2002年春，国家科技攻关项目——“中华文明起源与早期发展综合研究”（简称“探源工程”）正式立项。这是一项迄今为止中国规模最大的综合性多学科参与研究人文科学重大问题的国家级研究，到今年整整20周年。

China's 20 years of comprehensive research tracing the origins of Chinese civilization showcased the 5,000-plus years of brilliance through fruitful achievements and it embraced an interdisciplinary method and a global view, Wang Wei, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences said.

这20年间，探源工程在科技部和国家文物局等部门的支持下，在参加工程的近20个学科（几乎涵盖了所有自然科学大的学科）的近400位学者的共同努力下，取得了显著成果。

China's national-level project to trace the origins of Chinese civilization was launched in 2002, and about 400 scholars across the country in 20 disciplines of natural and social sciences have participated in the project.

探源工程围绕公元前3500到公元前1500年期间的浙江余杭良渚、山西襄汾陶寺、陕西神木石峁、河南偃师二里头等四处都邑性遗址和黄河流域、长江流域、辽河流域的其他中心性遗址实施重点发掘，并对这些遗址周边的聚落群开展大规模考古调查，在此基础上开展多学科综合研究。

Wang said four archaeological sites from between 3500 to 1500 BC have been the focus in relevant studies, and other major city ruins from this period along Yangtze, Yellow, and Liaohe rivers were also highlighted in the project.

例如，浙江余杭良渚城址，距今5300年，是长江下游地区首次发现的新石器时代城址。作为环太湖地区的一个区域性早期国家的权力与信仰中心，这里的文明以稻作农业为基础、崇尚玉器，显得熠熠生辉。

Liangzhu site in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, dating back 5,300 years, for example, was a capital-level city ruins of a regional state, where a brilliant rice-growing and jade-worshipping civilization become prosperous.

山西陶寺遗址和陕西石峁遗址也为解读黄河流域的城市发展、社会甚至早期国家的形成提供了许多关键线索。

Both large-scale Taosi site in Linfen, Shanxi province, and Shimao site in Shenmu, Shaanxi province, also provided many crucial clues to decode urban development as well as forming of complicated societies and even early-stage states along the Yellow River.

夏王朝建立后，经过约200年的发展，在河南偃师二里头建造了同时期全国范围内规模最大的都邑，形成择中建都的都城选址，择中立宫和中轴线的宫室布局理念，青铜器和礼器构成礼乐制度，形成王朝气象。

Recent archaeological researches surrounding Erlitou site in Luoyang, Henan province, has showcased it was probably the capital of the Xia Dynasty (c.21st to 16th century BC), the first central dynasty recorded in Chinese history.

王巍表示，这项研究极大地促进了我们对中华文明特征的理解。中华文明的发展是连续的，它的起源是多元的，并且互相联系，形成早期中华文化圈，在不断交融中其主流趋势是周围地区的先进文化因素向中原地区汇聚，而中原王朝在建立之后引领了一体化的进程。这便是中华文明多元一体的特点。

"The research has greatly contributed to our understanding of characteristics of Chinese civilization," Wang told China Daily. "Its development has been continuous, and various roots of our civilization were linked with and frequently exchanged with other. They gradually formed a shared community."

他还指出，中华文明的包容性可以在研究中得到体现。例如，起源于西亚的小麦种植、黄牛的养殖和冶金术，在4500多年前被引入中原地区。青铜器经过发展也成为了中华礼仪制度的见证。而中华文明也向世界做出了自己的贡献，如粟、黍的种植等。

He also pointed out the inclusiveness of Chinese civilization can be demonstrated in the research. For example, cultivation of wheat, breeding of cattle, and metallurgy, which were all originated in West Asia, were introduced into Central China Plains more than 4,500 years ago. China then developed its own brilliant ceremonial civilization with bronze wares. And China also contributed some key cultural elements, such as cultivation of millet, to the rest of the world.

王巍表示，探源研究也希望吸收外国的学者来参加，使中华文明的研究成为世界文明研究的重要课题。要加强中华文明和其他世界重要文明的比较研究，比较它们共同点和差异点，共性和个性。

"Our current comparative studies involving early-stage Chinese civilization and its counterpart worldwide through field research are still insufficient, but fast development of Sino-foreign archaeological programs can largely enrich our knowledge in the field."We welcome overseas scholars to join our upcoming research in the project and thus usher our studies of ancient Chinese civilization to be a crucial part of general studies of world civilization," he said.

长期以来，学术界一直以“三要素”——冶金术、文字和城市作为进入文明社会的标志。西方学界一般依据这个标准，以甲骨文的出现作为中华文明起源标志，即认为中华文明起源于商代晚期的殷墟，距今仅有约3300年的历史。

Among Western scholars, appearance of metallurgy, written characters, and cities, were long considered to be three indispensable elements to define a civilization. Following their criteria, the earliest Chinese civilization only appeared around 3,300 years ago starting from Yinxu Ruins in Henan province, where the oracle bone inscriptions were discovered.

探源工程实施期间，研究员们对世界几大原生文明进行了分析，发现它们并非都符合“三要素”标准。如中美洲的玛雅文明并未掌握冶金术，南美洲的印加文明尚未发现文字。所谓文明“三要素”，主要是从古埃及文明和两河流域文明提取出来的“标准”，并不是放之四海而皆准。

According to Wang, those criteria largely based on recent centuries' research on Mesopotamian and ancient Egyptian civilizations are not ubiquitous. For instance, in American continent, metallurgy was absent in Maya civilization and Inca lacked a writing system. "But, apparently, they cannot be ruled out as most important ancient civilizations in the world," Wang explained. "Based on our studies, Chinese scholars thus made our own definition for civilization, which may suit more civilizations in the world."

所以探源工程就根据历史唯物主义的观点，提出了进入文明社会的标准。如：随着农业显著发展与人口增加、出现城市；手工业技术显著进步，专业化进一步发展，被权贵阶层所掌控；社会分化程度加深、出现阶级；随着权力不断的强化而形成的金字塔式的社会结构，出现王权和国家。国家的出现是文明社会的标志。虽然有些文明并没有出现文字，但国家的出现发展从考古上是可以辨识出来的。随着文明的产生，大型的都邑、宫殿神庙和礼器等也会出现。

In his opinion, key indicators defining a civilization can include highly development agriculture, great achievement of handicraft industry controlled by aristocrats, within which metallurgy was only one form, a pyramidal social structure with high-level division of classes, usually marked by ritual system, strengthening kingship leading to forming of capital city-level metropolises, and so on.

王巍表示，提出这个标准是符合世界各个文明的，现在的任务就是要在国际学术界更多地宣传。该方案基于中国的材料也兼顾了世界其他文明。比如说，良渚就完全符合这些进入文明社会的标准。良渚遗址申遗成功表明我们的文明认定标准在国际学术界也逐渐得到认可。因为良渚成功申遗的理由就是它向我们展示了一个以稻作农业为基础、存在社会分化和统一信仰体系的早期国家形态，证明长江流域对中国文明的起源做出的贡献。

In 2019, Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site."Its inscription also showed that the Chinese definition of civilization is being gradually recognized by more and more scholars in the world," he said.