It is an anthology of archaeological and anthropological writing by Li Chi in English, the founding father of China's modern archaeology. It traces back the rise of Chinese civilization as well as the origin of its people following the steps of the pioneering researchers of this land. The rise of China's archaeology as a scientific subject is also briefed against the background of the confluence of the methods of fieldwork from the West and the traditional antiquarian studies in China.

结集李济先生在考古学、人类学领域最具代表性的英文论文；探讨中华民族的原始及其形成，中国文明的性质及其成长；管窥传统金石学和近代西方科学交汇下中国现代考古学的诞生。