You may not know much about Sanxingdui Museum, but you’ve probably seen this giant mask before. It’s hard to forget, right? It’s one of a kind, literally.
No other ancient culture in the world produced anything like it. That’s why I was so excited when I heard that Sanxingdui Museum had a new building with 600 new relics on display for the first time. I couldn’t wait to get my tickets and see them for myself.
Sanxingdui Museum is located in Guanghan, Sichuan, China, about 60 kilometers from Chengdu. The new building cost 1.4 billion yuan and it looks like a bronze mask from the outside.
Inside, there are three exhibition halls with clear explanations, neat displays, and dynamic videos that take you to the archaeological site. The museum is well-designed and impressive (except for the parking lot, which is kind of shabby).
Why is Sanxingdui Museum so amazing? Well, besides being unique, it also reveals a mysterious chapter of Chinese history that we knew nothing about before. The relics belong to the Shu kingdom, a civilization that existed from 1200 BC to 1100 BC and had no contact with other cultures at the time.
By visiting Sanxingdui Museum, you’ll learn more about this ancient kingdom and how it contributed to the 5000-year continuity and diversity of Chinese culture.
Table of Contents
Sanxingdui: A Mysterious and Unique Civilization in Ancient China
Sanxingdui Museum is not about aliens, but about the unique imagination of the ancient Shu people.
Back in 1929, farmers in Guanghan found a lot of jade fragments in their fields, but the formal archaeological excavation of the site didn’t start until the 1970s and 1980s.
That’s when the world was stunned by the discovery of the bronze masks, the bronze sacred tree, and the bronze standing figures at Sanxingdui.
Before Sanxingdui was found, the Shu kingdom was only a legend, and no one knew if it really existed. Li Bai, one of the greatest poets of the Tang Dynasty, wrote in his poem The Difficulty of the Shu Road that “Cancong and Yufu, how vague they founded the kingdom”, but we couldn’t find any clear traces of these two Shu kings in the historical materials.
Although there were some scattered descriptions of the Shu kingdom in some ancient texts, they were obviously mythologized and couldn’t be trusted directly, so our understanding of that period of history relied heavily on archaeology.
It was not until Sanxingdui emerged that the veil of mystery was lifted a bit – the Shu kingdom, which began in the middle and late Neolithic period and ended in the Warring States period, did exist.
But at the same time, Sanxingdui brought more puzzles. In terms of time, the Sanxingdui culture of the Shu kingdom in Sichuan and the Shang dynasty in the Central Plains belonged to the same period. And the intriguing thing is that these strangely shaped bronze wares had nothing to do with the Shang dynasty relics that had been unearthed.
These whimsical artifacts not only had no similar examples, but they also looked like emojis, no wonder people thought they were from outer space.
Doesn’t this kneeling figure look like he’s saying: “Guys, I’m leaving first.”
This exaggerated pose is exactly me when I’m lying in bed and scrolling through my phone.
Wearing hats, braiding hair behind the head, coiling hair up… The hairstyles of the massive bronze heads are different, is this the fashion of the ancient Shu people?
There are also some who can “do acrobatics”, balancing a jar on their head.
Turning their feet into bird claws, did the Sanxingdui people long to fly to the sky?
Why did they cast a tree?
What do the huge ears and protruding eyes on the masks mean?
Sanxingdui site is like a giant blind box, waiting for archaeologists to solve the mysteries.
Besides the dazzling bronze wares, Sanxingdui Museum also unearthed exquisite gold wares. They not only hammered the gold to the thickness of paper, but also carefully wrapped the edges.
Sanxingdui Museum also has many stone, pottery, and jade wares. If there was a craft competition back then, the Sanxingdui people would definitely rank among the top. Especially the jade cong, the intricate patterns on it are amazing.
If we want to understand the “artworks” created by the Sanxingdui people 3000 years later, we have to start from their past lives. Before we build the time machine, the unearthed relics are a ship that can take us to the past.
What Was Life Like in the Ancient Shu Kingdom?
