Sanxingdui, how many mysterious stories are there?

This article is provided by Sichuan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology

Sanxingdui Museum, Peking University Media Integration Center

Produced in partnership with Planet Research

In this world

Do gods really exist?

Different people may have different answers.

But for the Sanxingdui people more than 3,000 years ago

The answer seems to be yes

Sanxingdui

Its creation

So "deviant"

Possessing a fantasy color that does not belong to this world

(Against the backdrop of the museum, the bronze altar looks even more mysterious. Photographer: @余嘉)

▼

Its people

Use your hard work and wisdom

Build a magnificent country

(Please watch in horizontal mode. The ancient city of Sanxingdui covers an area of ​​about 3.6 square kilometers. It was the largest city site in the Sichuan Basin during the pre-Qin period. Map by @冯艺卓&赵榜/星球研究院)

▼

Its people

We will also devote countless resources and energy

Poured into a fantasy world

(Please watch in horizontal mode. The discovery of Sanxingdui bronze artifacts allows the world to glimpse the unique spiritual world of the ancient Shu people. Photographers: @张艳&Visual China&包浩琳&吴渝&谭本建&唐宇星&冯艺卓&屈兵超&苏李欢&枫叶梧桐, map by @冯艺卓/星球研究院)

▼

For the Sanxingdui people

God, it seems, is everything

To this end, they tried to exhaust all

To awaken "another universe"

That Universe

What does it look like?

What is the reason?

What led to its collapse and destruction?

01

Crisis and hope

More than 5,000 years ago

The flowers of civilization are blooming all over China

Chengdu Plain blocked by high mountains

But it is still a mystery

(At this time, the Chengdu Plain was full of ponds and swamps, and no one had yet set foot in it. Map by @陈志浩/Planetary Research Institute)

▼

Maybe it's due to the climate.

People living on the western Sichuan Plateau

Hundreds of years of migration began

They finally arrived at the Chengdu Plain

Came to this "paradise"

(Please watch in horizontal mode. The climate is dry and cold at this time, and drought is common in various places. The Chengdu Plain, which has abundant water resources, has become an ideal place to live. Image source: @Visual China)

▼

Perhaps, they haven't realized yet.

In the near future

On this plain

What kind of brilliant civilization will they create?

(The Chengdu Plain gave birth to the splendid ancient Shu culture, map by @Chen Zhihao/Planet Research Institute)

▼

Yazi River, a tributary of Tuojiang River

To its south is a crescent-shaped terrace.

Further south there are three small mounds.

Local name

"Sanxingdui"

About 3,800 years ago,

A new city was born

(Sanxingdui Ancient City has clear functional zoning, map by @王申雯/Planetary Research Institute)

▼

The northern part of the city is the palace area

There is a large artificial terrace here.

A magnificent palace stands on it

(Please watch in horizontal mode. The Qingguanshan Palace covers an area of ​​about 1,000 square meters. It is one of the largest single buildings in the Shang Dynasty in China. Some people also believe that it is a temple dedicated to storing sacrificial supplies. Map by @冯艺卓/星球研究院)

▼

The southwest of the city is the sacrificial area

People hold sacrificial ceremonies here

Precious ritual objects used in sacrifices

Buried here one by one

(Bronze artifacts in the Sanxingdui burial pit, photographer @余嘉)

▼

Ordinary residents

Live in other parts of the city

Use "wood frame mud wall"

Build your own house

(The frame of the house is made of logs, embedded in the walls made of bamboo strips, and finally the walls are covered with mud and the roof is covered with straw. Image by @冯艺卓/星球研究院)

▼

They raise silkworms and reel silk here.

Weaving clothes with intricate patterns

(Sichuan is one of the important origins of Chinese silk. The silk production level during the Sanxingdui culture period was already quite mature. Photographers @吴渝&谭本建&冯艺卓, map @王申雯/星球研究院)

▼

They grow rice here.

The remaining grain was used to make wine.

After busy work, people

Eating hot pot and drinking wine

Life is simple and happy

(The three-legged cooker can be used to make fire, and the wide open plate can be used to steam and cook food, which is a bit similar to the current hot pot. Photographers @张艳&谭本建, map @冯艺卓/星球研究院)

▼

But under the seemingly peaceful life

There are still hidden crises and insecurity

Abundant water sources

It has irrigated the fertile land of Chengdu Plain.

