It is believed that Sanxingdui was capital of the ancient 'Shu culture' of the Sichuan area, previously believed to be 3,000 years old. A metropolis of its time, covering about three square kilometers, Sanxingdui had highly developed agriculture, includingwinemaking ability, ceramic technology and sacrificial tools and mining was commonplace.

This discovery enables an overall picture of early society, which had diverse origins in China, and perhaps somewhat a rethinkof just how 'primitive' a primitive culture was.

But it is perhaps the mystery that is the biggest draw of this culture, at least for many foreigners. Still today little is knownabout it. There is no clue where the culture came from and no cluewhere it went. Nothing is known about these masks and statues but there is much educated guessing.

It is easy to guess that these items were used as religious objects. How they were used exactly is anyone's guess but a museumguide pointed out that it was common for ancient cultures to use religion as a form of power - to use fear to control the people.The masks may have been made in such a strange form so as to both inspire awe and encourage people to feel protected from evil.

But still, as these types of objects were not found in other cultures of the same era, Sanxingdui seems to stand out as a theocracy-tinted power where statues ruled the mortal and spiritual world. Museum signs noted that sorcerers and politicianswould pretend to be gods and rule in this way, perhaps using the masks and statues in some way to accomplish the deception.

The 'mystery of the masks' and the strange figures produced by this civilization has even spread as far as UFO and paranormal websites who picked up on a People's Daily article mentioning speculation that aliens might be the answer and quoting locals in the area as having said they spotted UFOs in the area some 20 years ago.

The facial features and big nose of the masks with animal ears could even leave one wondering whether foreigners were involved. And there are those who still wonder about the authenticity of the findings.

Whatever the truth, the Sanxingdui ruins provide plenty of roomfor discovery by archeologists and for imagination by we average people. And in that knowledge that there is still much we don't have the answers to about history and our ancestors, perhaps lies part of the charm.

It's not too late to visit the Sanxingdui International Mask Festival and these ancient ruins, fast becoming one of the top-promoted tourist sites in China. The festival is being held near Guanghan, only some 40 kilometers from Chengdu, capital of SichuanProvince, already a popular destination for those wishing to see the giant panda or Sichuan's beautiful spots. According to local officials, the festival lasts for 300 days from May 1.

2004/05/07
Source: China Daily