Posted:2007-4-27|Source:The Hindu|No. of Views:

THE SUN AND BIRD GOLD FOIL: Excavated at the Jinsha site.
COMPLIED BY NIMI KURIAN
The Jinsha Museum in Chengdu in southwest China's Sichuan province was opened recently. With an investment of 400-million yuan (50 million USD), the museum was built over a three-square kilometre excavation site which was discovered six years ago in the western suburbs of the city. The museum showcases a trove of ancient Chinese treasure of gold human figurines, fish-shape belts, copper hoes, jade axes, jewellery and other relics from the prosperous Shang and Zhou dynasties.
The Jinsha site was the most significant archaeological discovery of the 21st century in China. Thousands of gold plates, jade articles, stoneware, bronzeware and ivory from the Kingdom of Shu (221 - 263) were discovered from the site. Among them the Holy Bird is the most famous one that has become the sign of China's Cultural Heritage.