On the evening after hosting the Turkish officials, Liang En and Joan of Arc received an invitation from Professor Liu to visit the Chinese archaeological team's base to join their celebration.
They had good reason to celebrate. Although they weren't the discoverers of Troy, they, like Liang En, were among the most important discoverers of this batch of treasures, destined to have their names recorded in archaeological history.
"Thank you so much, Mr. Liang. You've really helped us a lot." As soon as Liang En entered the activity room where the Chinese archaeological team was stationed, Professor Liu greeted him with a beaming smile.
"It's nothing. I just lent a hand, but the success is undoubtedly due to your own efforts." Liang En smiled warmly. "By the way, I caught a whiff of something delicious—are we having Chinese cuisine at the banquet tonight?"
"Yes, indeed. We've hired a Sichuan chef from Istanbul. Though there aren't many Chinese restaurants in this area, finding an authentic Chinese chef isn't easy." Professor Liu commented as he led Liang En towards the backyard where the banquet was being held.
"When we got off the plane, we saw many Chinese restaurants along the road, but upon inquiry, we found they were either run by Vietnamese or Koreans. It took us quite some time to find this authentic Chinese chef."
"That's how it is here. Chinese restaurants are often run by Southeast Asians, while Japanese restaurants are filled with Chinese chefs, and Japanese chefs often work in American or French restaurants—quite an interesting setup." Liang En shrugged.
In a way, the Confucian cultural sphere of the Western world had achieved internationalization ahead of its time, leading to such remarkable personnel configurations.
Of course, higher-end restaurants are a different story, where the chef's expertise often guarantees authenticity. For example, the dishes already on the table, like Bo Bo Chicken and Couple's Sliced Beef in Chili Sauce, were visually and aromatically appealing, promising a delightful experience.
Shortly after everyone was seated, the celebratory banquet began. As it was customary for Chinese people to discuss matters over a meal, Liang En engaged in conversation with Professor Liu about the current excavation.
"Thanks to your help, we managed to secure a say in the archaeological work at Troy, which gives us a good opportunity to officially recognize Erlitou on the international stage."
Ten minutes into the banquet, Professor Liu began explaining the reason for their celebration. They weren't just celebrating the Troy excavation; they were also celebrating the recognition of the Erlitou site back in China, leveraging the discovery of Troy.
"Did you succeed? That's wonderful!" Liang En was well aware of this matter, having signed the application as a witness earlier.
But he hadn't expected the UNESCO World Heritage Committee to act so swiftly. Typically, such international organizations are notoriously slow unless faced with exceptional circumstances.
"We can't confirm it 100% yet, but based on the information we have, it looks promising." Professor Liu nodded.
"Thanks to the discovery of Troy and our contributions to its excavation, coupled with the firsthand information we gathered, they were thoroughly convinced."
The Erlitou site has long been a point of contention in Chinese archaeology. Discovered in the 1950s, it was initially thought to be the capital of the Xia Dynasty, potentially proving the existence of this ancient civilization.
The site is located in the Yanshi District, east of the Luoyang Basin, flanked by the ancient Luo River to the south and Mang Mountain to the north, with the Yellow River as a backdrop. It encompasses the natural villages of Erlitou, Gedangtou, and Sijiaolou, covering an area of over 3 square kilometers.
The site has been confirmed as a meticulously planned, grand, and orderly capital city, unprecedented in history. It’s believed that the foundations of Chinese ancient cities and political systems originated here.
Since the excavation began in 1959, numerous clues have been unearthed, leading to the discovery of many critical artifacts.
For instance, the remains can be divided into four periods, with relics including palaces, residential areas, pottery workshops, bronze casting workshops, storage pits, and tombs.
Additionally, a vast number of stone tools, pottery, jade artifacts, bronze items, bone implements, and shell artifacts were unearthed. Among them, the bronze jue—a type of vessel—is currently recognized as the earliest known bronze container in China.
These discoveries make the Erlitou site crucial for studying the origins of Chinese civilization, the rise of the state, the origin of cities, and the construction of royal capitals. It's considered one of the most important relics in ancient Chinese history.
However, from the day it was unearthed, the Erlitou site has faced widespread skepticism from Western scholars.
Even though it's been established that the Erlitou site dates back approximately 3,800 to 3,500 years, aligning with the Xia Dynasty, and that its location in the Heluo region matches the historical activity area of the Xia Dynasty as described in texts like the "Records of the Grand Historian" (Shiji), the site covers over 3 square kilometers and contains palaces, residential areas, pottery workshops, bronze casting workshops, storage pits, and tombs—an unprecedentedly grand and orderly capital city.
Numerous artifacts have been unearthed, and their styles differ significantly from those of the Shang Dynasty, indicating a distinct ruling power other than the Shang. The scale of the site suggests it was more than just a tribal settlement.
Unfortunately, despite these compelling indications of the Xia Dynasty and its capital, the lack of definitive written evidence at the Erlitou site has prevented the international archaeological community from fully recognizing it as the Xia Dynasty's capital.
Therefore, the current consensus in the international archaeological community is that Erlitou can only be described as the "earliest Chinese civilization"—the earliest broad regional state on the East Asian continent, without conclusive proof that it was the capital of the Xia Dynasty, let alone confirming the existence of the Xia Dynasty itself.
But now the situation has changed. One significant factor is that China's national strength today is far greater than it was in the 1950s, granting it more influence internationally.
Another factor is the excavation of Troy, which provided an excellent opportunity. Despite extensive excavation, no written records have been found at the Troy site either.
This gave the Chinese side a chance to argue, especially given their deep understanding of Troy after years of study.
Their argument was simple: if Troy, under similar circumstances, is accepted as Troy, why shouldn't Erlitou be recognized as the capital of the Xia Dynasty?
From a purely evidential perspective, Erlitou's case for being the Xia capital is even stronger, with fewer conjectures involved.
Given Troy's significance in the West, when faced with China's challenge, they had to concede, in exchange for China's support for Troy.
"This is still a secret, but it's okay to tell you." Professor Liu whispered. "According to our discussions, Erlitou will be listed as the capital of the Xia Dynasty alongside Troy in the World Heritage List."
"Congratulations, congratulations!" Liang En sincerely congratulated Professor Liu after hearing the story. He knew that Erlitou had long been a source of regret in Chinese archaeology in both worlds, and now, to see that regret finally being remedied was truly wonderful.
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