Piecing together Sha Po : archaeological investigations and landscape reconstruction / Mick Atha and Kennis Yip.

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CHOICE Review

Archaeologists increasingly write biographies of places, but none has yet explored the Hong Kong-Pearl River Delta region. This biography of a Chinese community explores the world below the streets, shops, and homes of Yung Shue Wan, on Lamma Island. This island's breathtaking history of economic development, which echoes that of Hong Kong Island to its immediate northeast, may be a model for the world's largely urban future. The author's narrative of Sha Po's 6,500-year history, built from archival sources and eight decades of test excavations at 48 localities, begins with its Middle Neolithic fisher-forager colonists. Through time, their descendants created a manufacturing center in Sha Po for bronze ax casting, then polished quartz rings, and finally salt-lime production by the Six Dynasties/Tang period. The authors aim unreasonably high in seeking to engage both archaeological professionals and the educated public and in making social claims using such limited archaeological samples. On a broader stage, however, they are successful. This clearly written history interweaves social theory with historical data to expand understanding of this densely populated corner of East Asia. The lively narrative and ample illustrations bring Sha Po alive to readers, resulting in an important, original contribution to Asian archaeology. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All academic levels/libraries. --Miriam T. Stark, University of Hawai'i-Manoa