The ZJU–UCL Joint Centre for Plant and Fibre Archaeology (CPFA) was jointly established in June 2025 by the School of Art and Archaeology at Zhejiang University and the Institute of Archaeology at University College London (UCL). As a Sino-foreign collaborative research institution, its mission is to become a globally preeminent centre in plant-material and fibre studies while fostering international cooperation and innovation.
Taking the Silk Road as its primary research framework, the Centre conducts cross-civilizational comparative studies that enrich theories on early civilizations and state formation worldwide. Its findings offer critical case studies for global comparative research and carry significant scholarly weight for understanding the origins of early civilizations and the development of states across the world.
The Centre also advances research on Asian cultural heritage through the lens of cultural exchange, systematically documenting the historical use of plants and fibres across Asian nations to promote dialogue and mutual learning throughout the region.
The Partners
Zhejiang University holds a distinguished legacy in cultural heritage, museology, and archaeology, with research spanning from prehistoric cultures to later historical periods. It has notable strengths in archaeological science and cultural-relic conservation—including the identification of dyes in diverse artifacts and the study of plant origin and dissemination.
The Institute of Archaeology at University College London, established in 1937, ranks among the world’s largest and most prominent centres for archaeology, cultural heritage, and museum studies. It brings together internationally renowned scholars who maintain world-leading expertise in both theoretical and laboratory research, complemented by extensive field experience, and contributes to global scholarship through specialized short courses in archaeobotany and publicly accessible plant-remains databases.
Milestones
April 2023 · Partnership Symposium
The Department of Archaeology and Cultural Heritage at ZJU and the UCL Institute of Archaeology jointly convened an online symposium themed “Partnership.” Co-chaired by Professor Dorian Fuller (UCL) and Professor Zhao Feng (Dean, ZJU School of Art and Archaeology), the meeting brought together more than ten faculty members from both institutions to deliver research presentations and to discuss future collaborative frameworks and priorities.
October 2023 · First Official Visit
Following an official visit by Professor Zhao Feng to UCL, the two institutions engaged in in-depth discussions on future cooperation frameworks, academic exchanges, joint research proposals, and talent development. To advance the establishment of the research centre, ZJU’s School of Art and Archaeology held multiple rounds of consultations and negotiations with the UCL Institute of Archaeology on the centre’s name, positioning, and organizational structure.
May 2024 · Memorandum of Understanding Signed
The two schools signed a Memorandum of Understanding at the Zhejiang University Museum of Art and Archaeology, marking the formal start of multi-tiered, comprehensive collaboration. The partnership will apply joint scientific methods to investigate the history of plant fibres, natural dyes, and mulberry plants as silkworm feed—from interdisciplinary perspectives spanning botany, archaeology, and ethnology—with future expansion to animal fibres and Silk Road studies. The proposal received unanimous endorsement from both institutions.
December 2024 · Strategic Partnership Renewed
A delegation led by then-President of Zhejiang University Jiangfeng Du, together with Professor Zhao Feng, held strategic talks with Professor Michael Spence, President and Provost of University College London. The parties signed a renewed inter-institutional Memorandum of Understanding and a Strategic Partnership Agreement. Over the next three years, both universities will maintain reciprocal strategic seed funds to support scholars in expanding collaborative research in archaeology and related fields.
International Symposium
Lost Crops and Fibres in Global Perspective · 23–24 June 2025 · Zhejiang University Museum of Art and Archaeology, Hangzhou
Jointly hosted by the School of Art and Archaeology at Zhejiang University and the Institute of Archaeology at University College London, this international symposium grew directly out of the May 2024 Memorandum of Understanding, which called for the establishment of a joint centre for plant and fibre archaeology.
Bringing together leading scholars of archaeobotany and fibre research from around the world, the symposium explores the theme of “lost crops and fibres.” It aims to advance interdisciplinary research in plant and fibre archaeology, strengthen exchange and cooperation between Chinese and British scholars, and help move the field—and its frontier questions—forward on a global scale.