Thursday, March 25, 2021 | 16 CHINA DAILY | HONG KONG EDITION 17 LIFE SANXINGDUI

ei Yu considers himself lucky. some elements of the cultures of the middle Archaeologists dream of having the and lower reaches of the Yangtze River that chance to excavate something like have become apparent through a series of Timeline of discoveries this. In terms of his chosen profes­ separate archaeological excavations along Lsion this is the ultimate prize. The stuff the river,” he says. dreams are made of. More artifacts also show the status of • 1929 unearthed artifacts, is a milestone As the chief archaeologist in charge of the Sanxingdui as a cultural crossroads that not The site is first discovered by Yan in the research of Sanxingdui Sanxingdui Ruins site in Guanghan, Sichuan only absorbed, but also influenced others Daocheng, a villager who acciden­ Ruins. province, dating back more than 3,200 years, across a wide geographic area. tally uncovers jade and stone art­ Lei thought that the site would have long ago An example of this was the discovery of a works when digging a ditch. • 1988 offered up all of its most stunning artifacts. jade cong, a Neolithic ritual artifact typical The city walls of Sanxingdui Ruins The accidental discovery of two “sacrificial to the 5,000­year­old Liangzhu Culture of • 1934 are located. The ruins are listed as pits” — at least, considered as such by most Zhejiang province nearly 2,000 kilometers US archaeologist and anthropolo­ a national­level key heritage site. scholars due to the smashed and burned away to the east, at the site. An abundant gist David Crockett Graham, direct­ objects there — in 1986 was incredible. collection of seashells also connects this or of the museum of West China • 1997 Back then, more than 1,000 artifacts were inland site to the South China Sea. Union University (today part of Sanxingdui Museum opens to the recovered from the No 1 and No 2 pits of According to Lei, through archaeological Sichuan University), leads the first public. Sanxingdui, including numerous bronze­ research, influences of Sanxingdui culture archaeological dig at the site. ware items with exotic markings, as well as have been found to expand to today’s • 2001 figurines, human face masks with protrud­ Shaanxi province in the north and Yunnan • 1956 Numerous items of pottery, as well ing pupils and an exquisite 3.95­meter­high province — and even the northern part of Site investigation confirms it is as stone figurines and jade arti­ “divine tree”, believed to have been wor­ Vietnam — to the south. roughly from the time frame of the facts are found at a large­scale shipped as a ladder to heaven. “People once had a widely­held view that Shang Dynasty (c.16th century­11th excavation. Sanxingdui was found in 1929, and the Central China was the cradle of ancient Chi­ century BC) to the Western Zhou first scientific excavation was carried out in nese civilization, and Sichuan was thought Dynasty (c.11th century­771 BC). • 2012­2017 1934. It was led by David Crockett Graham, a of as a marginal area,” says Shi Jinsong, a A comprehensive survey of Sanx­ scholar from the United States. He was also researcher with the Institute of Archaeology • 1964 ingdui Ruins is made by the Sich­ a museum director in Chengdu. But fate, as at the China Academy of Social Sciences. A team of scholars from Sichuan uan Provincial Cultural Relics and it so often does, intervened. The decades of “But findings in Sanxingdui unveiled an ear­ Museum finds a pit of stone arti­ Archaeology Research Institute upheaval that followed interrupted work on ly­stage regional state, which has changed facts near the first site discovered with follow­up excavations of city the site. Its significance was not recognized our view of history. in 1929. walls and graveyards. until the bombshell discovery in the 1980s. “With a new perspective of Sanxingdui, “Our archaeological investigations in A PEEK we can better see its connection with sur­ • 1980 • 2020 Sanxingdui have never stopped,” says Lei, a rounding civilizations,” Shi says. “The An independent “Sanxingdui Cul­ Six sacrificial pits are found near researcher from the Sichuan Provincial Cul­ unearthed artifacts from the pits cannot be ture” is certified by academia for the No 1 and No 2 pits, and excavations tural Relics and Archaeology Research Insti­ isolated instances. More findings will first time following further excava­ are ongoing. tute. “But no one really believed there could appear that will hopefully lead to the work­ tion, which finds tombs and remains