The Society for the Study of Early China (SSEC) is a scholarly, non-political, and non-profit professional association open to all persons interested in the culture and civilization of China from earliest times down to and including the period of the Han dynasty (A.D. 220).  Established in 1975, the society's goals are to further the progress of studies within the field by providing for the cooperative exchange of knowledge and ideas and by encouraging projects critical to the growth of the field.