The Sanxingdui people who lived by the river

A time bomb has been planted

Shadow of the Flood

Always surrounding them

(The ancient city of Sanxingdui was built by the river. The picture shows the Sanxingdui Museum, for illustration only. Photographer: @陈良华)

▼

The crisis of nature has not yet been resolved

As a country

Sanxingdui must always be vigilant

Surrounding enemies

(According to the oracle inscriptions of Yinxu, a series of wars and peace events took place between Shang and Shu. Map by @陈志浩/Planet Research Institute)

▼

Facing various threats

The still ignorant Sanxingdui people

Putting hope in the world of God

Maybe the power of the gods will help them

Maintain your home

To awaken this power

They decided to open

Another Universe

02

Another Universe

In this universe

What kind of gods would live there?

Sanxingdui people believe

Their ancestors must have been one of them.

(From "Huayang Guozhi Shuzhi")

▼

"There was a Shu Marquis Cancong, whose eyes were vertical, and he was the first to be called king."

Cancong, the legendary founder of the ancient Shu Kingdom

It was he who led his people to Sichuan.

He also taught people how to raise silkworms and reel silk.

The Sanxingdui people worshipped him as a god

His prominent eyes

Nature also became a characteristic of the gods

(The protruding eyes of the mask may be a reflection of the image of Cancong's "mu zong", representing the ancestor worship of the Sanxingdui people. Photographer @唐宇星, map @冯艺卓/星球研究院)

▼

The mysterious nature of things

They also have their own divinity

The ancient Shu land was surrounded by mountains and rivers

The steep mountains tower into the clouds

In the imagination of Sanxingdui people

Here live the gods

This is the way to heaven

(Some scholars speculate that the mountain that the Sanxingdui people worshipped was Minshan. Photographer: @张艳, map by @冯艺卓/Planetary Research Institute)

▼

Maybe it's because of the wet and rainy weather.

The power of the sun

Worshiped by the Sanxingdui people

(Sanxingdui sun-shaped object, photographer @Tang Yuxing, map @Feng Yizhuo/Planetary Research Institute)

▼

They created the bronze sacred tree

Ten mythical birds perched on branches

Represents the ten suns in the sky

They take turns on duty

Shining on the ancient land of Shu

(Please appreciate the beauty of the details of the bronze sacred tree, photographer @包浩霖)

▼

The Sanxingdui people seemed to have a special affection for birds.

Maybe in their imagination

God has the appearance of a bird

(This kind of human-headed bird-bodied image is found on the top of the small bronze sacred tree and altar in Sanxingdui, and may symbolize the "Central God" or the sun god. Photographer @柳叶氘, map @冯艺卓/Planetary Research Institute)

▼

This universe is so magical and colorful

So, how can we make it

Show it to the world?

Another Universe Where God Lives

It must be made of the most expensive materials

Precious bronze

In the hands of craftsmen in the bronze casting workshop

Cast into the image of a god

(Some objects with complex shapes are first cast into individual parts and then connected together. Image by @冯艺卓/Planetary Research Institute)

▼

Rare gold

Forged into a "Mask" of God

This is the most noble face of God.

(The golden mask unearthed from Sanxingdui Pit 5 is the largest golden mask found in China during the Shang and Zhou dynasties. Photographer: Zhang Lei, map by Feng Yizhuo/Planet Research Institute)

▼

Pure jade

Polished into a ritual vessel for communicating with God

Only the purest power can "move" the gods

(Zhang is one of the important ritual vessels in ancient times. Photographer: Zhang Yan, map: Feng Yizhuo/Planet Research Institute)

▼

Another Universe Where God Lives

There should also be a scale that is scary.

Big, big, big

It must be big enough

Only in this way can there be enough deterrence

Proclaim the power of God to the world

(Some of the bronze artifacts in Sanxingdui are very large, showing the fanatical religious beliefs of the Sanxingdui people. Photographers @苏李欢&谭本建, map @王申雯/Planetary Research Institute)

▼

However, not everyone is eligible

Talk to the universe

Another Universe Where God Lives

Only the most noble people can communicate with it

A hierarchical ruling group

Controlling government and religion

They are the rulers of the kingdom.

It is also a strict witch group.

He is also the spokesperson of God.

(The fish and bird pattern on the golden staff may represent the ruler of the Sanxingdui Kingdom, "Yu Fu", photographer @张艳, map @冯艺卓/Planetary Research Institute)

▼

Under the Supreme Ruler

There are many aristocrats

Their attire is different

Seems to represent different factions

(The differences in their hairstyles and headdresses may symbolize different levels or tribes. Photographers @张艳&孙沂&包浩霖, graphics @冯艺卓/星球研究院)

▼

To open another universe

Nature requires a grand and unique

Sacrificial Ceremony

Let us imagine this grand scene.