Since the existence of the ancient Shu kingdom has been proven, the written records of its history can be used as evidence. The Huayang Guozhi and the Shu Wang Benji, which document the history of the Ba-Shu region and the biographies of the Shu kings, became the focus of the archaeologists’ research.
Combining the archaeological facts, the outline of the ancient Shu kingdom gradually became clear. It went through five dynasties: the Cancong dynasty, the Boguan dynasty, the Yufu dynasty, the Duyu dynasty, and the Kaiming dynasty, and each dynasty has its corresponding ancient city site.
The Sanxingdui culture represents the Yufu dynasty. The ancient city site was quite large, divided into palace area, workshop area, and religious sacrifice area (where the relics were unearthed). Without a strong national power, it would be impossible to have the resources to build such a large number of exquisite artifacts, so the Yufu dynasty was also the most prosperous and flourishing period of the ancient Shu kingdom that lasted for a thousand years.
Among the Sanxingdui relics, the bronze vertical eye mask should be one of the most impressive ones, because it looks so strange.
If you have read Classic of Mountains and Seas (《山海经》), you may remember that it describes a mythical beast with vertical eyes. Such a appearance is not strange in mythology, but what is strange is that the Huayang Guozhi says that Cancong king also had a pair of vertical eyes, and it is hard to imagine that real humans had eyes that protruded outward.
But the bronze vertical eye mask is right in front of us, which makes it even more unbelievable. Did the ancient Shu people really have eyes like that?
The eyes are indeed closely related to the ancient Shu people. The character Shu of the ancient Shu kingdom first appeared in the oracle bone inscriptions of the Shang dynasty, and the upper half looked like a big eye. After the evolution of the characters, the bronze inscriptions carved on the bronze wares looked even more like eyes.
In addition to the vertical eye mask, there were many bronze wares representing eyes in the Sanxingdui sacrificial pits, and experts have different opinions on this. Compared to the guess that the ancient Shu people had hyperthyroidism and therefore had protruding eyeballs, I tend to believe that they had a “eye worship” custom.
The huge ears wanted to hear farther sounds, the eyes stretched out to the sky wanted to see farther worlds, the ancient Shu people hoped to communicate with the heaven and earth through enlarged facial features, which seemed a bit romantic.
Following the archaeologists’ logic, the bronze sacred tree, which is similar to the function of the eyes, is not difficult to understand. Tree worship is not uncommon, and the ancient people regarded the tall trees as the carriers that could reach the universe. The Classic of Mountains and Seas records a Fusang tree that can communicate with the three realms, and the bronze sacred tree of Sanxingdui may be the realistic version of the Fusang tree.
With a height of 4 meters, it is the largest single bronze relic so far. The huge sacred tree expresses the Sanxingdui people’s wish to communicate with the gods, and it is the display of their worldview. When I looked up at this tree, I think everyone would be amazed by this imagination, and under the light, there were also the prayers of the Sanxingdui people across a thousand years.
Besides fruits, dragons, human-like hands and weapons, the most common image on the tree is the bird. And the bird is another big object of worship for the ancient Shu people.
They imagined that humans had bird claws, flew to the sky, and talked to the gods.
The image of the bird also made thousands of changes, and it is not an exaggeration to say that the Sanxingdui people were great artists.
In fact, there were eight sacred trees found in the eight sacrificial pits of Sanxingdui, but the other trees were too badly damaged and could not be assembled completely. In fact, not only the sacred trees, but most of the artifacts were smashed and dismembered, and even burned before they were buried in the pits. Casting, smashing, burning, and sprinkling blood were all part of this large-scale sacrifice, and some artifacts were also coated with a layer of cinnabar, which means that the sacrificers attached great importance to this activity.
Perhaps the Sanxingdui people encountered some natural disasters that could not be solved at that time, so they had to carry out such a grand sacrificial activity, or it might be that the next dynasty wanted to completely destroy the civilization of this generation. All this is still speculation, but one thing that can be confirmed is that the Sanxingdui civilization was not isolated. Sanxingdui had a unique side, as well as a similar side to other cultures.
