Well, as Thanksgiving whizzed by as just another good day in the field, we are grateful to be wrapping up a month of survey with significant finds and strong local support. By walking field by field and day by day, we attained this year's goal of surveying a contiguous area down to the Xiu Zhen He (Xiu Zhen River), which defines the provincial border between Shandong and Jiangsu Provinces. The Xiu Zhen River will be our southernmost limit for our total survey region, as it also marks the south end of one of the two coastal basins (the more southerly one) that we ultimately aim to cover in our regional research project.

During the past weeks, we have recorded many sites, mapping shifts in the pattern of settlement over time. However, several sites stand out in our memories. The reasons for their notoriety vary, sometimes it is because of their size or age, while other times it is due to the modern circumstances that surround or are adjacent to them. At one site, Xiao Cun, which literally means small village, we found part of a large Han era settlement that today has surface ceramics stretching for hectares all the way to several neighboring communities. Parts of the ancient settlement also were visible on two sides of a railroad that we hop-scotched over various times as we mapped this two-thousand year-old occupation. The section of this site near Xiao Cun was especially notable for the modern fish and squid drying activities that we witnessed as we collected fragments of ancient Han tiles and other potsherds.

Another site that struck my fancy was not particularly large in the past when it was inhabited during the Zhou and Han eras. Yet it was situated in a special setting in the ridges below Lan Shan mountain, a distinctive feature that rises above the alluvial plain. This site near the tiny and remote modern hamlet of Xia Si was the location of a Buddhist temple that may go back to Tang Dynasty times (more than a millennium ago). Although the small temple is now in ruins, an inscription noted that it was still in use during Ming Dynasty times roughly 500 years back and likely much more recently. The serene setting (if one did not look west toward an adjacent pit recently made by unfortunate stone quarrying), the temple ruins and a magnificent old gingko tree made this a special place all too rare on the rapidly developing landscape north of Lan Shan town.

Just days before Thanksgiving, I came across a small but very early settlement at the edge of the modern village of Xu Jia Cun. The site dating to the Early Dawenkou period (approximately 5,000 years old) appears to be the third oldest community that we have discovered during our eleven years of survey, and the rich deposits exposed and visible on the modern ground surface allowed us to make an extensive collection. Early Dawenkou period occupations are extremely rare in our survey region and they are not very common in Shandong Province in general, so this was an exciting find. As we collected the site, local people congregated to watch and comment, etching this discovery more deeply into our memory.

There were other sites that were significant (and fun) to map. These include a sizable Longshan period settlement near the modern village of Xi Lin Zi Tou (likely one of the dozen or so largest Longshan sites in our whole region) and a few Zhou and Han period settlements within the bounds of the modern urbanizing area of Lan Shan. These sites may not be intact much longer given the pace of change here, and so it was good to record them while we can. On the preservation front, we did convey information to the Rizhao Museum and Cultural Relics Bureau, which did manage to save another more than 5,000 year site (found three years ago) that was only meters away from being quarried away for earth and gravel to feed coastal construction and development. We revisited that site today (as we wrapped up the field portion of our study) and thankfully it remains in place, albeit just barely!

So, there is much to be thankful for, the finds, the international rapport of our team, the successes recording and sometimes even preserving vestiges of the past (with the help of supportive government officials), and our health to still be able to do this often physically demanding work. Walking by live chickens and ducks on practically a daily basis, we also are relieved that the dreaded bird flu has not come to Shandong Province. Although on our previous Thanksgivings here, we have gravitated toward duck or chicken for our festive suppers, this year we opted for a special fish dish instead just to be safe. No matter, as we know, it is the fellowship more than the food that make such occasions truly meaningful.

The word of the day is "shu zi xiang ji," which is 'digital camera.' "Shu zi" means 'number,' with "shu" referring to 'Arabic numeric' and "zi" having the more general meaning of a 'written character.' "Xiang" means 'picture,' while "ji" is a 'machine.' So, put it together and 'digital camera' is literally an 'Arabic numeric character picture machine!'