Date: May 25, 2021

Source: Publicity Department of Party Committee, Cultural Quality Education Office

Author: Yangxue, Deng Shuangquan

Photographer: Tang Haoyang

JNU held its 345th Centennial Course of the JNU Cultural Lecture on its Shipai Campus on May 20. Prof. Gao Darun, a former guest on the CCTV program Voice and former director of the Sichuan Provincial Cultural Relics and Archaeology Research Institute, lectured on Mysteries of the Sanxingdui Site: Unveiling the Ancient Shu Legends. The lecture was hosted by Prof. Wang Yintian of JNU's School of Literature.

(Gao lecturing)

Gao described the Sanxingdui site in Guanghan, Sichuan province, as the most important large-scale pre-Qin Dynasty site in southwest China. He said tens of thousands of artifacts dating back 4,800 to 2,600 years had been unearthed so far, greatly enriching the meaning of ancient Shu civilization.

(The onsite audience)

There was indeed a Shu State about 3,000 or 4,000 years ago, which enjoyed a highly developed civilization, Gao said, The civilization had evolved on the basis of existing local culture. It not only widely absorbed foreign cultures but also spread its own culture to the outside world. It had lasted nearly 2,000 years since the Xia and Shang Dynasties until it was destroyed by the Qin State. Gao said the six newly excavated pits at Sanxingdui had enriched previous discoveries and understanding. But he also stressed that the archaeological work there is far from complete, and that key relics such as large tombs, bronze and jade workshops, and palaces are still waiting to be excavated. 

(A student asking questions)