*Bronze zun similar to the Shang dynasty relics
As we all know, the Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun was buried with a gold mask in his tomb, and gold masks and gold scepters were also unearthed at the Sanxingdui site. What’s more, they were in a very close period, and both kings chose to use gold to show their power.
The elephant head worship from India also often appeared in the Sanxingdui bronze wares – human figures stood on elephants, or used elephant heads as decorations.
Let’s talk about something closer. The jade cong unearthed from the Liangzhu site in Hangzhou, the pottery he and pottery gao handle dou unearthed from the Erlitou site in Luoyang were also found in Sanxingdui, which shows that the Sanxingdui people or the ancient Shu people had friendly exchanges with other regions at that time.
When I visited the exhibition, I was fascinated by the imagination of the Sanxingdui people. Although the Sanxingdui site has undergone decades of archaeological excavation, the progress bar has only moved a little bit, and there are still many relics and puzzles to be excavated and solved. The advantage of the new museum is that it also allows visitors to join this exploration.
The Sanxingdui Museum specially used a multimedia room to present various guesses about what the bronze standing figure was holding in his hand. After watching the short film, I guess everyone will have their own thoughts.
And in the Sanxingdui Museum, I walked into the office of the archaeological staff for the first time, but unfortunately I didn’t catch up with them when they were working.
This mysterious place is located opposite the main hall of the Sanxingdui Museum, in the open restoration hall, where I saw the relics before they were put into the exhibition hall. The scenes that I could only see in documentaries before, suddenly appeared in front of me, which was definitely an experience that I had never had in other museums.
If you are interested in the ancient Shu kingdom, you can also visit the Jinsha Site Museum in the city of Chengdu. It displays the Duyu dynasty after the Yufu dynasty, which is inherited from the Sanxingdui culture. The ancient books record that Duyu king led the ancient Shu army to participate in the King Wu’s campaign against Zhou, and his fighting power was quite strong.
Unlike the Sanxingdui Museum, in addition to appreciating the relics, visitors can also walk into the architectural ruins of the ancient city in the Jinsha Site Museum, and that distant history seems to become closer to us.
The treasure of the museum is the sun god bird gold ornament, which is also the prototype of the Chinese intangible cultural heritage logo. It is hard to imagine that such a jewelry with superb craftsmanship and artistic aesthetics could be made in that era, knowing that there was no such convenient production tool at that time.
Enjoy Some Delicious Food in Guanghan City, Home to Sanxingdui
You can visit Sanxingdui Museum from Chengdu in a day trip. I’ll share some practical tips for visiting the museum at the end, but first let me tell you what else is fun and tasty in Guanghan.
Guanghan is a true ancient city, formerly known as Luocheng. In the Three Kingdoms period, this was an important military battlefield. Liu Bei’s general Pang Tong died under the city wall of Guanghan.
This wall, which was built in the Eastern Han dynasty, was preserved in the Luocheng site. Of course, the wall we see now is modernly restored, and the old wall is protected and hidden inside the new wall.
The city gate is both the entrance to the wall and the entrance to Fanghu Park. The park was originally a private garden of a Tang dynasty official named Fang. It has both the delicate features of the gardens in the south of the Yangtze River and the characteristics of the Ba-Shu gardens that use ancient trees to create scenery. Such a beautiful scenery does not charge admission, and it is definitely worth a stroll.
In terms of food, Guanghan may not be as famous as other places in Sichuan, but it won’t disappoint you. I must tell you solemnly: Guanghan is the birthplace of dry pot, and there are dry pots everywhere. I drool when I think of the spicy and fragrant dry pot dishes, and the spiciness of Sichuan has a special sense of layering, spicy with sweetness and freshness, very satisfying. Recommended restaurant:
Yongji Dry Pot House (No. 81, North Second Section of Zhongshan Avenue)
Zigong is famous for eating rabbits, and Guanghan is not willing to be left behind. Spicy rabbit head is the first choice, and only those who love to eat rabbit head can understand the joy of being spicy and wanting to take a second bite.
