Sichuan Province - Other Scenic Spots 其它景点 - The Sanxingdui Ruins in Guanghan 广汉三星堆遗址

Ancient ruins located on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River have provided evidence of the diverse origins of Chinese civilization. The Sanxingdui Ruins in Guanghan, 40 kilometers from Chengdu, Sichuan Province belong to the ancient Shu Kingdom and can be dated back some 3,000 to 5,000 years. A peasant digging a ditch in his field accidentally discovered the Shaxingdui Ruins in 1929. Since then, more than 10,000 relics, some of which date back 3,000 to 5,000 years, have been unearthed. The excavations have yielded what are considered some of the most significant archaeological discoveries in China in the 20th century. Archaeologists believe the Sanxingdui Ruins, located on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, were home to a few settlements with distinctive cultural features. Jade ware with unique characteristics and made using relatively advanced technology was discovered on the site, suggesting that one of the earliest settlements to live in the area about 3,700 to 5,000 years ago interacted with the groups living on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River.

The people who made splendid bronze ware in Sanxingdui some 3,000 years ago created a dominant power in the then Shu Kingdom. That did not live in isolation, either, but had extensive relationship with central and eastern part of the country. The Sanxingdui Ruins serve as convincing proof that the origins of Chinese civilization are diverse. Chen Xiandan, deputy head of the Sichuan Provincial Museum said that the archaeological discoveries at Sanxingdui have changed Chinese history. Before the excavation of Sanxingdui, it was believed that Sichuan had a history of about 3,000 years. It is now generally believed that civilized culture appeared in Sichuan about 5,000 years ago. Chen has been studying Sanxingdui since 1980. In 1986, he and a colleague took charge of the excavation of two large sacrificial pits that yielded the most important archaeological finds at Sanxingdui since the first archaeological dig on the site. The two pits hild bronze, gold, jade and marble articles, pottery, bone implements, and objects made of ivory. Archaeologists also found a profusion of cowries and 800 large bronze relics. The study of the Sanxingdui Ruins, which archaeologists have been excavating for two decades, is a systematic project that needs the help of geologists, environmental experts, hydrologists and other scientists. Through future excavations, archaeologists expect to solve such mysteries as where the raw material for the bronze came from and when and why the civilization disappeared.

Located close to the city of Guanghan on the Chengdu Plain, Sanxingdui is the oldest and largest ruins of the ancient Shu Kingdom.

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