be more sacrificial pits.” shops that produced the artifacts, unveiling of small­scale construction. • 2021­2025 Ruins of city walls, foundations and tombs BEHIND a bigger picture of cultural communication.” Formal excavation reports on have been continuously unearthed within Some unique phenomena at the site • 1986 Sanxingdui Ruins will be published. the 12­square­kilometer area of the Sanxing­ leaves more room to understand its impor­ The discovery of No 1 and No 2 dui site — the biggest prehistoric city ruins on tance from a global perspective. sacrificial pits, with a horde of WANG KAIHAO the upper reaches of Yangtze River — which As no Shang Dynasty bronzeware figu­ resulted in archaeologists switching their rines have been found so far that are forged focus to look for a high­level mausoleum. in the shape of humans, the idolatry practic­ Sanxingdui, though, had more to offer. THE MASKS es uncovered in Sanxingdui have aroused From 2019 to 2020, six more pits (No 3 to Freshly unearthed treasures from famous archaeological site speculation about a possible connection to No 8) — ranging from 3.5 square meters to ancient civilizations in West Asia, or even 19 square meters — were found near the will help answer questions about mysterious ancient culture, further afield. original pair and, since October, about 500 “But their specific production method of artifacts have been unearthed in an ongoing Wang Kaihao reports in Guanghan, Sichuan province. bronzeware is thoroughly different,” Sun, detailed excavation. from Peking University, explains. “And com­ As soon as the discovery was announced pared with those bronze figurines, cast in a by Lei’s team in Chengdu, Sichuan’s provin­ more realistic style in the West, the symbolic cial capital, on Saturday, China’s social Sanxingdui figurines are more like a variety media was abuzz with public enthusiasm. of totem poles. A bronze relic and a gold mask unearthed at the Jinsha site “Thanks to a well­planned project, we will “If we could find constructional compo­ in Chengdu, Sichuan’s provincial capital, show close con­ have more findings,” Lei says. “They’re just so nents with similar patterns in future excava­ nection with the relics found in the Sanxingdui site. important, and people are eager to know what tions in Sanxingdui, we would have a clearer PHOTOS BY WANG ZHUANGFEI / CHINA DAILY is buried underground, but we have to follow finally tether some of the wilder flights of used to make fine clothes, but as a medium understanding.” certain steps and take a scientific approach.” fancy fueled by the discoveries at the site, through which to connect people with heav­ With the discovery of a gold scepter, a Major sites related to Sanxingdui Lei’s team has already uncovered a long says Zhao Congcang, a professor at North­ en,” she says. “So, the finding of silk in a sac­ bronze sun wheel worshipping a sun god — list of possible national treasures and, while west University in Xi’an, Shaanxi province. rificial place is significant.” both found in 1986 — and gold masks, a con­ the bulk of the current findings have mainly When the exotic and mysterious artifacts She also expects the find, through com­ nection with the tomb of the contemporane­ • Baodun City Ruins site including bronze figurines, come from pits 3, 4 and 5, the tips of some were first discovered in 1986, a myriad theo­ parative studies of silk samples unearthed ous Tutankhamen in Egypt was also formed (4,500 to 3,700 years ago) jade and stone relics, have been objects have begun to peek through the dirt ries captured the public imagination, but none in other regions, to enhance knowledge of a by a curious public. The site was first discovered unearthed. Hundreds of ivory in the other three. so compelling as that which claimed extrater­ “Silk Road” that is much older than the However, Sun rules out the possibility due in a village in Chengdu in 1995 artifacts and tens of thousands A gold mask unearthed from No 5 pit, restrial influence on Sanxingdui culture. more widely known ancient trade route. to distance and supporting evidence that as the largest city ruins on the of pottery items were also sporting similar exotic features to those of “New archaeological findings could guide suggests otherwise, but adds that cross­bor­ upper reaches of the Yangtze found at the site. The relics the previously unearthed bronze face masks, the public back to a scientific approach to fig­ Outside influence der comparative studies will better show the River. Seven other city ruin sites highly resemble