A gold mask was unearthed from the No.5 sacrificial pit at the Sanxingdui Ruins site in southwest China's Sichuan Province on March 20. Let's take a look at how archaeologists restored it in this behind-the-scenes video.

The No. 4 sacrificial pit at the Sanxingdui Ruins site in southwest China's Sichuan Province can be traced back to the late Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 BC), provincial archaeological authorities said on Tuesday as the excavation work on the ground continues.

Preliminary radiocarbon dating – a method to determine an object's age – on samples unearthed from the hole confirmed that it was dug between 1199 BC and 1017 BC, which means it could be between 3,000 to 3,200 years old, according to the Sichuan Provincial Cultural Relics and Archaeology Research Institute.

With excavation and archaeological research underway at Sanxingdui's six new sacrificial pits, more discoveries are expected to be uncovered.

Largest-to-date bronze mask expected to be unearthed from No.3 pit

A giant bronze mask, estimated to be 135 centimeters in width and 74 centimeters in height, has been located at the No. 3 sacrificial pit and awaits excavation.

Archaeologists believe that it might be larger than the largest unearthed bronze mask, which is currently on display at the Sanxingdui Museum. That one is 138 centimeters wide and 66 centimeters high and was unearthed from pit No. 2 in 1986.

So far, a total of 109 bronze wares, 127 ivory items and eight jade artifacts have been discovered at pit No. 3, according to the archaeologists at the site.

On Monday, the largest bronze zun (drinking vessel) from the Sanxingdui site was excavated from the same pit. Cleaning and restoration work is underway.

Ancient dagger-axes found at pit No. 8

The No. 8 sacrificial pit at the southwestern part of the archaeological site is the largest in size, measuring 5.1 meters in length and 3.8 meters in width. It covers an area of nearly 20 square meters – five times that of pit No. 5.

Altogether nine dagger-axes, including eight made of stone and one bronze, have been found at pit No. 8, most of which are in good shape. The largest stone dagger-axe among them is 35 centimeters long and 10 centimeters wide.

Dagger-axe, or ge in Chinese, is a type of weapon that originated in the Xia Dynasty (around 2070-1600 BC) – the first dynasty recorded in ancient China. Bronze and jade ones were later made for ceremonial use.

So far, no ivory artifact has been located at the pit, according to archaeologists at the site, who expect to find a large number of metallic relics instead.

Located in the city of Guanghan, some 40 kilometers from the provincial capital Chengdu, the Sanxingdui site is regarded as one of the greatest archaeological discoveries in the 20th century. The excavation has lasted for nearly 100 years since its initial discovery in the late 1920s.

In 1986, archaeologists found two large-scale sacrificial pits and unearthed thousands of rare treasures. Six more pits were found between November 2019 and May 2020.

More than 500 pieces of cultural relics have been unearthed from these six pits, including a large gold mask, bird-shaped gold ornaments, ivory, as well as bronze and jade wares.

In the last episode of "A Thousand Whys" podcast, we came to know that Sanxingdui, or "Three-Star Piles" is the largest collection of cultural relics from the ancient Shu civilization that has ever been found in the country's southwest region to date.

Located in the fertile Sichuan basin, the Sanxingdui site rocked the archaeological world so much when it was first discovered that some regarded it as the "the ninth wonder of the world."

So, how was this fascinating archaeological site that had been sleeping underground for thousands of years discovered? Who was the first to find it? And what on earth did archaeologists find in the site that shocked everyone?

Chinese archaelogists extracted gold foil pieces on Monday in Pit 5 of Sanxingdui Ruins site, in Sichuan Province, Southwest China. These gold pieces are thin and fragile, make it difficult for the extraction work. Each gold foil piece will be recorded and numbered, and hyperspectral imaging technology will be used for confirming the content of gold pieces.

The much anticipated archaeological excavation of Sanxingdui Ruins in southwest China's Sichuan Province is underway and multiple gold leaves have been extracted from the No.5 sacrificial pit.

Many gold leaves were scattered on the bottom of the pit, and most of which are small and thin. The extraction work is very difficult, and needs to be done very carefully. Based on the distribution, experts speculate that those gold leaves may be related to textiles.

The gold leaves that have been successfully extracted will be measured one by one, numbered, put into the sample box and sent to the Sanxingdui Cultural Relics Restoration Center for further inspection.

The staff will scan them with hyperspectral imaging technology. The technique allows the archaeologists to see the initial state of the gold article, which will help to provide a comparison for the repair and protection of the gold article in the future.

