Yahui He is an environmental archaeologist specializing in archaeobotany in East Asia. Her research investigates the dynamics of human-plant relationships in multi-scalar socio-political contexts, focusing on the materiality of plants in processes of sedentism and urbanism.

 

Her PhD and ongoing research work in the Northern Zone, China (northern Loess Plateau and southern Mongolian Plateau) utilizes multi-proxy methods, including starch, phytolith, fungi, and use-wear analyses, to explore plant-based food and drink practices across different social contexts, such as household, community, and mortuary settings. Yahui’s collaborative research extends to studies on plant exploitation and dispersal, as well as related technologies such as plant food fermentation and bast fiber production across mainland China and beyond, including Erlitou in Henan and others in Taiwan and Honduras.