Sanxingdui: Unlocking the Door to Chinese Civilization

Sanxingdui, hailed as “one of humanity's great archaeological discoveries of the 20th century,” is an ancient Shu cultural site in southwestern China, remarkable for its vast area, long history, and rich cultural heritage.

Drawing on research findings from recent years, this book uses excavated artifacts such as bronze masks, bronze statues, bronze sacred trees, jade cong tubes, jade zhang blades, and gold masks to present a systematic overview of the ancient Shu civilization of Sanxingdui. It offers an almost code-breaking account of the relationship between Chinese civilization and Sanxingdui civilization, and explains in clear, accessible terms many of the site's enduring mysteries. It traces the origins and development of Sanxingdui culture and its close ties to the civilizations of the Yangtze and Yellow River basins, as well as its place and role within Chinese civilization. In doing so, it reveals the distinctive cultural, historical, and contemporary value of Sanxingdui as an important part of the diverse yet unified origins of Chinese civilization.