Shao Hong, vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), has headed a week-long delegation to Henan and Shanxi provinces. 

Shao, who is also executive vice-chairman of the Central Committee of the Jiusan Society, led a team from the CPPCC National Committee's Committee on Culture, Historical Data and Studies to the two provinces from June 18 to 24 to survey local studies on the origins of Chinese civilization and interpretations which may flow from them. 

The team visited archaeological sites, museums and workstations in Linfen city of Shanxi, and the cities of Luoyang, Zhengzhou and Anyang of Henan, and held discussions with grassroots workers on cultural relics and archaeology. During their visit, the team also conducted a study survey at Henan Museum with CPPCC National Committee members who work there. 

The delegation noted the success of recent related research in tracing the origins of and documenting human history in China, including empirical evidence of China's million-year human history, a 10-thousand-year cultural history and a more than five-thousand-year civilizational history. 

The CPPCC team stressed that understanding the history of Chinese civilization is crucial to enhancing historical consciousness, strengthening cultural confidence and better fulfilling the current cultural mission in the new era. 

The delegation also highlighted the importance of understanding the distinctive characteristics of Chinese civilization, such as its continuity, innovation, unity, inclusiveness and peaceful nature. They called for more efforts to further the study and interpretation of the origins of Chinese civilization. 

The survey was in preparation for a Standing Committee meeting and a briefing on major areas of concern for the CPPCC National Committee, which is scheduled for October this year.