Qingzhu Wang

Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures and the Tang Center for Early China

Email: qw2375@columbia.edu

Office: TBD

Office Hours: By appointment

Educational Background

BA/MA: Shandong University

PhD: Yale University

Classes Taught

Archaeometallurgy in Ancient China (2021 Fall)

Introduction to East Asian Civilization: China (2022 Spring)

Research Interests

Origin and development of complex societies and early states in China; Archaeometallurgy and bronze production; Political economy of ancient states; Cultural contacts and social changes; Iconography and inscriptions on bronze objects; Archaeomagnetic dating (focus on China); The history of antiquarianism and archaeology in China

Biography

As an archaeologist and archaeometallurgist, Qingzhu Wang studies bronze objects and metallurgical remains to investigate the process and nature of bronze production in early states. Funded by the National Science Foundation (2018), his dissertation research focuses on the role of bronze production, distribution, and consumption in the Shang (ca. 1600-1050 BCE) period of Bronze Age China, examining state organization and political economy from a regional perspective. In his dissertation, he used a multi-proxy research approach, including analyses of bronze objects for their styles, inscriptions, casting methods, chemical compositions, and lead isotope ratios. He also conducted scientific analyses of metallurgical remains related to bronze production. His research revealed significant changes in bronze production and circulation during different periods of the Shang state, providing a new understanding of the operation and development of the Shang state. He has participated in excavations and research projects in China, the Andes, and Africa. His postdoctoral project at Columbia will place bronze consumption in the larger framework of colonialism to investigate how Shang elites in the capitals attempted to integrate Shandong into the state order.