those found in is one of the highlights of the newly­excavat­ uring out the origins of Sanxingdui culture,” Due to the mountainous landscape sur­ importance of the Sanxingdui Ruins during have also been discovered Sanxingdui, showing close con­ ed items. Bronze masks and divine trees con­ Zhao says. “Cultures are created by people. If rounding Sichuan, in ancient times the the Bronze Age. around Chengdu. Highly devel­ nection between the two sites. tinue to appear, along with more than 100 we can answer some questions about the region was often considered to be relatively Sanxingdui Ruins has great global signifi­ oped agricultural tools were Many scholars believe that the ivory tusks. Charred sculptures and jade may people of Sanxingdui, the mysterious parts isolated. In a stanza written by the great cance for archaeology and prehistoric stud­ found at this site. The site is con­ ancient Jinsha people were add further proof to archaeologists’ specula­ of their culture may be more easily decoded.” Tang Dynasty (618­907) poet Li Bai, he ies, as the artifacts unearthed have revealed sidered an origin of Sanxingdui immigrants from Sanxingdui. tion as to the sacrificial status of the pits. describes the road to Shu as “even more dif­ a complex society, religion, and civilization, Culture due to similarities in “The quality of the bronzeware could be A state of curiosity ficult than stepping into heaven”. Giuliano Volpe, an Italian archaeologist pottery techniques, stone arti­ • Shi’erqiao site (early even better than the items found in 1986,” Who, exactly, were these people? Nevertheless, the findings in the Sanxing­ who, in recent years, has been participating facts, and the technology used Shang Dynasty to early Lei says. For researchers, the closest answer may dui pits indicate that connection between the in joint research in Sichuan, told China in city wall construction. Scep­ Western Zhou Dynasty) But “new” types of bronzeware raise more be the ancient state of Shu, which lasted for Top: New discoveries at the Sanxingdui Ruins site shed light on the ancient Shu civilization, which dates back 3,000 years. Highlighted relics include (from left) parts region and the outside was commonplace. Radio International. ters, ivory and jade artifacts In 1985, the site was discov­ questions. For Lei, further study is still more than a millennium until its fall to the of a broken ivory statue, a bronze vessel, a bronze divine tree and a variety of bronze items. In pit No 3, a horde of ritual bronze ves­ But for Lei, his biggest hope now is to find unearthed at the site also show ered in downtown Chengdu and required to explain, for example, an animal powerful Qin state during the Warring Center: A 1.3­meter­high bronze mask (left) unearthed from No 2 pit of the Sanxingdui site in 1986 has similar shape with a newly found 28­centimeter­high gold sels were recently unearthed. Two square written characters in the pits. a connection with Sanxingdui. is most known for its remains of decoration with an ox’s head and a dragon­ States Period (475­221 BC). Shu state left mask from No 5 pit at the site. zun, a vessel for holding wine typical to After all, as the Sanxingdui site is deeply a wooden structure. Pottery and like body. many legends but the relevant historical Above: Major relics unearthed at the site in 1986 include (from left) a bronze sun wheel, a bronze head statue with a gold mask and a bronze divine tree. the Shang Dynasty (c. 16th to 11th century influenced by the Shang Dynasty, which cre­ • Jinsha Ruins site (3,200 stone relics unearthed at the site A 1.3­meter­high artifact, a kneeling recordings are insufficient. PHOTOS BY WANG KAIHAO / CHINA DAILY, XINHUA AND PROVIDED BY SICHUAN PROVINCIAL CULTURAL RELICS AND ARCHAEOLOGY RESEARCH INSTITUTE BC) which ruled what is today’s Central ated the earliest known Chinese written to 2,600 years ago) show that it belongs to the same human figurine carrying a vessel over its An academic project was launched to gain China, were found for the first time. Other characters via the 3,300­year­old oracle First discovered at a con­ cultural system of Sanxingdui head, is also a puzzle. a better and more comprehensive under­ zone,” he says. “Our next step is to unveil study of the pits, their construction style more than 3,000 years (among the unearthed pit No 4. It resonates with the legend of Can­ bronzeware also carried basic shapes bones, maybe the best way to clear up some struction site in downtown Ruins, and some of its artifact “These mixtures reflect