Unearthing Story Behind Ancient Gold Mask

18 | Wednesday, April 14, 2021 HONG KONG EDITION | CHINA DAILY LIFE Unearthing story behind ancient gold mask Archaeologists expect the artifact to gy at Sichuan University. Staff mem- the remaining parts “as much as the greatest archaeological finds in bers from the school were part of possible” so as to understand the the 20th century. The site was acci- shed light on early Chinese civilization the excavation team at the lives of the ancient people who lived dentally discovered by a farmer site. there. when he was digging a ditch in the n incomplete gold mask 3,000 years. But the next challenge was After extensive discussions, 1920s. Covering 12 square kilome- has drawn enormous In one of the new pits, archaeolo- how to unearth the mask care- archaeologists decided to carefully ters, the ruins are located in the city interest from academics gists unearthed a 286-gram gold fully and scientifically. remove the already deformed mask of Guanghan, about 60 kilometers and the public after it was mask. It is the biggest gold mask Li says it was not difficult to on Feb 2 and sent it to a lab to be from the provincial capital Cheng- unearthedA by archaeologists at the ever discovered at the Sanxingdui retrieve the artifact from the pit, as cleaned and repaired. du. They are believed to be from the legendary Sanxingdui Ruins site in Ruins. the condition of gold remained sta- But only half of the mask was Shu Kingdom, which lasted for over Southwest China. “We found the mask on Jan 5 in the ble. uncovered, leading to the question: 2,000 years and dates back at least In late March, Chinese archaeolo- No 5 pit,” says one of the archaeolo- “But no single item is isolated aft- Where is the other half? 4,800 years. gists announced they had made gists involved in the excavation work. er being buried for thousands of Li says the other half could have In 1986, a large number of rare some major discoveries at the ruins “At first, we only saw part of it, and it years,” Li says. “If we simply extract- melted due to burning. relics was unearthed in the No 1 and in Sichuan province, helping to shed didn’t draw much attention until ed the mask out, we could destroy “Gold decorations have quite low No 2 pits, attracting global interest. light on the unified yet diverse ori- more and more gold was revealed.” the connections among the buried melting points. And based on the So far, more than 50,000 relics have gins of Chinese civilization. The archaeologists were sur- relics and miss out on the stories The incomplete gold mask signs of burning on the relics we been unearthed at Sanxingdui. According to the National Cultur- prised when they saw the whole behind them.” artifact that archaeologists found in the pit, we think that the Authorities placed the Sanxing- al Heritage Administration, archae- artifact. Li adds that some parts of arti- discovered in the No 5 pit at other half could have been burned,” dui Ruins under state-level protec- ologists have found six new “It was a pleasant surprise,” says facts might have been lost during Sanxingdui Ruins in Guang- Li says. “But who knows? Maybe it is tion in 1988. sacrificial pits and unearthed more Li Yingfu, a professor with the the long history at the site, so it was han, Sichuan province, on still waiting to be discovered.” Jan 5. SHEN BOHAN / XINHUA than 500 artifacts dating back about school of archaeology and museolo- important to preserve and retrieve The Sanxingdui Ruins were one of XINHUA Dior Fall collection dazzles on Shanghai’s Bund Left: A Dior facade is artistically composed for Shanghai Fashion Week. Right: Chinese singer Joey Yung, wearing a dress specially conceived by Maria Grazia Chiuri, performs live on Monday. PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY By YUAN SHENGGAO coat — a hallmark design of Dior haves such as the revisited double- founder Monsieur Dior. breasted Bar jacket. A series of For Dior Women’s wear creative Garments featured similarly exclusive dresses, each in a different director Maria Grazia Chiuri, unveil- inspired spotted effects in a range of neon hue — as well as red, “the color ing her Fall 2021 collection at the Long fluorescent hues. Elements of silver of life” as Monsieur Dior once noted Museum West Bund in Shanghai rep- embroidery punctuated pink tulle — pay tribute to the House’s archives resents an extraordinary opportunity and toile de Jouy motifs in lace rep- and enrich the collection. Presented to infuse her pieces with a visual force resented figures with decorations to the musical rhythms of composer in motion and a new energy. and landscapes. 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The collection, created by Dior’s band Black Panther performed live. A showpiece among the many Maria Grazia Chiuri, showcased a It is the first time that Dior has emblematic pieces in the perform- phantasmagoria of materials and launched a Fall collection on a run- ance was an iconic leopard print shapes, including icons and must- way in China. Models parade the latest Dior designs for the fashion house’s Fall collection as part of Shanghai Fashion Week on Monday. PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY This section is sponsored by Dior..

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