Wang's career path was a life spent in important historical sites undertaking excavations. In October 1950 he joined his first major excavation in
Huixian,
Henan province, focussing on Han dynasty tombs under the guidance of Xia Nai. From 1956 to 1962 he was the lead archaeologist in the excavation of the Han capital
Chang'an. In 1964 Wang oversaw the excavations of the
Balhae tombs in
Dunhua,
Jilin and
Shangjing Longquanfu, the Balhae capital in
Ning'an,
Heilongjiang. His excavation report for the Balhae projects won an award from the National Social Science Fund and the
Guo Moruo Chinese History Prize. His other major excavation projects include those of the
Changsha and
Mancheng Han tombs. In Mancheng, he excavated and studied the tomb of
King Jing of Zhongshan and
his wife. In 1959 Wang published a paper in the Chinese journal
Kaogu (
Archaeology), comparing the King of
Dian gold seal which had been discovered in China's
Yunnan province in 1956, with the
King of Na gold seal of Japan. The authenticity of the King of Na seal, discovered in
Fukuoka in 1784, had been in doubt. By comparing the similarities between the two seals, both cast by Han dynasty emperors, Wang convincingly proved its authenticity. Wang's work revolved around the
Warring States period, and the
Qin,
Han,
Sui, and
Tang dynasties. He contributed immensely to the study of the Han dynasty. He treated features such as China's castle town systems and tomb-building methods extensively in his works. It was his numerous years of work on archaeological sites that gave him the deep knowledge of the period. Wang was known for his unique approach and study of subjects ranging from castle towns, tombs, and ancient bronze mirrors. His contributions to the development of archaeology in China earned much reverence in the country as well as academic circles in Asia. He was an honorary professor of the
National Cuzco University of
Peru, a corresponding member of the
German Archaeological Institute, and an evaluation committee member of the Asian History Association of Japan.
Archaeology in Japan After the discovery in 1972 of the
Takamatsuzuka Tomb in Japan, Wang developed a deeper interest in Japanese archaeology and history. He focused his research on
sankakubuchishinjukyo, the triangular-rimmed bronze mirrors bearing mythical and animal designs, which were discovered in the tomb. The research led Wang to propose a new theory about the history of Sino-Japanese relations. ==Selected works==