The second Shanghai Archaeology Forum was held in Shanghai from the 14th through 17th of December 2015,jointly organized by the Institute of Archaeology at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences,Shanghai Academy,Shanghai University,and Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Cultural Heritage Administration under the auspices of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and Shanghai Municipal Government. Among the 150 scholars who participated in the forum were over 80 overseas scholars from 27 countries or regions. About 70 scholars from China also attended the forum. Most of them are leading scholars at provincial institutes of cultural heritage and archaeology as well as universities with archaeology / museology / cultural heritage programs.

At the opening ceremony,Mr. Yang Xiong (Mayor of Shanghai),Mr. Liu Yuzhu (Director General of the State Bureau of Cultural Heritage),and Mr. Wang Weiguang (President of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences) offered their congratulatory remarks. On behalf of the Shanghai Archaeology Forum,President Wang Weiguang presented the first Lifetime Achievement Award to Professor Colin Renfrew from the University of Cambridge. The awardees of the SAF Awards were also honored during the opening ceremony; subsequently they presented their discoveries and research findings in the plenary sessions. Their presentations allowed the forum participants to learn more about these awarded archaeological projects,particularly theoretical perspectives,research methodologies,and the importance of actual findings.

The central theme of the second Shanghai Archaeology Forum was the archaeology of culture contact and cultural diversity. It was chosen because of the following considerations:

Today's world is faced with ever-increasing globalization,along with conflict and confrontation of many kinds. A very challenging issue we are all facing is how we find the solutions to conflicts among different cultures and civilizations. How might peoples from all walks of life learn from each other and work together toward the common future of humanity while also protecting and preserving their own values and traditional cultures in the wave of globalization?

History is a mirror of life. As an ultimate goal,archaeology should seek potential solutions to many problems we are facing in modern societies through a full understanding of our human histories,thus contributing to the present as well as the future by learning from the past.

During the second Shanghai Archaeology Forum,eleven distinguished speakers gave keynote presentations exclusively focusing on the forum's central theme despite a wide range of regional and temporal coverage. Their presentations were not only empirically grounded but also full of inspiring ideas and intellectual insights. They discussed how to protect and value the social environment of cultural diversity from various perspectives,strongly demonstrating the great concerns of archaeologists across the world on contemporary issues,and the relevance of archaeological research to the present as well as the future.

Following the suggestions from the inaugural forum in 2013,parallel sessions were added,allowing more opportunities for the SAF members to discuss their research projects and exchange ideas. More than forty participants spoke in these parallel sessions,covering a wide range of regions and subjects. The speakers for the Public Archaeology Keynote Lecture Series were Professors Colin Renfrew,Charles Higham,and Lothar von Falkenhausen; each attracted a very large crowd.

During the forum,a group of participants were invited to join an open discussion on various issues concerning the current situation and future development of the Shanghai Archaeology Forum,such as an award ceremony,international publicity and public outreach,needs of involving more young scholars,having more focused subjects and more engaged discussion,the development of special sessions on Chinese archaeology and workshops concurrent with the forum.

On the last day of the forum we also organized group visits to the Shanghai Museum and Shanghai Natural History Museum.

As a result of joint efforts,the second Shanghai Archaeology Forum was an extraordinary success. On behalf of forum organizers,I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to all the participants. Special thanks also goes to the leadership of Shanghai University,along with the staff and students of its history department and guest houses,whose hard work contributed greatly to the forum's success. With the support and assistance from many contributors from different countries across the world,the staff at the Office of the Shanghai Archaeology Forum made earnest efforts to put together this biennial bulletin for the publication; they deserve very special appreciation.

Secretary General of the Office of Shanghai Archaeology Forum

Academician of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

October 2017