ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE LANZHOU UNIVERSITY

110TH ANNIVERSARY

The Xiahe mandible, GEOSCIENCES found in Baishiya Karst HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES Cave, was classi ed as Denisovan through paleoproteomic HIGHER analysis. A FRESH LOOK KNOWLEDGE AT ANCIENT Lanzhou geologists reveal CULTURES migration story from jawbone found at soaring altitude. rom exploration of Dunhuang ETHNOLOGICAL STUDIES many graduates now dedicated to their manuscripts, to studies on Ethnological studies at LZU started from translation and history. Tibetan studies are FTibetan culture and regional economic research on ethnic languages, leading to a also a specialty. In their study of Bon, the development, humanities and social science department established in 1946. LZU was indigenous religion of Tibet, researchers programmes at Lanzhou University (LZU) then the only Chinese university to off er have travelled across the region to collect single jawbone found in a cave the high-altitude, Tibetan have made the most of the institution’s programmes in Tibetan, Mongolian and scattered classics, and published many high in the Tibetan Plateau low-oxygen Plateau unique setting. Uyghur languages, and attracted renowned volumes of folk Bon literature. A has challenged archaeologists’ conditions of the since 5,200 scholars. With a strong tradition in ethnic e team led by Yang Jianxin, the understanding of human migration region, as early as years ago. DUNHUANG REVELATIONS languages, the department has shaped founder of LZU’s ethnological studies, and evolution. An international team of in the penultimate e study, e discovery of ancient manuscripts in has compiled a 13-volume collection on researchers led by Lanzhou University glacial period, and published in 2015 Dunhuang caves in the early 20th century the complete general history of China’s geologist, Chen Fahu, reported that the researchers suspect in Science, was the thrust a small town in northwest China’s LZU regional northwestern ethnic groups, spanning more Xiahe mandible, named after the county it this genetic trait may have been result of archaeological Gansu province into the global spotlight, economic research than 2,000 years. It is an all-encompassing was found, was dated to around 160,000 passed on to modern Tibetan populations. and archaeobotanical investigation of more and opened a new fi eld of research. Situated masterpiece, and a source of detailed years ago, and came from a Denisovan, a More recently at Baishiya Karst Cave, than 200 prehistoric sites in the north- in the same province, LZU has developed LZU is a national pioneer in regional information on the region’s ethnic groups lineage of hominins fi rst described in 2010. the excavating team, led by Chen’s LZU eastern Tibetan Plateau. In 2017, the team great strength in Dunhuang studies. economic studies, having established over two millennia. Prior to the discovery, a few bone fragments colleague, Zhang Dongju, also found was awarded the fi rst class award of Natural In 1979, LZU established a research team China’s rst major in regional and DNA sequences found at the Denisova abundant Palaeolithic stone artefacts Sciences by the Ministry of Education for dedicated to Dunhuang studies, which economy. The major now focuses PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION Cave in the Altai Mountains, Russia, were all and various species of animal bones with this study and their work was recognized as evolved into an institute renowned in the on six research directions: China’s A pioneer in government performance that had been recovered of this mysterious cut marks on their surfaces, potentially one of the top 10 scientifi c and technological fi eld. Led by Zheng Binglin, the team has regional economic relations, such as management research, the LZU Chinese group. providing additional important information progresses by Chinese universities in 2015. collated secular Dunhuang documents the gaps between the east and west, Government Performance Evaluation Because DNA could not be extracted on Tibetan Denisovan behaviour. In 2016, the team also established the housed in Russia, the UK, France and other and the south and north regions, and Center introduced third-party evaluation in from the mandible, researchers used an e LZU environmental archaeology team, Center for Environmental Archaeology countries. eir deep investigation into cooperation along the ‘Belt and Road’; 2004, and was the architect of China’s fi rst innovative technique known as paleo- since its establishment in the 1990s, by Chen, (CEA) to understand human interactions the historic, geographic, socioeconomic regional economy and sustainable provincial government evaluation. proteomic analysis. Ancient proteins were who is a member of the Chinese Academy with environmental changes as diff erent documents and Buddhist, Taoist, and development, particularly in under- Since then, the centre has established extracted from a well-preserved molar and of Sciences, has an enviable track record of groups spread across Eurasia in the Confucian classics uncovered in Dunhuang developed parts of the country; China’s fi rst doctoral programme in matching amino acid sequences classifi ed high-impact publications, with more than prehistoric period. will be published in a multi-volume book. regional economic development Government Performance Management, the bone as Denisovan. 80 research papers published in renowned ey also study cultural communications Apart from studying manuscripts, the strategies; factors contributing to compiled the Chinese Performance e mandible was discovered in Baishiya academic journals, including Science, Nature, between East and West in the Neolithic LZU team has also conducted archaeological regional economic growth; regional Management yearbook, initiated and Karst Cave in 1980 at an exceptionally high PNAS and Quaternary Science Reviews. e period, along with the formation and research in the Dunhuang caves, dating their ecology and economy; and industrial sponsored a biennial international altitude of 3,280 metres, compared to the team focuses on questions concerning the evolution of the ancient Silk Road. eir relics and artworks. “Dunhuang murals, economy in ethnic regions. conference on the topic, and completed low altitude of Denisova Cave (700 metres). migration and adaptation of prehistoric fi ndings provided crucial scientifi c statues, and the architectural space are dozens of research projects funded by the is is the earliest evidence of a high- humans on the high Tibetan Plateau. Beyond evidence during the implementation ©LANZHOU UNIVERSITY interconnected,” says Zheng. “ ey should The major has gathered a strong national foundation, local government, and altitude presence of humans on the Tibetan the Xiahe mandible studies, the group of the national ‘Belt and Road’ be studied as a whole.” So far, the LZU team team of 54 teachers, including the World Bank. Plateau, pushing back previous estimates by also reported on the spread of agriculture strategy to help inform has explored nearly 10 of the caves. 15 professors and 15 associate “ e essence of government performance 120,000 years. and permanent human occupation on the decisions.  Working with international scholars, professors, leading to 134 papers, management is the pursuit of public value,” e fi ndings, published in Nature, Zheng is also leading a study of Dunhuang and four books in 2018 alone. said Bao Guoxian, the centre’s director indicate that Denisovans were more manuscripts written in tribal languages. The major houses 5 research and the founder of the public value-based widespread than originally thought, “We want to extend our study to explore demonstration bases, which are government performance governance successfully populating the Tibetan Plateau ancient central Asian culture,” says playing a signi cant role in regional theory. “We expect to innovate relevant before modern humans. It is possible that Zheng. “A pearl on the ancient Silk Road, sustainable development. theories, promoting scientifi c management

the Denisovans were adapted to live in ©LANZHOU UNIVERSITY Dunhuang links the East and West.” of government performance in China.” 

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