Dr. Xiao Li is a professor at the School of Chinese Classics, Renmin University of China, has participated in archaeological fieldwork, and pursued extensive research on the prehistoric and historical periods in Northwestern China and Central Asia. With his outstanding experience, both in fieldwork and in theoretical research, he has considerable expertise in the archaeology and history of Xinjiang, the origin and development of the central Asian civilizations, and the modes of interactions between Xinjiang and Central Asia.