Recommended restaurants:
Wen Lao Yao Rabbit Head (No. 151, East Section of Xihu Road)
Linji Rabbit Head (No. 84, North Second Section of Wuchang Road)
The Xiaomila pepper and Erjingtiao pepper, the chili twins, stimulate the flavor of rabbit meat, and then add green onion, ginger, and Sichuan pepper for a burst of stir-fry, a plate of “dumb rabbit” can be then served. You may ask why it is called “dumb rabbit”, because it will make you speechless with spiciness, and it’s up to you if you dare to take this spicy challenge.
Pickled rabbit, huoxiang rabbit, boiled rabbit, and more. The restaurant also offers various ways of cooking rabbit meat, some of which are quite bizarre. A plate of rabbit meat and a dish of cucumber salad only cost 79 yuan, enough for two people, and very economical.
Recommended restaurant:
Yongji Dumb Rabbit (Jinyan Street, Jinhong Plaza)
Guanghan is also considerate, and it prepares the “gold thread noodles”, known as jinsimian in Chinese, for those who are not used to spicy food.
The noodles are made in a similar way to the bamboo noodles in Guangdong, both using bamboo poles to press the dough repeatedly. The difference is that then a big knife is used to cut the dough into thin noodles.
Because the noodles are thin, they melt in your mouth. The broth is paired with mushroom and minced meat sauce, and the flavor is also a highlight. This delicious dish only costs 8 yuan, and it is a satisfaction that you can’t find elsewhere.
Recommended restaurant:
Guanghan Authentic Snacks (No. 45, Second Section of Wanshou Street)
Guanghan is also a paradise for snacks, such as gold thread noodles, glass dumplings, red oil dumplings, white fungus soup, cold noodles, steamed buns, yeerba, steamed dumplings, shaomai, sanhe mud, and so on.
A set meal that includes all these local snacks only costs 25 yuan, which is perfect for visitors who come to Guanghan for a day trip.
Recommended restaurant:
Zhengyi Han Old Flavor Snacks (No. 80, Second Section of Wanshou Street)
Of course, the food in Guanghan is not limited to what I said. Based on my past experience, it is not easy to step on a landmine in a small city. If you like stir-fried dishes, you can find small restaurants. If you like snacks, you can also go to the night market. Sichuan will not disappoint every foodie who comes from afar.
Back to our topic of Sanxingdui.
When we learned Chinese history in class, we mainly followed the dynastic changes of Zhongyuan culture, or the Central Plains culture. After learning about the Sanxingdui culture, I realized that in the same period, there were other human civilizations shining elsewhere in China. “The diversity and inclusiveness of Chinese culture”, these sentences that I used to memorize by rote, suddenly became very concrete and vivid in my mind.
No matter whether you have visited the old hall of the Sanxingdui Museum or not, the new hall is worth a special trip for its meticulousness in drawing out the patterns, because it is really trying to release the charm of Sanxingdui and the ancient culture.
Reservation
You can book tickets through their official account “三星堆博物馆” (Sanxingdui Museum) on WeChat, which can be grabbed 5 days in advance, and tickets are released at 20:00 every night. Except for special circumstances, it is open all year round.
Guided tours cannot be reserved, and can only be purchased after entering the museum; you can also choose to rent an audio guide in the museum.
Transportation from Chengdu
Method 1: Take a bullet train to Guanghan North Station, and then take a taxi (about 7 km).
Method 2: Take the official direct bus at Chunxi Road (8:00-16:00), which departs every half hour. There are also buses from Huagui Road on holidays (you can check the detailed route on their official account “三星堆博物馆” (Sanxingdui Museum) on WeChat).
Method 3: OTA has round-trip/one-way direct bus tickets, which are more comfortable, but the drawback is that the return time is fixed.
Transportation from other cities
Take the railway to Guanghan North Station, and then take a taxi (about 7 km).
