Shi Xingbang, one of the forefathers of China’s vibrant world of archaeology, passed away last Friday at the age of 99. The famous scientist had his hands in some of China’s most important discoveries since the Communist Party began running the country. He was a key figure in organising the excavation of the Qin Shihuang Mausoleum, famously known for the Terracotta Army, and was involved in part of the archaeological survey of the Three Gorges region before the dam was completed in 2003. In the academic world, Shi is most famous for his 1953 discovery of the Banpo Village, estimated...