In addition, some of the gold items excavated in the pit a few days ago have already completed the preliminary shape restoration work. The exquisite carving skills on the thin gold leaves of ancient Shu civilization will once again amaze us.

During today's excavation, archaeologists also examined soil samples from a mysterious wooden case unearthed in the No.6 sacrificial pit.

Tests for silk protein were conducted on soil samples from six different layers and the results were all negative. It is preliminarily proved that there are no silk fabrics in the wooden case. The soil samples are then sent for further testing to see if they contain substances such as fat or alcohol.

(Top image designer: Li Jingjie)

Preliminary shape restoration work for the gold pieces excavated in pit 5 at the Sanxingdui Ruins site has been completed. A bird-shaped gold piece repaired on Monday shows the exquisite carving skills of the ancient Shu civilization.

A bronze artifact weighing over 100 kilograms was unearthed at the Sanxingdui archaeological site in southwest China's Sichuan Province on Sunday. The relic, up to 70 centimeters in length, is the biggest discovery at the site to date. The ruins belong to the ancient Shu Kingdom, which existed over 3,000 years ago. A fresh round of excavation at sacrificial pits is currently underway – 34 years after the first one.

Chinese archaeologists have adopted refined measures including 3D scanning and real-time kinematic (RTK) positioning to precisely mark and record the locations of relics unearthed from the Sanxingdui Ruins in China's Sichuan Province.

Chinese archaeologists have discovered six new sacrificial pits at the Sanxingdui Ruins in southwest China's Sichuan Province, holding over 500 items dating back about 3,000 years.

Among them, the No. 3 sacrificial pit held more than 100 pieces of ivory and bronze ware. 

Most of the cultural relics have burn marks. Archaeologists believe that during the ancient Shu civilization, sacrificial offerings such as bronze and ivory were burned before burial.

Click here for more.

China has announced major archaeological finds that could shed more light on its ancient civilization. So far, more than 500 additional artifacts have been discovered at the site in Sanxingdui, just outside Chengdu in southwest China's Sichuan Province. They include gold and bronze statues, masks, and other articles, as well as jade and pottery. CGTN host Ji Xiaojun spoke to Dr. Sun Hua from Peking University to learn more about the significance of cultural relics from the Sanxingdui Ruins site.

Technical experts from the China Media Group 'revived' the 2.6-meters-tall bronze figure discovered at Sanxingdui Ruins site with motion tracking technology. Over 3,000 years old, the figure is clad in robes decorated with dragons and birds and is wearing a crown with a sun motif. He may have been a king or priest-king of Sanxingdui.

As Chinese archaeologists unveiled some of the newly excavated artifacts from the Sanxingdui Ruins site on Saturday, a fragment of a gold mask has caught most of the attention from experts and the public alike.

Hailed as one of the most important ancient remains found in the 20th century, the 3,000-year-old Sanxingdui in southwest China's Sichuan Province is a treasure house buried with a trove of pottery, jade, bronze and gold wares. The second episode of "Wonders of Sanxingdui" looks into the mysterious gold masks found at the site's sacrificial pits.

Newfound gold mask from the No. 5 sacrificial pit

What astonished the archaeologists most about this gold mask is its large size: 23 centimeters wide and 28 centimeters high. Although only about half of the gold mask was excavated, it's so far the largest of its kind found in the primary stage of the Chinese civilization, weighing 280 grams.

It's estimated that the whole mask could weigh more than 500 grams, according to Lei Yu, head of the Sanxingdui excavation work at the Sichuan Provincial Cultural Relics and Archaeology Research Institute.

Many have also noticed a hole in the earlobe area of the mask. Lei said many masks discovered at the pits have a similar trait, implying people from the ancient Kingdom of Shu might have the habit of ear piercing.

Gold foil mask unearthed from the No. 1 sacrificial pit

This lightweight mask is made of gold foil, featuring a raised nose with a sharp edge at the tip. It's basically the same size as the head sculptures excavated from the same pit. Hence, archaeologists believe it was originally attached to the face of a head sculpture. Similar gold masks, though severely damaged, were also unearthed from the No. 2 sacrificial pit, according to Sanxingdui Museum.

Bronze heads wearing gold masks from the No. 2 sacrificial pit

Two bronze heads covered with gold foil masks were unearthed from the No.2 sacrificial pit in 1986, one with round vertex and the other with flat vertex. A thin layer of gold foil is attached to both bronze heads that are in line with the facial features.

The masks' eyes and eyebrows are exquisitely hollowed out, creating a sense of solemnness and sanctity. They most likely represent authorities or top-level figures at that period, according to archaeologists.

