Exploring the materials and heritage involved in the Belt and Road Initiative
Dr Maikel Kuijpers, a staff member at the Faculty of Archaeology and a guest researcher at the Centre for Environmental Sciences (CML), is participating in an exploratory interdisciplinary study on the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Made possible by a Seed Fund of the Leiden University Global Fund, this collaboration examines material flows, environmental impacts, and archaeological implications of the world’s largest construction project.
Concrete Age
Dr Kuijpers’ interest lies in the human use of materials, from the deep past to present-day. ‘If we were to define our era based on material usage, like we did with the Bronze and Iron Age, we might very well be living in the Concrete Age,’ says Kuijpers. ‘Spanning over 80 countries, the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is a mega-engineering project that exemplifies contemporary use of concrete. My CML colleagues Lingli Hou and Tomer Fishman estimated the project already has used approximately 91 million cubic meters of concrete.’ This concrete is mainly poured into infrastructure like roads, tunnels, and ports.
Archaeology and the Belt and Road Initiative
Beyond material flows, the BRI raises archaeological questions. ‘Large-scale construction inevitably encounters historical sites, only some of which are excavated’, Kuijpers explains. He also notes China's strategic use of archaeology to justify the initiative, linking it to the ancient Silk Roads. ‘Since its first mention by Xi Jinping in 2013, archaeology has been used to reinforce the BRI’s historical narrative,’ he adds.
Steppingstone
The Global Seed Fund enables flexible research on these themes. Potential outcomes include a construction project database, a report on the collaboration, and insights into material and heritage use. It would thus create a steppingstone for further research.
By integrating archaeology, environmental science, and contemporary material studies, this project provides new insights into the impact of large-scale infrastructure. ‘The dialogue between humans and materials is far more complex than simply the use of materials for construction. Archaeologists know this very well and have developed theories and methods to explore this. The only difference in this project is that we try to apply this perspective to the present’', concludes Kuijpers.
Do you speak Chinese? Join the project!
Kuijpers seeks students proficient in Chinese to help analyse sources. ‘This could be a great thesis opportunity,’ he suggests. Are you interested? Please reach out to Maikel Kuijpers.