The leader is Sanxingdui

Supreme Ruler

He wears a crown and is dressed in gorgeous clothes

Holding up the tusk

Leading the witches to worship

(This statue is the largest bronze statue of a person in the world at the same time. He may have held ivory in his hand. He is the leader of Sanxingdui who combines the identities of god, witch and king. Photographer: @包浩霖)

▼

The priests wore special masks

At this moment, they are no longer ordinary people

Instead, he became a messenger of communication between man and God.

(Bronze human mask, photographer @Bao Haolin, map @Feng Yizhuo/Planetary Research Institute)

▼

High-ranking priests

Even more golden face

Maybe with the help of gold

Make communication more smooth

(Bronze head with a gold mask, photographer @张艳, graphic @冯艺卓/Planetary Research Institute)

▼

How to offer sacrifices to the gods

There are different

Some priests

Kneeling on the altar that symbolizes the sacred mountain

Hold the bronze statue high above your head

(Bronze trumpet-shaped statue with a kneeling figure, photographer @Tan Benjian, illustration @Feng Yizhuo/Planet Research Institute)

▼

Some priests

Holding the jade zhang in both hands

Hold it in front of your chest devoutly

(Bronze statue of a man holding a scepter, photographer @张艳, illustration @冯艺卓/Planetary Research Institute)

▼

Some priests

Wearing a strange animal crown

Offering precious ivory to the gods

(The bronze statue with a crown and animal head has the same hand position as the bronze statue of a large standing man, and may have originally held ivory. Photographer @张艳, map @冯艺卓/星球研究院)

▼

The rest of the priests

Kneeling around the altar

Offer your prayers to the gods

(Bronze kneeling figure, photographer @Bao Haolin, illustration @Feng Yizhuo/Planetary Research Institute)

▼

They stand or kneel, sing or dance

On the artificial altar

Offering sacrifices to the gods

To please the gods

Longing to bathe in its eternal blessing

But the ancient Shu people tried their best

Hymns of praise

Can gods really hear us?

03

The universe collapses

If you want to awaken another universe

The price it paid

Maybe it's beyond imagination

Bronze artifacts unearthed from the Sanxingdui burial pit

Total weight exceeds 1 ton

According to the smelting technology at that time

To create a bronze ware of this scale

At least thousands of tons of ore raw materials are needed

However, no large copper mines of the same period have been found near Sanxingdui.

This means a huge amount of ore

It may need to be transported from far away Yunnan or Jiangxi

(The picture shows the Tongling Copper Mine Site in Ruichang, Jiangxi. Jiangxi is rich in copper resources and may be one of the sources of the Sanxingdui copper mine. Photographer: @康子霁)

▼

Countless sea shells

Via the "Shu-Shendu Road"

From the distant South China Sea, India and Myanmar

Became a treasure dedicated to the gods

(“Shu-Shendu Road” refers to the Southern Silk Road. Shendu is the ancient name of India. Some of the seashells unearthed in Sanxingdui were produced in the coastal areas of the Indian Ocean and may have been used as currency. Map by @Chen Zhihao/Planet Research Institute)

▼

A tusk from an adult male Asian elephant

The weight can reach 100 catties

There are hundreds of such ivory tusks in Sanxingdui.

To obtain these considerable numbers of behemoths

It's definitely not an easy task

(Ivory in the Sanxingdui burial pit. Some believe that some of the ivory may have come from ancient India, while others believe that it came from the Chengdu Plain. Photographer: @余嘉)

▼

Among the sacrificed objects

Some are a country's most strategic resources

Some are a country's most valuable material wealth.

But after spending countless manpower and resources

But they all became gifts to flatter theocracy

(Broken bronze artifacts in the Sanxingdui burial pit, photographer @余嘉)

▼

The divine world created with all the national strength

It's finally a self-comfort

Excessive concentration of resources

Seriously hindered normal production activities

Internal and external troubles are becoming increasingly severe

The ancient theocracy

Pushed to the brink of collapse

Maybe it's the flood that's coming again

The farmland on which the Sanxingdui people depended for their survival was flooded

Perhaps it is the increasingly intensified internal conflicts

Sanxingdui fell into a long period of civil strife.