Read more: Wonders of Sanxingdui: The bronze wares from the mysterious culture

(Cover image and infographics designed by Li Jingjie)

A precious bronze vessel with an owl-shaped pattern similar to bronze artifacts found at Yin Ruins in central China's Henan Province was discovered at Sanxingdui Ruins in southwest China's Sichuan Province on Saturday during the ongoing archaeological excavation. The vessel was unearthed during a fresh round of excavation in six newly found pits at Sanxingdui.

Chinese archaeologists for the first time are using 3D scanning and printing technology to make well-fitting casings for relics unearthed from the 5,000-year old Sanxingdui Ruins in southwest China's Sichuan Province on March 20.

In a special ICON series on the ancient archaeological site at Sanxingdui, host Ji Xiaojun talks to Lei Yu, director of the Sanxingdui Site Workstation. Having graduated from Peking University with a degree in archaeology, Lei started work at the Sichuan Provincial Cultural Relics and Archaeology Research Institute in 1984. Early on, he became involved with the Sanxingdui site, located in Guanghan City. When, in 1986, a trove of ancient artifacts was discovered there, the archaeological world was astonished. Thirty-five years later, Chinese archaeologists undertaking a second excavation have uncovered six more sacrificial pits at Sanxingdui, in addition to the original two. What new discoveries do they hope to make? Can they dispel some of the mystery surrounding Sanxingdui? In this special episode, we accompany Lei Yu to the Sanxingdui site, where it's hoped more can be revealed about the ancient State of Shu. Lei Yu also shares his personal story, explains how new archaeological techniques are being employed, and offers his views on the current craze for archaeology in China. 

Chinese archaeologists have found six new sacrificial pits and unearthed more than 500 items dating back about 3,000 years at the Sanxingdui Ruins in southwest China's Sichuan Province. Experts have found elephant tusks in Pit 4 and used towels for protection. CGTN has more details about the excavation work there.

A complete square bronze zun (cylindrical drinking vessel) was the subject of an unprecedented discovery at the Sanxingdui Ruins site in Sichuan Province, southwestern China. It is a rare object among those found from the same period in the southern region.

This time, the bronze square zun is not only rare in shape, but also well preserved and exquisitely decorated.

A golden mask has been unearthed at the No.5 sacrificial pit of the Sanxingdui Ruins site, in Sichuan Province, Southwest China. With an area of about three square meters, the No. 5 pit is the smallest one in size compared with the other pits, but it's the pit with the most gold unearthed, according to archaeologists.

Aliens, buried artifacts, worship of God, a mysterious ancient kingdom, and a lost civilization - Sanxingdui is a combination of all these.

"A Thousand Whys" podcast is excited to announce the "Unearthing the Three-Star Piles" series that transports you to one of China's greatest archaeological sites - Sanxingdui. Its discovery intrigued and bewildered the world with its many mysteries and puzzles and whose stories tell us about our ancestors and ourselves.

Lei Yu is a researcher at the Sichuan Provincial Cultural Relics and Archaeology Research Institute and the director of the Sanxingdui Site Workstation. Having graduated from Peking University with a degree in archaeology, he started work at the institute in 1984. For over 30 years, Lei Yu has participated in and presided over field excavations. In an interview with CGTN's ICON, he says that visiting a museum and seeing artifacts he had unearthed is like "a pleasant encounter with an old friend."

Lei Yu is a researcher at the Sichuan Provincial Cultural Relics and Archaeology Research Institute, and the director of the Sanxingdui Site Workstation. In an interview with CGTN's ICON, Lei shares the moment when bronze artifacts were discovered in pit No. 3 at Sanxingdui, an archaeological site associated with the ancient China's State of Shu. Prior to the discovery, he'd thought that pit No. 3 wasn't a sacrificial pit. But now he acknowledges it probably was, just like the first two pits excavated at Sanxingdui.

The director of the Sanxingdui Site Workstation, Lei Yu, has, for over 30 years, participated in and presided over the field excavations and the preparation of reports for a series of major ancient Shu culture sites and tombs. In an interview with CGTN's ICON, he said he is looking forward to what pits No. 3 to No. 8 may yield, as he thinks they may support a brand new understanding of Sanxingdui and the history of the ancient China's state of Shu.

Sanxingdui, an archaeological site in Guanghan City, southwest China's Sichuan Province, is believed to have been a capital of the ancient State of Shu. Back in 1986, more than 1,000 treasures were discovered in two sacrificial pits at Sanxingdui. Now, with six more pits being excavated, there are expectations of some exciting new discoveries being made. Lei Yu, the director of the Sanxingdui Site Workstation, shares his hopes for the latest excavations with CGTN's ICON. He shares he's looking forward to uncovering not only a large quantity of artifacts, but also some important ones that may fill in gaps in our knowledge of the history of Shu.

