On the way to the Hilton, I couldn’t help but speculate. This Ruan Xiuwen seemed extraordinary; how could the national archaeological institution afford to put their experts up in luxury hotels? Even high-ranking officials might not receive such treatment! On the other hand, he must be quite capable and influential, otherwise, why would Beijing send him alone? Could Shanghai be exaggerating the importance of the archaeological find? My mind wandered with these thoughts until the car arrived at Huashan Road. Following the room number he gave me, I knocked on his hotel room door.
“Are you the reporter from the ‘Morning Star’?” Ruan Xiuwen extended his hand politely. I took the opportunity to size him up. He was tall and slender, with very fair skin, wearing round glasses, and his gaze was sharp, giving off an air of competence. His appearance was quite different from the archaeologists I had met before; some were always serious, others looked weathered, almost like construction workers in comparison. I wasn’t belittling Zhang Qiang and others, but Ruan Xiuwen was indeed unique. He was neither the typical scholarly type nor the rugged, fieldwork type with sun-tanned skin. I introduced myself and shook his hand.
“You journalists are truly resourceful. I didn’t expect to be interviewed right after arriving in Shanghai,” Ruan Xiuwen said with a smile, inviting me to sit. “My visit here was known to very few.”
“Have other media reporters interviewed you?”
“No, you’re the only one.”
I felt a quiet thrill; finally, I could have an exclusive interview. Now, it was time to see what insights this expert had to offer. Ruan Xiuwen’s attire was casual yet tasteful, and he spoke freely. Before I could ask any questions, he started, “Actually, I’m quite pleased that Shanghai has allowed me to participate this time.”
“Are you dispatched by the Archaeological Association?” I asked, pulling out my notepad for notes.
“Ah… yes. But it was my initiative to come. My main reason for coming is my curiosity about this site. As you know, finding such a site in the urban area of Shanghai is big news in the Chinese archaeological community in recent years. Plus, my position allows me some freedom to move around.”
“May I ask what your role is in the Archaeological Association?”
“I’m a freelance archaeologist. I basically fund my own archaeological activities, just keeping an affiliation with the Chinese Archaeological Society.”
“Oh!” I sincerely exclaimed in admiration.
Three: The Archaeologist from Beijing (2)
I heard that the main purpose of your visit this time is to re-examine the function and construction date of the Zhidan Garden ruins, right? What are the current points of contention?
“Indeed, as you’ve said. As for the disagreements, they mainly revolve around several aspects, like the dating. Before I came here, the official statement was that it was from the Yuan Dynasty, wasn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“In fact, that’s a very vague judgment. Their main evidence is the iron ingots found at the site. There’s a theory that the shape of these ingots was an innovation from the Yuan Dynasty. But when you look at other aspects, there are many contradictions. For instance, the protective earthworks are also a contentious issue in academic circles. In fact, I heard that an iron ingot has been sent to Beijing for isotopic analysis, but even with the results, we can’t make any conclusive, accurate judgments.”
“Oh, is it an issue with the isotopic measurement technology? Like, due to errors?”
In preparation for the interview, I did not do my research in vain.
“You could say that. Because isotopic measurements still inevitably come with errors spanning decades or even centuries, and you know the Yuan Dynasty, historically speaking, was quite short. It’s very possible that the artifacts from the Yuan Dynasty were used during the Ming Dynasty, or these iron ingots might have already existed during the Song Dynasty. Therefore, the disagreement on dating needs further research based on the progress of the upcoming projects.”
“Actually, in archaeological work, often when the facts are unknown, we are not looking for which theory is closest to the truth, but which theory has more evidence to support it. Generally speaking, the latter can represent the truth.”
“I understand. And what about the function of the ruins, if not for a water gate, what other possibilities are there?”
“That’s the most puzzling part.” Ruan Xiwen shrugged, picking up several photographs from the table beside him, “I heard about it in Beijing, and today I’ve seen it with my own eyes, and I believe it. These buildings are far more intricate than just a simple water gate structure.” He pointed to several parts of the wooden pillar structures in the photos: “These pile constructions are unique among contemporary buildings, not for stability, but for some unknown reason, perhaps for decoration. They are extremely intricate and very neat. No matter how you look at it, or what explanation you give, it’s hard to understand why they went to such lengths to build it on such a scale. It’s certain that without a massive input of manpower and resources, this structure could never have been completed.”
Ruan Xiwen’s manner of speaking was intense, quite different from the slow, measured pace of other archaeologists I’ve met, and it was very persuasive.
“So, there’s a possibility of completely overturning the original conclusions?” I quickly jotted down notes in my notebook.
“I think it’s possible.”
“That’s exactly what we journalists want,” I laughed.
“Look at these bluestone slabs. We’ve basically ruled out the possibility of them being added later. But if there were already steps, why bother with wooden stakes and stone slabs? Isn’t that strange? From what I can see, it’s almost a luxury, something that might appear only in the tombs of nobles, not in a water gate.”
I nodded in understanding, casually remarking, “Isn’t that as strange as the pyramids?”
“There’s a bit of similarity, but not as inexplicable. I believe if we wait a few more days and make a little more progress, we might get an explanation.” Ruan Xiwen laughed, “The key is that we don’t know who the builders were. Neither commoners nor officials could have done this. From the current understanding of the construction motives and dates, there’s no reasonable explanation, which is why I’ve come here. I wouldn’t travel thousands of miles for something less challenging.”
“Could it have been a royal project, perhaps supervised by some royal relative, leading to such extravagance?”
“Impossible,” Ruan Xiwen denied, “You should know, whether it was during the prosperous Tang Dynasty or the Song Dynasty with its advancements in science and culture, this area of Shanghai was always very remote. Even the term ‘Jiangnan’ was quite distant from here, so there’s no way it could be related to the emperor.”
As I pondered the possible identities of the builders, I suddenly thought of how many believe the pyramids were built by aliens, perhaps the Zhidan Garden ruins were constructed by underwater beings? I couldn’t help but smile bitterly; I was interviewing an archaeologist, not a naive college girl. This absurd thought was quickly dismissed.
“Could it have been for some ceremony, like a sacrifice or something? I remember reading about something like that when I was young, something related to Ximen Bao…” I asked casually, but before Ruan Xiwen could respond, I immediately dismissed my own idea, “Oh, I was just talking out loud. I forgot for a moment that this is underwater, hehe.”
Three: The Archaeologist from Beijing (3)
Hearing this, Ruan Xiwen suddenly glanced at me, his eyes flickering as if he thought of something, but the spark in his eyes vanished quickly, and he just smiled at me, saying, “Mr. Du, you really are amusing.”
