A: Hi, Bob. What did you do last weekend?
B: Hi, Amy. I went to Sanxingdui. It drew the world’s attention on March 20th, 2021. Chinese archaeologists (考古学家)
51 that they had found more than 500 cultural relics (文物) in six pits (坑), which
52 back over 3200 years. The relics include bronze-ware, gold and bronze masks and ivory.
A: Wow, so amazing! Anything more about it?
B:
53 12 square kilometers, Sanxingdui, which was first discovered
54 by local farmers in 1929, is located in Guanghan, about 60 kilometers from Chengdu. It’s believed to be the
55 of the ancient Shu Kingdom. The kingdom was a center of civilization (文明) along the Yangtze River.
A: I think the new discoveries will help to better
56 many unexplained findings of Sanxingdui culture.
B: Yes, it’s good to know ancient China. The new discoveries are similar to
57 found in 1986, as they also included bronze masks and metal trees.
A: What were they used for?
B: For sacrifice (祭祀). They also raise an important question about the
58 of Chinese civilization. The ancient Shu civilization of Sanxingdui is regarded to be one of the earliest examples of Chinese civilization.
A: Is it one of the birthplaces of Chinese civilization?
B: Yes. These new discoveries show Sanxingdui had a
59 connection with Liangzhu Culture in Zhejiang province which has a history of 4,300 years to 5,300 years.
A: That’s very long. There are still many
60 areas in the ancient Chinese history and we have a long way to know our colorful culture.