On November 12, 2025, British professor and former vice-chancellor of the University of Oxford, Jessica Rawson, delivered a lecture at the China Academy of Art titled "Exploring Chinese Civilization at the British Museum." In her talk, she discussed her early career as a curator at the British Museum, where she conducted cross-civilizational comparative studies of Chinese civilization.

On her recent trip to China, Professor Jessica Rawson brought several scarves in varying shades.

Last week, while sharing stories of the British Museum at the China Academy of Art, she wore a vibrant red tie-dye scarf. The next morning, the 82-year-old professor gave back-to-back interviews to two media outlets, this time wearing a blue-green scarf, paired with her frequently seen jade bead necklace, which seems to be one of her favorite accessories. This week, her schedule included a lecture at Peking University and a discussion with archaeologist Xu Hong. Her itinerary was packed.

As a friend of this Chinese archaeologist, she said she is busy but enjoying herself.

Professor Dame Jessica Rawson, a distinguished art historian, archaeologist, sinologist, and Fellow of the British Academy, currently serves as a professor at the University of Oxford. She is one of the most active Western scholars of Chinese art and archaeology, with her research spanning the breadth of ancient China. Her work is particularly focused on exploring the exchanges between early China, Eurasia, and other ancient civilizations through the lens of archaeology and material culture.

Between 2010 and 2019, Professor Rawson made numerous trips to China to write a book on Chinese tombs. In the book, titled Life and Afterlife in Ancient China, she examines key archaeological sites, including the Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City, the Yachang Tomb in Anyang's Yin Ruins, the Sanxingdui Ruins, the Tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng in Suizhou, and the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor in Lintong, among others. Through these ancient tombs and their treasures, she reconstructs a vivid historical picture of early China. The English edition of her book was published in 2023, while the Chinese translation was recently released by CITIC Press.

The first site discussed in the book is Liangzhu. In August 1992, Professor Rawson, then head of the British Museum's Department of Oriental Antiquities (now the Department of Asia), visited Liangzhu in Zhejiang for the first time at the age of 49, accompanied by renowned archaeologist Lothar von Falkenhausen. Chinese archaeologists Wang Mingda and Mou Yongkang guided them through the Wujiabu station to examine jade artifacts, followed by visits to the Penggong and Wukang areas to study earthen burial mounds.

"When I first visited, I already knew that the jade cong originated from Liangzhu. That was an incredibly thrilling moment."

On November 13, by the West Lake, Tide News·Qianjiang Evening News had an interview with Professor Jessica Rawson.

Chao News·Qianjiang Evening News: You earned a degree in Chinese in the 1970s and began your research on ancient Chinese jade. You have long-standing connections with China. Why did you choose the East as your primary area of focus?

Professor Jessica Rawson: I've always had a deep interest in China, even from a young age, and I've always wanted to learn the language. I studied archaeology and history at Cambridge University, and then I joined the British Museum, where I was required to learn Chinese. So, I pursued a degree in Chinese at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) at the University of London. My first trip to China was in 1975, and that visit set the course for the rest of my life.

Tide News·Qianjiang Evening News: In 1992, you visited Liangzhu. In the years that followed, you published a landmark work, Chinese Jade: From the Neolithic to the Qing (1995). Jade was one of your initial focuses in studying Chinese artifacts. What role do you think jade played in Chinese culture? How do you view the jade culture of Liangzhu?

Professor Jessica Rawson: When I first joined the British Museum, I was in my twenties. My supervisor said to me, "Please go down to the basement. From now on, you're responsible for this particular area, and you'll need to write detailed descriptions for all the jade artifacts."

At that time, I knew very little about jade, so I had to start reading extensively, studying photographs, and organizing the typology of these objects. It's important to note that at that time, there were no comprehensive descriptions of jade artifacts in China, and Liangzhu had not yet been fully explored. Even the large tombs of Liangzhu had not been discovered yet (Author's note: In the early 1970s, some Liangzhu culture sites were uncovered in Jiangsu and Shanghai, and large tombs like the Caoxieshan Archaeological Site in Jiangsu, the Fuquanshan Ancient Cultural Site in Shanghai, and the Fanshan Royal Burial Ground in Zhejiang were discovered in 1986). But to be able to explore a field that had been largely untouched was exciting in itself.

Over the years, I wrote several papers, which were eventually compiled into a catalog and published in 1995. This work was the result of 20 years of in-depth study and the synthesis of various perspectives.

But it's important to remember that we cannot only focus on the jade itself. We must also consider: Who lived there? Was it a large settlement or a smaller one? How were they connected with other groups?

The importance of Liangzhu extends far beyond its jade—jade is just one facet of its significance.

I believe the true significance of Liangzhu for China lies in the fact that it demonstrates a highly advanced society existed in China long before the Yin Ruins. Liangzhu was a highly sophisticated city with a complex social structure, long predating the Bronze Age.

From this perspective, metal plays a less symbolic role in China's complex society. By Western standards, the Yin Ruins represent a relatively late beginning to civilization. But sites like Liangzhu, Shijiahe, and even Dawenkou in northern China, where jade was also found, are associated with early cultures. Jade was a symbol of this advanced society, while the scale and influence of these sites, as well as their lasting impact, are what truly matter.

Tide News·Qianjiang Evening News: Archaeology and museums are highly popular in China. What is your take on this trend?

Professor Jessica Rawson: I think it's a reflection of people's search for identity. We often discuss how individuals establish connections with their communities and their past—this is a deeply important question. In the West, this issue is more challenging, but in China, you've done an excellent job of reflecting on your history.

The only challenge is that you need to compare your past with ours and recognize that, whether in the present or historically, Chinese culture has incorporated many Western elements, just as Western culture has absorbed many Chinese influences.

I think this is one of the reasons why you place such importance on museums and archaeology: through examining the past, you aim to establish a unique Chinese identity, distinct from that of the United States and Western Europe.

Tide News·Qianjiang Evening News: How do you perceive the relationship between museums, archaeology, and research? For example, how can museums effectively interpret and present archaeological findings?

Professor Jessica Rawson: In my view, the museum format, which developed in the 19th century, is a traditional means of displaying exquisite objects. However, this method falls short when it comes to presenting the complexity of society.

I believe museums are experimenting with various ways to convey history, but it remains a difficult challenge—even in the West. For an expert focused on excavation and understanding the objects, it's no easy task to communicate this complex knowledge to a general audience.

I think this is the direction that your generation needs to develop: how to convey information effectively without resorting to the labels of "the largest" or "the best." People are always quick to say, "This is the largest" or "This is the best," but I don't think we should be fixated on that. Instead, you need to develop new forms of expression, like saying, "This is a particularly unique example," or "This is a rare discovery." I would argue that jade is a cornerstone of China's belief system and craftsmanship, and it should be understood and interpreted from that perspective.

We extend our sincere thanks to Li Chen for supporting this interview.