A complete square bronze zun (cylindrical drinking vessel) was the subject of an unprecedented discovery at the Sanxingdui Ruins site, a rare object among those found from the same period in the southern regions.

This time, the bronze square zun is not only rare in shape, but also well preserved and exquisitely decorated.

A golden mask has been unearthed at the No.5 sacrificial pit of the Sanxingdui Ruins site. With an area of about three square meters, the No. 5 pit is the smallest one in size compared with the other pits, but it's the pit with the most gold unearthed, according to archaeologists.

During the Sanxingdui discovery work, archaeologists have made full use of modern scientific and technological means to build an archaeological excavation cabin, integrated excavation platform and a multi-functional excavation operation system. 

With the support of professional teams of many disciplines and institutions, they have formed a integrated work mode combining traditional, laboratory and technological archaeology as well as the protection of cultural relics. 

The combination will ensure the high quality and high level of archaeological work, the National Cultural Heritage Administration said. 

During 2016-2020, China's National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA) continued to support the archaeological investigation and excavation of Sanxingdui ruins site in Sichuan Province. 

From November 2019 to May 2020, six new "sacrificial pits" of Sanxingdui were discovered. With a scale of 3.5-19 square meters, the “sacrificial pits” were shaped in rectangular. At present, No.3, No.4, No.5 and No.6 pits have been excavated to the utensil layer, while No.7 and No.8 pits are being excavated to fill the pit. 

More than 500 pieces of important cultural relics have been unearthed, including the fragments of gold masks, bird shaped gold ornaments, gold foil, painted bronze head portraits, giant bronze masks, bronze sacred tree, ivory, fragments of exquisite tooth carvings, jade cong, jade tools.

Chinese archaeologists announced Saturday that some new major discoveries have been made at the legendary Sanxingdui Ruins site in southwest China, helping shed light on the cultural origins of the Chinese nation.

Archaeologists have found six new sacrificial pits and unearthed more than 500 items dating back about 3,000 years at the Sanxingdui Ruins in Sichuan Province, the National Cultural Heritage Administration announced in the provincial capital Chengdu.

Chinese archaeologists announced on Saturday that some new major discoveries have been made at the legendary Sanxingdui Ruins site in southwest China, helping shed light on the cultural origins of the Chinese nation. 

Archaeologists have found six new sacrificial pits and unearthed more than 500 items dating back about 3,000 years at the Sanxingdui Ruins in Sichuan Province, the National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA) announced in the provincial capital Chengdu. 

For more on Sanxingdui Ruins, Fan Jialing, lecturer at the School of History, Capital Normal University, pointed out that Sanxingdui and other discoveries indicate harmony and diversity in the development of Chinese civilization and culture. The expert said that the Sanxingdui Ruins is recognized as one of the most significant remains in the world in terms of its size, duration and relics.

Sanxingdui Museum, which opened to the public in October 1997, is home to the treasures of a culture that's of great significance to the development of Chinese civilization. Located in the northeast corner of the Sanxingdui ruins in Sichuan Province, the museum displays some of the most stunning treasures from the site. Let's take a look at some of them.

Literally meaning "Three-Star Piles", Sanxingdui is a cultural relic from the the Kingdom of Shu in ancient China. The name refers to the three earth mounds at the eponymous site, whose discovery attracted international attention and rewrote the history of Chinese civilization.

The site is located in Guanghan City, southwest China's Sichuan Province. The excavation has lasted for nearly 100 years since the first discovery in the late 1920s.

Timeline of discovery

It all began when a farmer came across jadeware while digging a ditch in the late 1920s, opening the door to an unknown culture, 3,000 and 5,000 years old. 

During the 1980s and 1990s, large-scale continuous excavation took place at the site. From 1980 to 1981, Neolithic house sites were cleared out and tens of thousands of specimens were unearthed, hence the name "Sanxingdui Culture".

During 1982 and 1984, archaeologists carried out two excavations in the southwest of the Sanxingdui site and Xiquankan, unearthing the most recent remains. 

In 1986, archaeologists found two large-scale sacrificial pits – Pit No. 1 and Pit No. 2 – dating back to the Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 BC). With thousands of rare treasures discovered from the two pits, they were hailed as "the ninth wonder of the world." 

Experts dug out large numbers of strange bronze images and animals from the ruins, such as bronze masks, bronze standing figures and golden rods. The findings also aroused the interest of scholars around the world in the significance of the ancient Shu civilization in southwestern China.