ancient Sanxing­ standing of the ancient Shu state (Sichuan is their ritual system.” and foundations will offer an insight into cultural relics in Sanxingdui pits), that’ll be cong, the founding ruler of the ancient Shu associated with Shang style blended with of these mysteries is to refer to words. Chengdu in 2001, the site is the types were found in the No 1 pit dui dwellers’ brilliant imagination,” Lei says. still sometimes colloquially called Shu A similar strata of objects were uncovered the interior of a prehistoric shrine. an exceptional reference from which to com­ state who is said to have been an expert in original designs and details. “We’ve just started and there are many best­known site of ancient Shu of Sanxingdui. On the subject of imagination, it is also today). If it were not for that project, the in the newly found pits as the two that were “Religious rituals often represent the prehend the religion of the Shu people and raising silkworms. “Items from the Sanxingdui culture have possibilities,” he says. “Thanks to Sanxing­ civilization after Sanxingdui. expected that, as more cultural relics are abundance of artifacts in the news today dug in 1986. Small items of bronzeware were highest­level ceremonies,” Sun says. “We’ve their view of the universe,” he continues. “The lifetime of a silkworm is really short,” outstanding local styles,” Zhang Changping, dui studies, we’ll gradually come to under­ More than 4,000 artifacts, WANG KAIHAO unearthed, the ongoing excavation will also would probably still remain unknown. at the bottom with larger bronze items above, seen constructional remains of contempo­ New discoveries may connect mythology says Zhou Yang, a researcher with the China an archaeology professor at Wuhan Univer­ stand how Chinese civilization originated Foundations were also recently found and the upper surfaces were paved with ivory. raneous shrines in the rest of world, but they passed down for generations to more facets Silk Museum in Hangzhou, Zhejiang prov­ sity in Hubei province, says. “But they also and a mixture of different cultures united.” SOURCES: SICHUAN PROVINCIAL CULTURAL RELICS AND ARCHAEOLOGY nearby, Lei says. Sun Hua, a professor from the School of are empty now. of a prosperous civilization through details ince. “In the view of ancient Chinese people, embrace a strong influence from Central RESEARCH INSTITUTE AND CHENGDU CULTURAL RELICS AND ARCHAEOLOGY “That helps us to have a basic under­ Archaeology and Museology at Peking Uni­ “If we can recover a whole set of ceremoni­ of the lives of the Shu people. it became a unique symbol of life and death. China, sharing some cultural identity. Contact the writer at RESEARCH INSTITUTE standing of the layout of the sacrificial versity, considers the possibility that deeper al artifacts used in sacrifices that date back For example, silk was found in the soil of “Consequently, the earliest silk was not “In Sanxingdui bronzeware we also find [email protected] Cutting­edge technology deployed to decode relics’ riddles

By WANG KAIHAO in Guanghan, Sichuan “It will greatly benefit our work on exist­ “We have a much stronger squad now,” From August to October, four glass­and­ “They are comprehensively tested and tions can also benefit from our work.” ing and future sites.” Chen says. iron structures covering the pits, known as we decide to which department they Some findings in the soil have surfaced Anyone entering the archaeological site Chen is a former deputy director of Sich­ Experts from 34 universities and “excavation capsules”, were set up. should go ... These technologies have been despite the relatively short time. For exam­ is required to wear a protective suit. No uan Provincial Cultural Relics and Archae­ research institutes nationwide have joined To offer a suitable environment for the used in our work for some time, but we ple, fibroin was discovered within a tiny one is allowed to directly step on the sur­ ology Research Institute. He participated the ongoing excavation. According to Chen, unearthed relics, the temperature around never gathered all the facilities on the soil sample, and a fabric pattern appeared A 2.62­meter­ face of the excavation site to avoid any pos­ in the excavation of No 1 and 2 pits — pre­ even some firefighters have been invited to the pits has been kept between 20 and 25 C, front line of archaeology before.” in the lens of a microscope, indicating the high bronze sible disturbance of the relics. sumably sacrificial in nature — in Sanxing­ analyze the discovery of burn