Su Bai (宿白; Wade–Giles: Su Pai) was a prominent Chinese archaeologist whose career spanned much of the 20th century and the early 21st. Born on 3 August 1922 in Shenyang, Liaoning Province, he became widely known for systematic studies that connected archaeological finds with the history of Buddhism in China. His name is commonly rendered in modern sources using pinyin and the original Chinese characters are often presented as 宿白.

Career and academic leadership

Su Bai held a long academic tenure and is particularly remembered for his leadership at Peking University, where he served as the first head of the Department of Archaeology from 1983 to 1988. In that administrative and teaching role he helped shape curricula, mentor generations of students, and professionalize archaeological training at one of China’s leading universities. His work combined fieldwork, artifact study, and a comparative approach to texts and material culture.

Research focus and contributions

Su specialized in the archaeology of Buddhism, an area that examines temples, monastic sites, sculptures, inscriptions, and other material evidence for the spread and local adaptation of Buddhist traditions. He published analyses that clarified how architectural remains and portable objects reflect religious practice, artistic exchange, and historical development over centuries. Through excavation reports and interpretive studies he helped establish methods for integrating archaeological data with art-historical and epigraphic sources.

Major themes and methods

  • Emphasis on combining field excavation with close study of artifacts and inscriptions.
  • Attention to regional variation in Buddhist sites and how local traditions shaped artistic forms.
  • Promotion of interdisciplinary study linking archaeology, history, and art history.

These themes underpinned Su’s scholarship and influenced both contemporaries and later scholars who study religion and material culture in East Asia.

Awards, legacy and later years

Su Bai received formal recognition for a long career of scholarship, including a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Chinese Archaeology Society in 2016. He remained an influential figure in academic circles, and his students and published works continued to shape the field after his retirement. Observers credit him with helping to make the archaeology of Buddhism a respected subfield within Chinese archaeology and for strengthening institutional programs in the discipline.

Su Bai died on 1 February 2018 in Beijing at the age of 95. His passing was noted by universities and professional associations that acknowledged both his scholarly contributions and his role as a teacher and mentor. Today his publications and the departmental structures he helped build are still cited in studies of Chinese religious history and archaeological practice.