New WUSTL/China partnership in anthropology

Agreement supports WUSTL research in archaeologically rich region

From left: T.R. Kidder, PhD, professor and chair of anthropology in Arts & Sciences, shakes hands with Sun Xinmin, director of the Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology of China, during a ceremony Aug. 8 in the provincial capital Zhengzhou announcing WUSTL’s new partnership with the institute. Henan is one of China’s most populous provinces and one of the most archaeologically rich areas of the world, Kidder says. The institute, among other tasks, oversees all archaeological research in Henan and supervises foreign archaeologists. Institute support of WUSTL research in Henan is “absolutely vital” to the research’s success, Kidder says. “This agreement provides a structure for continuing our ongoing research in this area and also will make it easier for graduate students to do research in this province,” Kidder says. Kidder is working on two projects in Henan — including the excavation of the village of Sanyangzhuang — along with two WUSTL graduate students. (Credit: Michal Storozum)