(Some scholars speculate that there may have been a power transition within Sanxingdui, with the community represented by pigtails replacing the community represented by hairpins. Photographer: Zhang Yan, map by Feng Yizhuo/Planetary Research Institute)

▼

Whatever the crisis

At this time, the people of Sanxingdui had no chance to recover.

Maybe they tried to use the last sacrifice

Pray for the flood to subside

Perhaps the winning side in the struggle

Destroyed the opponent's former beliefs

Whatever the reason

The Sanxingdui people eventually destroyed their temples with their own hands

All the ritual objects in the temple

After a grand ceremony

Broken and buried

(The Sanxingdui burial pits date back to the late Shang Dynasty. Although the cause of their formation has not yet been determined, it is certain that the last glory of the Sanxingdui civilization was buried here. Video source: @Sanxingdui Museum, map by @冯艺卓/Planetary Research Institute)

▼

This is how they face disaster.

The last sacrifice

They are also the gods

Final Farewell

This once prosperous Bronze Kingdom

That's how it came to an end

(Sanxingdui Museum at sunrise, photographer @詹灵)

▼

Sanxingdui

Is it just going to disappear like this?

Not far from it

At the Jinsha Ruins in the western suburbs of Chengdu

Maybe there is an answer

(The Jinsha Ruins are located in Jinsha Village, Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, about 40 kilometers away from the Sanxingdui Ruins. Map by @Chen Zhihao/Planet Research Institute)

▼

This is a place that emerged in the late Shang Dynasty.

Central settlement with urban characteristics

Artifacts unearthed here

There are too many similarities with Sanxingdui

(This type of gold mask has only been found in Sanxingdui and Jinsha ruins. Photographer: Zhang Yan, map by Feng Yizhuo/Planet Research Institute)

▼

People living in Jinsha

Also worship the sun and the sacred bird

(The four mythical birds, with their heads and feet connected, surround the sun, which may represent the legend of "Golden Crow Carrying the Sun", photographer @张艳, map @冯艺卓/Planetary Research Institute)

▼

On the gold ornaments that symbolize royal power

The pattern is exactly the same as that of the Sanxingdui Golden Staff.

(It is also engraved with fish, birds, arrows and human faces, which are very similar to the patterns of the Sanxingdui golden staff. Photographer @张艳, map @冯艺卓/星球研究院)

▼

All signs indicate that

Jinsha people and Sanxingdui people

Sharing the same theocratic values ​​and belief system

There may be a hereditary relationship between them.

Although they also worship gods

But Jinsha people are more "pragmatic"

They no longer made large bronze objects

Objects become smaller and thinner

(This bronze standing figure is less than one-tenth the height of Sanxingdui, which may mean the strengthening of secular political power and the decline of religious theocracy. Photographer @张艳, map @冯艺卓/星球研究院)

▼

They still hold sacrificial ceremonies.

But it does not only rely on sacrifice

If you want to control floods

If you want your country to prosper

Human labor is essential

The New King of Shu Du Yu

Obviously understand the reason

(From "Huayang Guozhi Shuzhi")

▼

"Later there was a king named Du Yu, who taught the people to farm."

According to folklore, he turned into a cuckoo after his death.

Every time when the valley

They would call "cuckoo, cuckoo" to urge people to farm.

This shows how much Jinsha people value agriculture.

(This is the only relatively well-preserved wooden farm tool from the Shang and Zhou dynasties in China. Photographer: Zhang Yan, map: Feng Yizhuo/Planet Research Institute)

▼

As a country

Sanxingdui may have reached its end

But as a civilization

It still goes on

Jinsha inherited its beliefs and culture

Pushed the ancient Shu civilization to a new level of glory

(The Twelve Bridges Culture, represented by the Jinsha Ruins, lasted for more than 500 years from the late Shang Dynasty to the Spring and Autumn Period. Photographers: He Shihai, Zhang Yan, Xu Jianfeng, and Yuan Yiming. Map by Wang Shenwen/Planetary Research Institute)

▼

04

end

For a civilization

What does God really mean?

Perhaps, the so-called gods

It was actually a way for ancient people to understand the world.

