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Exploring the Easy Life~

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@ipandacom cute

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Relentless heavy rains unleashed catastrophic floods across China's Guangxi, completely submerging roads, bridges, and low-lying hamlets. High-tech drones hoist stranded residents out of the floodwaters for emergency rescue. #flood #naturaldisaster #FloodRescue

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Severe floods hit multiple regions of Guangxi amid continuous heavy rainfall, with roads, bridges and low-lying villages completely submerged. High-tech drones help 
fight floods. #news #Flood

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How do you enjoy the World Cup matches? 📺 #WorldCup #poll

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Today's earthquakes
Venezuela — near Montalbán, M7.1 and M7.5.
Offshore northeastern Japan — near Iwate, M7.2.
Northern California, USA — M5.6.
#earthquake

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Which emergency supply is most vital for earthquakes?
#earthquakenearme #earthquake #vote

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The foundations of Chinese civilization are far deeper and more diverse than imagined.
The major discoveries at Sanxingdui and Jinsha are like a brilliant light piercing through the long expanse of history, drawing renewed attention to a long-lost and mysterious civilization, the ancient Shu Kingdom. Each bronze artifact, with its peculiar form and exquisite craftsmanship, along with each beautiful gold or jade object, seems to transcend thousands of years, whispering to us of ancient Shu Kingdom's former glory and prosperity.
Archaeologists work tirelessly, gradually revealing the mysteries of this extraordinary civilization. They leave no clue unexamined, from broken pottery shards to faded patterns, conducting meticulous research. Through interpreting these archaeological discoveries, they solemnly proclaim to the world: The foundations of Chinese civilization are far deeper and more diverse than imagined. Like a towering tree with deep roots and flourishing branches, throughout the long course of history it has continuously absorbed nourishment and extended its limbs, each branch carrying unique and precious cultural values, coexisting harmoniously and thriving together.

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As the Sanxingdui era ended, the Jinsha culture continued the legacy of ancient Shu civilization.
After Sanxingdui's sacred artifacts were destroyed and buried, the site ceased to function as the capital of the ancient Shu Kingdom. Some of its inhabitants, bringing their beliefs and skills, migrated to Jinsha, propelling its rapid rise as the new center of Chengdu Plain civilization, its influence gradually radiating to surrounding regions. This marked another period of rapid population growth on the ancient Shu lands after the Sanxingdui era. As one of the largest, most densely layered, and highest-ranking artifact-yielding sites then known in southwestern China, experts speculate that between 1200 BCE and 600 BCE, Jinsha was very likely another political, economic, religious, and cultural heartland of the ancient Shu Kingdom.

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With artifacts returned to their original pits at Sanxingdui, the layout of the temple is now revealed.
All ritual implements from the temple, along with at least part of the building debris, were buried separately in Sacrificial Pits No. 2, 3, 7, 8, and others.
Now, core artifacts from Pits No. 2, 3, and 8, those precious ritual implements closely associated with the burned temple, have been successfully repositioned during restoration. This creates a stunning display of Sanxingdui's sun worship, though many deeper meanings remain unsolved mysteries.

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Sanxingdui ancestors worshiped the sun, believing their "cosmic tree" connected heaven and earth.
Six large bronze “sun wheels” of identical design were unearthed at the Sanxingdui site. Archaeologists view them as symbols of the sun. Discoveries at Jinsha Site have greatly enriched our understanding of Sanxingdui's belief system. Like many agricultural societies, the spiritual core of Sanxingdui centered on sun worship. In the ancestors' cosmological view, the sacred tree connecting heaven and earth held a position of crucial importance.

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The heart of Sanxingdui culture: Bronze, gold, and the sun.
Archaeologists and historians have long been intrigued: Why did the ancient Shu people cover similarly colored bronze objects with the most precious gold? Does this hold some profound, special meaning?
Sun worship was a common practice among many peoples, especially agricultural communities. The sun provides light for crop growth, enabling the cycle of spring planting and autumn harvest. From artifacts unearthed in Sanxingdui's burial pits, we know that they showed strong and obvious signs of sun worship.
Some scholars believe that bronze, gold, and the sun together form the core of Sanxingdui culture.

