Professor Li Long Lam (Chinese: 李浪林; Mandarin: Li Lang Lin) is an experienced coastal and field

archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

. Graduated with a Bachelor of History at

Wuhan University Wuhan University (WHU; ) is a public research university in Wuhan, Hubei. The university is sponsored by the Ministry of Education. Wuhan university was founded as one of the four elite universities in the early republican period of China and i ...

, he later received his master's degree at the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

and his Doctor of Philosophy in Archaeology at

Jilin University Jilin University (JLU; ; often abbreviated JLU or ) is a leading national research university located in Changchun, China. It is under the direct jurisdiction of China's Ministry of Education. It is a Chinese Ministry of Education Class A Doub ...

. He worked in Shenzhen before coming to Hong Kong to work at the Antiquities and Monument Office. From1988-2018, he worked in Hong Kong for over 30 years. In 1994, when Prof Li participated in the excavation in Kowloon Walled City, he discovered two stone-pieces (inscribed with Chinese characters 'North Door' and 'Kowloon Walled City') that are still on display near the Kowloon Walled City Park nowadays. Before his retirement in 2018, Dr. Li was a

Curator A curator (from la, cura, meaning "to take care") is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the parti ...

at the Hong Kong Antiquities and Monuments Office. He is now a Visiting Professor at

University of Chinese Academy of Sciences The University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS; ) is a public university for graduate education, under the direct leadership of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). The predecessors of UCAS are the Graduate University of the Chinese ...

. Since 2021, he is appointed as the President of the Committee at the

Hong Kong Archaeological Society The Hong Kong Archaeological Society () is a government-funded organization dedicated to carrying out excavations and preserving archaeological heritage in Hong Kong. The society is affiliated with the Hong Kong Museum of History to establish arti ...

Academic Research

Li is famous for his study in Hong Kong pre-modern

salt industry Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quantiti ...

and coastal archaeology. Back in the 20th Century, there had been numerous sites of industry excavated along Hong Kong coastlines. The sites were believed to be

lime Lime commonly refers to: * Lime (fruit), a green citrus fruit * Lime (material), inorganic materials containing calcium, usually calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide * Lime (color), a color between yellow and green Lime may also refer to: Botany ...

ceramic A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcelain ...

kilns A kiln is a thermally insulated chamber, a type of oven, that produces temperatures sufficient to complete some process, such as hardening, drying, or chemical changes. Kilns have been used for millennia to turn objects made from clay int ...

by that time. Li was the first to argue that a number of sites are not kilns but stoves to produce

salt Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quantitie ...

. His argument alters the understanding of Hong Kong economic status in fifth to tenth Century

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...

and eventually earned him a seat at the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences. Li also participated in multiple important excavations, including the

Kowloon Walled City Kowloon Walled City was an ungoverned and densely populated ''de jure'' Imperial Chinese enclave within the boundaries of Kowloon City, British Hong Kong. Originally a Chinese military fort, the walled city became an enclave after the New Ter ...

excavation in 1994, the

Tai Fu Tai Mansion Tai Fu Tai Mansion is a residence located in Wing Ping Tsuen, San Tin near Lok Ma Chau, north of Yuen Long, Hong Kong. History It was probably built in 1865 in the reign of the Qing Dynasty. It was built as a residence by Man Chung-luen () who ...

project in 2001, a widely concerned

Mong Kok Mong Kok (also spelled Mongkok, often abbreviated as MK) is an area in Kowloon, Hong Kong. The Prince Edward subarea occupies the northern part of Mong Kok. Mong Kok is one of the major shopping areas in Hong Kong. The area is characterised ...

excavation in 2004, and the Chi Ma Wan excavation.Archaeological Impact Assessment for Redevelopment of Chi Ma Wan Prison Area, Lantau Island
Antiquities and Monuments Office, 2009

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Li, Long Lam Chinese sinologists Jilin University alumni Alumni of the University of London Wuhan University alumni Hong Kong archaeologists Living people Year of birth missing (living people)