They are confused

Explanation of everything in the world

(Sanxingdui Bronze Altar [Research-based Restoration], from top to bottom, symbolizes the three realms of "heaven, man, and earth" in the minds of the ancient Shu people, photographer @包浩霖)

▼

In early China

Countless models of civilization are being explored

Some of them are pragmatic, some are extravagant

Some are good at culture, some are good at agriculture

Countless explorations are like being in the dark

Keep lighting matches and then extinguishing them

(There were many brilliant bronze civilizations in the Yellow River and Yangtze River basins. Photographers: @孙岩&刘鹏&焦晓翔&见书&柳叶丹�&康子吉&冯思旭&樊小喆&唐宇星. Map by @陈志浩/星球研究院)

▼

Sanxingdui came for the gods

Also because of God

Only one mystery after another is left

Waiting for the answer from future generations

But no matter what the answer is

Everyone will know

In this land in southwest China today

Behind the mysterious fog

Once shone

How bright is the light of civilization

This article was created by

Written by : Huang Taiji Edited by : Director

Image : Zhang Zhaohai Map : Chen Zhihao

Design : Feng Yizhuo & Wang Shenwen & Zhao Bang

Animation:

Xiao Tong & Song Zhipeng

Cover Photographer:

Yu Jia

Proofreading : Su Nan & Ting Ting & Zheng Yi

Audit Expert

Director of Sanxingdui Archaeological Research Institute, Sichuan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology

Ran Honglin, a 2006 graduate of Peking University’s Archaeology Department

Director of the Sanxingdui Site Workstation of Sichuan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology

Lei Yu, a 1980 Peking University archaeology alumnus

Note:

1. There are many different terms about the Sanxingdui sacrificial artifact burial pit, such as "sacrificial pit" and "artifact pit". This article adopts a more neutral term, collectively referred to as the "Sanxingdui burial pit".

2. There is still a lot of controversy in the current research on Sanxingdui, and this article only mentions some of the viewpoints.

3. The naming of cultural relics shall refer to the exhibition information of Sanxingdui Museum.

4. The reason for the creation of the gods in Sanxingdui at the end of the first chapter has not yet been determined, and the article is only a guess

5. To express the meaning, the maps in the article all use the water system, sea and land layout of the Shang and Zhou dynasties.

【References】

[1] Sichuan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology. Sanxingdui Sacrificial Pit[M]. Cultural Relics Publishing House, 1999.

[2] Chengdu Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, Chengdu Jinsha Site Museum. Collection of Archaeological Excavation Data of Jinsha Site[M]. Science Press, 2013.

[3] Li Ling et al. Amazing Civilization Scene: Traveling Through History with the Frontline Archaeological Captain [M]. Life·Reading·New Knowledge Sanlian Bookstore, 2020.

[4]Xue Peng, Ai Jiangtao. Tracing Sanxingdui: Exploring the Bronze Civilization in the Yangtze River Basin[M]. Life·Reading·New Knowledge Sanlian Bookstore, 2021.

[5] Duan Yu. Discovery of Sanxingdui[M]. Zhonghua Book Company, 2021.

[6] Huang Jianhua. From Sanxingdui to Jinsha: The Amazing Discovery of Chinese Civilization[M]. Zhonghua Book Company, 2021.

[7] Sanxingdui Museum, Guanghan, Sichuan. Encountering Sanxingdui[M]. Bashu Publishing House, 2022.

[8] Wang Renxiang. Sanxingdui: A myth made of bronze[M]. Bashu Publishing House, 2022.

[9] Archaeological team of the Sanxingdui site sacrificial area. Sanxingdui site sacrificial area in Guanghan City, Sichuan Province[J]. Archaeology, 2022(07).

[10] Liu Xingshi. The rise and fall of the ancient city cluster in Chengdu Plain and the issue of paleoclimate[J]. Sichuan Cultural Relics, 1998(04).

[11] Tang Qicui. Water and City: A Review of the Study of Prehistoric Settlement Morphology in Chengdu Plain[J]. Chinese Archaeology, 2012(01).

[12] Zhao Dianzeng. Research on the ancient divine state of Sanxingdui[J]. Sichuan Cultural Relics, 2019(01).

[13] Wu Jiabi. “Deification” of Ancient Shu and Sanxingdui Sacrificial Pit[J]. Sichuan Cultural Relics, 2021(01).

[14] Sun Hua, Li Wanxin. The origin and development of ancient Chinese sunbird mythology: From the cultural relics related to the sun worship of ancient Shu culture [J]. Southern Cultural Relics, 2022(01).

[15] Ran Honglin. A preliminary study on sacrificial remains in the ancient Shu region[J]. Sichuan Cultural Relics, 2022(06).

[16] Sun Hua. New discoveries and new understandings of Sanxingdui burial pits[J]. Archaeology, 2022(06).