 2009, the water level will rise up to 175 meters. Twenty-two cities and counties (districts) will be under
9、water. More than 1 million people need to be relocated. In the reservoir area, the sites of cultural relics submerged could be traced back to 10,000 to 100,000 years ago. Ba People (known as Baren), who lived in this area, was an ancient ethnic group found in the Chinese history. The archeological r
10、emains dated since the Qin Dynasty (200 B.C.), such as cliff tombs and hanging coffins, indicated the distinctive characteristics of Ba Peoples culture. The ethnic people of Tujia, who live in the Three Gorges area, have regarded Ba People as their ancestors. Their assumption was based on the long h
11、istory, historical records and cultural remains of Ba People. What is intriguing is the mystery concerning ancient ethnic groups including Ba People as well as their relationship with the local ethnic people living in the Three Gorges area today. Anthropologists are involved in the protection of eth
12、nic customs and relics in the Three Gorges area Many of the worlds major projects have involved the scholars of humanities and social sciences to handle such issues as the protection of cultural relics, emigration and community reconstruction. Their role has been regarded as essential, not alternati
13、ve. This indicates an improved system of human civilization construction. In China, it also represents a progress in knowledge comprehension. The Cultural Relics Protection Planning and Design Group of the Three Gorges Project Area designed the research projects that require multidisciplinary collab
14、oration, including anthropology. The anthropology-related projects are properly included in the plan for the protection of folk customs and relics protection.This is the first plan in China designed to protect the ethnic folk customs and relics for a large engineering project. It also represents an
15、important effort of the Chinese anthropologists and cultural relics protection planners in publicizing the latest knowledge concerning the protection of the world cultural heritage. The ethnic cultural relics are the traditional folk articles and various cultural resources of the people who live in
16、a cultural and geographical area. They include tangible relics, such as civilian dwellings, paintings, garments, artwork and man-made utensils, and intangible relics, such as performance and music. Folk relics also refer to the routine custom activities and the materials and techniques used. Although such relics are still being used and the customs performed nowadays, they carry the traces ofcultural and technical modification and continuation. They serve
