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CUHK establishes long-term partnerships in archaeology with Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan
Advancing Silk Road research and revealing connections between ancient civilisations
The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) has recently signed Memorandums of Understanding and research cooperation agreements with three leading archaeological research institutions from Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, formally establishing a long-term collaborative partnership. The CUHK research team will conduct on-site excavations and scientific analysis in key regions along the Silk Road and collaborate with Central Asian scholars to study excavated artefacts, further enhancing Hong Kong’s role in international archaeological research.
The collaboration is led by Professor Lam Weng-cheong, Associate Professor in CUHK’s Department of Anthropology and Department of History, and co-organised by Ms Agnes Sung Pui-yee, PhD candidate in Anthropology. Partner institutions include the Karakalpak Research Institute of Humanities – part of the Karakalpak Branch of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Samarkand Archaeological Institute, and Kazakhstan’s A.Kh. Margulan Institute of Archaeology.
Professor Lam said: “The Silk Road was not only an ancient trade route, but also a vital network that connected different civilisations, technologies, and forms of knowledge, leaving a rich legacy of cultural heritage. By focusing our research on Central Asia and integrating cross-regional archaeological fieldwork with scientific analysis, this partnership will offer new perspectives on exchanges between ancient civilisations. Through international collaboration, we hope to generate more scientifically grounded insights into Silk Road research, while strengthening Hong Kong’s position in the global academic community and nurturing the next generation of archaeological professionals with a global perspective.”
In recent years, CUHK has been actively expanding its international collaborations in archaeology. At a time of growing exchange between Hong Kong and Central Asia, this initiative carries particular significance. The partnership seeks to establish a long-term academic bridge linking Hong Kong with Silk Road regions, covering archaeological surveys and excavations, academic publications, scholar exchanges, and international conferences.
Leveraging its expertise in archaeological science and advanced analytical techniques, the CUHK research team will work with Central Asian scholars to conduct in-depth studies of excavated artefacts, uncovering new insights into ancient societal development, technological transmission, and deepening the understanding of the long-standing historical connections between China and Central Asia. A gold-in-glass bead, excavated from a third- to fourth-century CE site in the Kazakh Altai in eastern Kazakhstan, has been identified through scientific analysis by the research team as possibly deriving from Mediterranean raw materials. It is one of the project’s key research materials.
Professor Lam Weng-cheong, Associate Professor in CUHK’s Department of Anthropology and Department of History (left) and Ms Agnes Sung Pui-yee, PhD candidate in Anthropology
CUHK and the Karakalpak Research Institute of Humanities – part of the Karakalpak Branch of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan
sign a Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen archaeological collaboration.
Left: Azamat Bekimketov, Director of Karakalpak Research Institute of Humanities
Right: Ms Agnes Sung Pui-yee, PhD candidate in Anthropology, CUHK
Professor Lam Weng-cheong analyses archaeological materials using a portable XRF machine, one of the techniques involved in the project.
Ms Agnes Sung Pui-yee collects samples during fieldwork in Central Asia.
CUHK research team recently participated in archaeological excavations in Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan.
(Photo credit: Agnes Sung Pui-yee)
The CUHK team will conduct field excavations and scientific analysis of artefacts in key regions along the Silk Road.
(Photo credit: Agnes Sung Pui-yee)
An ancient gold-in-glass bead from the Kazakh Altai in eastern Kazakhstan, one of the project’s research materials.
The gold-in-glass bead, excavated from a third- to fourth-century CE site in the Kazakh Altai in eastern Kazakhstan, has been identified through scientific analysis by the research team as possibly deriving from Mediterranean raw materials.
Micro-CT cross-sectional image of the gold-in-glass bead, illustrating one of the non-destructive analytical techniques used by the research team.
The A.Kh. Margulan Institute of Archaeology is among Kazakhstan’s leading archaeological research institutions.
The Samarkand Archaeological Institute, a key partner in CUHK’s Central Asia research network.
