9 Large Sites of Sichuan Converged the Ancient Shu Culture All are Worth Well Exploring (Photos)

Release Time: 2017-10-25

Jinsha Site Adding Cultural Connotation to Chengdu

Sanxingdui Site Museum with Design Arts 

    Visitors should clearly see the enhancement of the cultural relics’ exhibition and reception services of the Sanxingdui and Jinsha sites. That’s because in 2014, they have successfully passed the operation assessment for the national archaeological site park.

    Sanxingdui and Jinsha are only the epitome of many large sites in Sichuan. So far, Sichuan has nine large sites, among which the “ancient Shu civilization site” represented by Sanxingdui and Jinsha, and the Shu Road (Guangyuan section of Jinniu Road) have been included in the “China World Cultural Heritage Preparation List”. 

    Having been ever considered a “burden to development”, the great sites have received protection from more and more local governments, because they inherited the historical context, and can be harmoniously blended with the economic development. 

9 “Colorful”  Large Sites

    Large sites have the color of dust, but the rich historical and cultural connotation is colorful. 

As early as during the “Eleventh Five-Year” period, the State Bureau of Cultural Relics announced 100 national sites, among which there are Sanxingdui, Jinsha and Qiongyao sites from Sichuan. In 2013, the State Administration of Cultural Heritage and the Ministry of Finance issued the "Great Site Protection during ‘Twelfth Five-Year Plan’ Period”, proposing to build the new pattern of protection for large sites based on 150 sites with “6 districts, 4 lines and 1 ring” as the focus. Protection work of Chengdu large sites and display project of ancient Shu site protection were included as main tasks.

    A principal from Sichuan Provincial Bureau of Cultural Relics said, “50 national ruins will be added during the ‘Twelfth Five-Year Plan Period’. The number of large sites in Sichuan comes up to 9, among which the prehistoric site of the Chengdu plain, the Mausoleums of Shu King, the Luojiaba Site, Tea Horse Road and Shu Road are added. 

    9 large sites have a long history, wide distribution, various types and rich contents. There are large settlements, city sites, palace, mausoleums, and tombs and a cluster of sites. They reflect the historical and cultural aspects of Sichuan from different sides. They carry a wealth of historical information and cultural connotation and are the material carriers for the ancient Shu civilization.

    Wang Yi, Dean of the Chengdu Cultural Relics and Archeology Research Institute, said that the prehistoric site of the Chengdu plain is known to be the earliest, largest and most concentrated prehistoric site group in the southwest of China. The gorgeous Mausoleums of Shu King can be called the rarity among the ancient imperial mausoleums, with its exquisite architecture and the magnificent underground palace. According to Gao Dalun, Dean of the Sichuan Provincial Cultural Relics and Archeology Research Institute and a famous archaeologist, the ancient Tea Horse Road and Shu Road are precious linear cultural relics, with long history and better preservation in Sichuan. The Luojiaba Site has a large-scale and rich cultural connotation, becoming the typical representative for the Sichuan Northeast primitive culture and the ancient Ba culture. In addition, the Luojiaba site, the Chengdu Jinsha site and the burial site of the ancient Shu ship in Chengdu are together known as “three shining pearls of the Bashu culture following after the Sanxingdui site.”