marks, help­ and the humidity is maintained at 80 per­ Eight high­definition web cameras have use of silk in sacrifices. statue of a These are the strict rules governing the dui in 1986, when over 1,000 artifacts were ing to figure out how high the temperature cent. The level of carbon dioxide inside the been placed on­site. Chen says they are Finding the time period of relics has human figure ongoing excavation of six freshly found, unveiling a brilliant bronze­civiliza­ was, which may offer a clue to possible capsules is also being closely monitored. connected with other experts via the cloud been a question for researchers at the excavated unearthed “sacrificial pits” that started in tion. ways in which sacrifices were carried out. No such facilities have been used in pre­ in case further consultation is needed. Sanxingdui ruins as radiocarbon dating from October at the Sanxingdui Ruins site in When recalling the excavation back Only a few meters away from the previ­ vious archaeological excavations in China. In 1986, the focus was on the artifacts results of artifacts unearthed from No 1 Sanxingdui Guanghan, Sichuan province, which dates then, Chen says he has regrets. ous two pits, the newly found six pits are so A structure provides an extra protection found, but new developments in archaeol­ and 2 pits varied greatly in the past. Never­ in 1986. back more than three millennia. No 1 and 2 pits were accidentally found close, yet were so far from the spotlight. for these capsules in case of bad weather. ogy have now made it possible to take care theless, compared with purely relying on Left: Archaeologists work in an “excavation capsule”, which is equipped with advanced technology, at Sanxingdui Ruins WANG KAIHAO / Even for veteran archaeologist Chen by farmers who had dug the soil there to They were almost entirely covered by tour­ Seen from outside, the excavation site of the soil dug up during the excavation of the artifacts, the soil provides a larger and in Guanghan, Sichuan province. SICHUAN PROVINCIAL CULTURAL RELICS AND ARCHAEOLOGY RESEARCH INSTITUTE / FOR CHINA DAILY CHINA DAILY Xiandan, 66, the experience of lying on make bricks. ist facilities, where visitors could get a clos­ looks like a high­speed train station. the pits. more reliable sample to be studied. Right: An archaeologist takes samples from the newly found No 5 “sacrificial pit” on March 19. WANG KAIHAO / CHINA DAILY an elevator to carefully approach the sur­ Archaeologists had a race against time er view of the 1986 excavation site. Also, for the first time in China, labora­ “The soil is also considered as a cultural A report by China Central Television on face of the excavation site from above is to rescue the relics from the pits within Archaeologists researched the area tories have been set up at the site to enable relic now,” says Ran Honglin, a leading Tuesday said, according to the newest new. two months, and many artifacts were has­ around No 1 and 2 pits again in 2019. For­ real­time conservation of unearthed relics archaeologist at the ongoing excavation. radiocarbon dating, based on samples of period? Dating results will help us to will help. For example, how to preserve worldwide,” says Wang Yi, director of “This excavation may be a milestone in tily processed. tunately, a corner of No 3 pit was exposed. and the analysis of findings. “By categorizing it in detail, we want to carbon dust collected from the soil of No 4 understand their function and signifi­ more than 100 ivory tusks that have been Sichuan Provincial Cultural Heritage the history of Chinese archaeology in Now, 3D printing technology is being All tourist facilities were immediately “It’s like an emergency hospital for the collect and record information as compre­ pit, it might date back to between 1199 and cance better,” says Sun Hua, a professor at found during the ongoing excavation. Administration. “We’re exploring, and a terms of new research methods and inter­ used to make protective shields for the removed for the new round of digs, and relics,” says Wang Chong, a cultural relic hensively as possible like building up a 1017 BC. Peking University. “Conservation of ivory is a problem cautious attitude is needed before adopt­ disciplinary studies,” Chen says. unearthed relics in the newly found pits. five more pits were found in 2020. conservator working on the site. library. Researchers in our future genera­ “Do all the six pits belong to the same The development of new technology commonly faced by archaeologists ing new methods.”