The Jinsha Site Museum in Chengdu, capital city of southwest China’s Sichuan Province contains more than 5,000 artifacts from an ancient local civilization named Shu.
One notable piece is a mysterious totem, a gold foil featuring the sun and immortal birds.
Like many others, it was unearthed in 2001 at Jinsha excavation site by accident. Through archaeological studies, researchers deduced that it is a totem for sun-worship. And they believe that the relics could date back to a time from 1,200 BC to 550 BC.
The site tells a lot about the history of Shu — relics from a site named Sanxingdui, dating back 4,000 to 5,000 years, include traces of the sun and immortal birds.
To help people understand the past, a museum was founded at the site in 2007. The pits are well-preserved and provide a look back more than 3,000 years, when ancient people prayed to heaven and earth for peace and contentment.
