The Splendor of Ancient Shu — The Sanxingdui Culture and Imagination of Ancient Shu Civilization

Author: Huang Jianhua
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Features: Scholars and news media overseas have closely watched the archaeological discoveries at Sanxingdui. In the history of world archaeology, early bronze statues comparable to real humans began to appear in ancient Greece, such as the famous Delphi Equestrian Statue, the bronze statues of Zeus or Poseidon, etc. The bronze group statues of Sanxingdui are not only exquisitely cast and lifelike, possessing rich and magical connotations, but also date back more than four to five hundred years earlier than Greek bronze statues. When overseas scholars faced the photos of the miraculous Sanxingdui bronze group statues, they could not help but feel amazed. The British newspaper The Independent published a review titled Incomparable Bronze Statues of China by British scholar David Keene on August 13, 1987, which is highly representative. The review stated: "The discovery in Guanghan may be the largest excavation of metal artifacts ever made, and their discovery may lead to a reevaluation of Eastern art. Chinese bronze craftsmanship has long been regarded as the most outstanding of antiquity, and this discovery has raised people's understanding of Chinese metalwork to a new level in both quality and quantity." Jessica Rawson of the British Museum in London even believed that the discovery of the Sanxingdui site was "more extraordinary than the famous Terracotta Army of China" [28]. However, the above reviews were only preliminary understandings of the Sanxingdui archaeological discoveries. To truly recognize the immense significance of the Sanxingdui archaeological findings, comprehensive and in-depth multidisciplinary research is required. Shortly after the artifacts from the two buried pits at Sanxingdui were unearthed in November 1986, the first national "Ba-Shu History and Culture Academic Symposium" was held in Guanghan, attended by numerous scholars who discussed the major archaeological discoveries at Sanxingdui. In early April 1992, the grand "60th Anniversary of the Sanxingdui Archaeological Discovery and International Academic Symposium on Ba-Shu Culture and History" was held in Guanghan City, attended by over 150 experts and scholars from both China and abroad, who submitted nearly 100 papers for in-depth and extensive discussions on the unearthed artifacts of Sanxingdui and the ancient history and culture of Ba-Shu. This led to a surge in research efforts, producing a batch of research outcomes that provided a more profound and comprehensive understanding of the ancient Shu civilization represented by the Sanxingdui archaeological discoveries. In 1988, the State Council of the People's Republic of China announced the Sanxingdui site as a "National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit." General Zhang Aiping inscribed the words "Sleeping for thousands of years, waking to shock the world" for the Sanxingdui site. Subsequently, the uniquely designed Sanxingdui Museum was built along the clear Duck River, becoming an important tourist attraction for showcasing the ancient Shu civilization. The unearthed artifacts of Sanxingdui were exhibited in cities such as Chengdu and Beijing, and later traveled to many countries in Europe. They also crossed the sea to Japan, where they were displayed in several cities for lengthy touring exhibitions. Recently, they were grandly exhibited in Taiwan. Wherever they went, they attracted large crowds and enthusiastic responses, earning heartfelt praise from people from all walks of life both at home and abroad, deepening the world's understanding and appreciation of Sanxingdui culture and the long-standing Chinese civilization. Could the Sanxingdui ancient city have been the capital of the Yufulu Dynasty? Some scholars, through an analysis of the history of ancient Shu, believe that the era of the Cancong clan was around the pre-Shang period, roughly equivalent to the Xia Dynasty. Regarding Baiquan, historical records from various dynasties provide little information, and it is quite possible that...