Sanxingdui (三星堆, Sānxīngduī, Three Star Piles) is an ancient Chinese city located in Guanghan, northeast of Chengdu in Sichuan Province. Sanxingdui culture was a mysterious civilization in the Kingdom of Shu during Shang Dynasty, recognized as one of the most important ancient remains for its large size, long history and remarkable artifacts of the Bronze Age.
The sacrificial site contains thousands of gold, bronze, jade, and pottery artifacts. Archaeologists found the world's oldest life-size standing human statue, a bronze tree with birds, flowers and ornaments, large bronze masks and bronze heads (some with gold foil masks) with exaggerated human features, birds with eagle-like beaks, tigers, a large snake and bells.
All the Sanxingdui discoveries aroused scholarly interest, but the bronzes were what excited the world. Sanxingdui was announced Cultural Relics of National Importance under the Protection of the State by the State Council. In 1997, the Sanxingdui Museum opened near the original site.
The sacrificial site contains thousands of gold, bronze, jade, and pottery artifacts. Archaeologists found the world's oldest life-size standing human statue, a bronze tree with birds, flowers and ornaments, large bronze masks and bronze heads (some with gold foil masks) with exaggerated human features, birds with eagle-like beaks, tigers, a large snake and bells.
All the Sanxingdui discoveries aroused scholarly interest, but the bronzes were what excited the world. Sanxingdui was announced Cultural Relics of National Importance under the Protection of the State by the State Council. In 1997, the Sanxingdui Museum opened near the original site.