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How do Jinsha and Sanxingdui differ?
Jinsha's pits differ markedly from Sanxingdui's. The former are mostly shallower and smaller in scale, with well-preserved artifacts showing no signs of damage or burning as if intentionally kept for future reuse. Additionally, Jinsha Site, unlike Sanxingdui, lacks the orderly burial layers and shows no significant ash layers.
Though both are called “sacrificial pits,” those at Sanxingdui and Jinsha reflect completely different logics.

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What mysterious connection exists between Jinsha and Sanxingdui?
At its peak, Jinsha Site showed astonishing similarities to Sanxingdui. Both cities were oriented northeast-southwest. Jinsha Site spanned an area of five square kilometers. Though without city walls, its overall features fully meet capital city specifications.
Jinsha Site has yielded 64 sacrificial pits, all currently preserved in a magnificent facility. Archaeologist Zhu Zhangyi noted that the Golden Mask unearthed from one pit instantly evokes the golden artifacts from Sanxingdui in both style and craftsmanship, providing strong evidence of close ties between the two sites. Professor Huo Wei of Sichuan University stated directly that from Sanxingdui to Jinsha, they form a unified cultural entity.

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"Burial pits" discovered: Did this mark the end of Sanxingdui's capital era?
Sanxingdui's importance is self-evident. Its exquisite sculptures, grand architecture, and immense wealth reveal a highly prosperous ancient Shu civilization, distinctly different from Central Plains civilization. Yet, the key mystery remains unsolved: Why were these deep pits dug to bury the kingdom's most treasured ritual objects?
After the artifacts were damaged and burned, they were buried underground, sealed beneath the earth. In a sense, these pits are Sanxingdui's "burial pits." These pits date to approximately 3,000 years ago at the latest, marking the end of Sanxingdui as a capital city.6

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Sanxingdui site plan revealed: ancient Shu capital’s structure clear at a glance.
Archaeologists estimate that Sanxingdui's defensive walls total over 10 kilometers in length, enclosing an urban area of 3.6 square kilometers. This was a massive city for its time, among the largest in Asia. Young archaeologist Xu Danyang has integrated all existing research on the city's layout, including the palace and workshop areas.

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Flood control? Revealing the hidden function of Sanxingdui's city wall.
Ran Honglin, Director of the Sanxingdui Site Work Station at Sichuan Provincial Cultural Relics and Archaeology Research Institute, has led multiple archaeological excavations around Chengdu. In the study of the Sanxingdui site, Ran achieved a significant finding. These walls, built from massive amounts of tamped earth, were not primarily for defense against enemies, but for protection against frequent floods. Archaeologists discovered drainage channels at the wall base. Less than a kilometer from the sacrificial pits, another section of the city wall has been excavated and preserved under a protective dome.

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The ancient Shu Kingdom's abundant wealth: Sanxingdui ancestors lived colorful lives.
The complexity and sophistication of Sanxingdui's bronze craftsmanship demonstrate that the ancient Shu kingdom possessed abundant wealth to support such advanced techniques. From artifacts unearthed in the eight sacrificial pits, archaeologists can sketch the colorful lives of Sanxingdui's ancestors. This city was built by water, revealing remarkable prosperity in every aspect. Dozens of kilometers from the sacrificial pits, the discovery of another set of significant sites would further reveal the scale and power of the ancient Shu Kingdom.

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How was Sanxingdui's Bronze Mask cast?
The ancient Shu ancestors used bronze to depict various miraculous scenes. Bronze artifacts of varying sizes and unique shapes showcase Sanxingdui's brilliant civilization. These artifacts represent the most advanced craftsmanship  of their time. Chinese-American scholar Jay Xu, Former Director of the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, and contemporary bronze master Zhu Bingren jointly explored the secrets of the craftsmanship. After careful observation of the Bronze Mask, Jay Xu and Zhu Bingren deduced that the craftsmen of Sanxingdui cast multiple components separately before assembling them.

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High-tech methods reveal the artistry of Sanxingdui bronze casting.
Artifact restorers at Sanxingdui Museum, Guo Hanzhong and Guo Jianbo, used the X-ray flaw detector to scan the bronze altar, employing high-tech methods to explore the internal structure of artifacts. They attempt to unravel the secrets of bronze casting technology of ancient Shu ancestors. X-ray detection reveals obvious seam traces on the altar. Guo Jianbo determined it was made using the sectional casting method. Sectional casting involves separately casting individual components and then joining them together through molten bronze casting. This is Sanxingdui's typical bronze casting technique.