In 1988, China's State Council organized an independent review of the Sanxingdui site and listed it as a national key cultural relics protection unit that year.

From 1989 to 1995, the Sanxingdui Work Station conducted trial excavations on the "earth ridge" outside the site six times to learn more about the nature of the artificially-built city wall, and delineated the Sanxingdui ancient city with an area of ​​3.6 square kilometers.

The foundations of Sanxingdui Museum were laid in 1992, and a year later Sanxingdui cultural relics were exhibited at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Sanxingdui Museum was completed and opened in 1997, and the largest scale upgrade of Sanxingdui Museum was completed in 2020.

From 2012 to 2015, the foundations of large houses on Qingguan Mountain and important cultural relics of multiple sections of the city wall were discovered. The complete ancient city walls of Sanxingdui were finally revealed.

On July 28, 2020, the Sichuan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology announced the discovery of an important site next to Sanxingdui, which was believed to be a 5,000-year-old settlement. A large number of potteries, porcelain and stonewares have been unearthed from the site.

Experts believe that the majority of relics unearthed from the ruins bears the features of the Sanxingdui Culture. It is also the first time that a complete sequence of ancient Shu civilization has been found around Sanxingdui.

Sichuan archaeologists discovered six new "sacrificial pits" in the Sanxingdui site area from October 2019 to August 2020. With the approval of the State Administration of Cultural Relics, and starting from September 2020, the Sichuan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology initiated archaeological excavations in these six sacrificial areas.

Sanxingdui is regarded as one of the most important historical sites in the world, due to its scale, age and relics.

(Cover: An aerial image of Sanxingdui site. /Sanxingdui Museum)

At Sanxingdui, many of the unearthed relics are in pieces or otherwise severely damaged, having been smashed or burned in rituals before being buried. In restoring them, it's essential to match the various pieces of the same object. It's like doing a particularly difficult, 3-dimensional jigsaw puzzle and, although the latest technology can be helpful, the process still requires considerable patience and a sharp eye. As the director of the Exhibition Protection Department of Sanxingdui Museum, Yu Jian takes charge of searching for clues that allow him to put the broken pieces together as much as where they were.

At 2.6 meters tall, this is the tallest bronze figure of its time. Over 3,000 years old, the figure is clad in robes decorated with dragons and birds and is wearing a crown with a sun motif. He may have been a king or priest-king of Sanxingdui.

Sanxingdui was a Bronze Age city that flourished 3,000-5,000 years ago in southwest China. Sanxingdui was the capital of the State of Shu and is one of modern China's greatest archaeological finds.

The Sanxingdui site in southwest China's Sichuan Province is known as one of the greatest archaeological discoveries in the 20th century. Follow CGTN into the Sanxingdui Museum to take a close look at the bronze statue, the heavenly tree, the golden mask and others.

These life-sized bronze heads are over 3,000 years old, yet their gaze remains as mesmerizing as ever. Experts believe they represent past rulers of Sanxingdui and were likely placed in a high position in order to be worshiped.

A superbly crafted and unearthed artifact called sacred tree at the Sanxingdui Museum is believed to form a link between the heaven and the earth. CGTN host Lucy is on a journey of exploration in this gigantic complex. Will she succeed?

The 3,000-year-old Sanxingdui ruins site in southwest China's Sichuan Province has yielded some extraordinary archaeological finds. Over 100 bronze pieces were discovered in Pit No. 2 of the ruins and were replicated into an altar. So what is special about this altar and what kind of ancient Chinese culture does it reflect?

The 3,000-year-old Sanxingdui ruins site in southwest China's Sichuan Province has yielded some extraordinary archaeological finds.The 3.9-meter-tall bronze heavenly tree is one of them. It sheds some light on the Shu culture thousands of years ago. How was the tree restored and what is the secret of the tree?

When we visit a museum, we're attracted by its exhibits and the stories behind them. But is it the same for a professional curator? Zhu Yarong, vice director of the Sanxingdui Museum, has been a museum curator for over 20 years, and when she visits a museum other than her own, she can't help thinking about what she could learn from the presentation.

Why do we need museums? What important role do they play? 

"A museum should be a window and a platform for the transmission of culture," said Zhu Yarong, vice director of the Sanxingdui Museum. "Here at the Sanxingdui Museum, we are presenting a culture of great importance in the development of Chinese civilization."

Sanxingdui is regarded as one of the most important historical sites in the world, due its vast scale, great age and trove of unique ancient relics. As a museum of the Sanxingdui archaeological site, which played a significant role in the development of Chinese civilization, Sanxingdui Museum presents this culture.