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A giant bronze mask unearthed in June 2021 from the newly-discovered sacrificial pits at Sanxingdui site in Guanghan, Sichuan province is unveiled at the CCTV Spring Festival Gala on Jan 31, the eve of the Chinese Lunar New Year. [Photo provided to China Daily]
A giant bronze mask unearthed from the Sanxingdui site in Guanghan, Sichuan province, made its debut at CCTV Spring Festival Gala on Jan 31, the eve of the Chinese Lunar New Year.
2021 marks the centenary of the birth of modern Chinese archaeology. The Sanxingdui bronze mask was displayed at the Spring Festival Gala as a representative to showcase the fruitful achievements of Chinese archaeology.
The mask is 131 centimeters wide, 71 cm high and weighs about 65,500 grams. Discovered in June 2021 at the No 3 pit, it is the most complete, largest and best preserved of its kind unearthed from the Sanxingdui site.
The bronze mask, which dates back about 3,000 years, is believed to have been used for sacrificial rituals by the people in the capital of ancient Shu state, which is now in Sichuan.
The Sanxingdui site, which is 40 kilometers away from Chengdu, capital of Southwest China’s Sichuan province, covers 12 square kilometers. Archaeological discoveries show it was a highly developed and prosperous cultural hub established between 2,800 and 4,800 years ago.
The site was discovered by accident in the 1920s, when a peasant named Yan Daocheng unearthed some jade and stone artifacts while repairing a sewage ditch at the side of his house.
A breakthrough came in the 1980s, when two large sacrificial pits, now known as the No 1 and No 2 pits, was found. The discovery of these two pits is considered one of the world's greatest archaeological discoveries of the 20th century.
China announced on March 20, 2021 that archaeologists had uncovered over 500 cultural relics in six newly-unearthed sacrificial pits at the Sanxingdui site. By the end of 2021, Archaeologists have unearthed more than 10,000 relics at the six new pits, including gold masks, jade artifacts, silk remnants and ivory tusks.
A giant bronze mask unearthed in June 2021 from the newly-discovered sacrificial pits at Sanxingdui site in Guanghan, Sichuan province is unveiled at the CCTV Spring Festival Gala on Jan 31, the eve of the Chinese Lunar New Year. [Photo provided to China Daily]
A bronze mask is unearthed from the No 3 pit of the Sanxingdui site in Guanghan, Sichuan province, in June 2021. The mask is 131 centimeters wide, 71 cm high and weighs about 65,500 grams, the largest of its kind in the world. [Photo provided to China Daily]
A worker examines a bronze mask unearthed from the No 3 pit of the Sanxingdui site in Guanghan, Sichuan province. The mask is 131 centimeters wide, 71 cm high and weighs about 65,500 grams, the largest of its kind unearthed from the site. [Photo provided to China Daily]
Workers restore a bronze mask unearthed from the No 3 pit of the Sanxingdui site in Guanghan, Sichuan province. The mask is 131 centimeters wide, 71 cm high and weighs about 65,500 grams, the largest of its kind in the world. [Photo provided to China Daily]
Workers restore a bronze mask unearthed from the No 3 pit of the Sanxingdui site in Guanghan, Sichuan province. The mask is 131 centimeters wide, 71 cm high and weighs about 65,500 grams, the largest of its kind in the world. [Photo provided to China Daily]
Workers restore a bronze mask unearthed from the No 3 pit of the Sanxingdui site in Guanghan, Sichuan province. The mask is 131 centimeters wide, 71 cm high and weighs about 65,500 grams, the largest of its kind in the world. [Photo provided to China Daily]
（ APD News)
