Sanxingdui

三星堆

The ruins of an ancient Chinese city where archaeologists discovered remarkable artifacts that radiocarbon dated circa 12th-11th centuries BCE. Sanxingdui (Three star mound) is the name given to this previously unknown Bronze Age culture. First excavated in the 1930s, the site continues to yield surprises to the present day. Between 2020 and 2022, archaeologists working on the site discovered six sacrificial pits containing a treasure trove of artefacts. So numerous were the artefacts that a new museum had to be constructed. The new museum is now open. Be warned that the museum is extremely popular and often booked out, so it's best not to come here without first making a booking. Bookings can be done online (in Chinese only) on the museum's WeChat account. If you come here on an empty stomach, you should get something to eat at one of the food stalls outside the gate. The museum cafe does not serve food. After entering the gate, you can head straight to the new museum, as the two exhibition halls that made up the old museum have been closed. However, if you have time, you can still visit the Restoration Hall (修复馆) and see the archaeologists working to restore the artefacts. The restoration hall closes at 17:00, which is one hour earlier than the museum.

• museum
• history
• coffee

Address

133 Xi'an Road, Guanghan, Deyang (德阳市广汉市西安路133号)

Getting there

about 40 kilometers northeast of Chengdu and 10 kilometers east of the city of Guanghan; the most direct way to get here is to take the Hi Panda shuttle bus, which departs from Chunxi Road and Kuanzhaixiangzi; alternatively, you could catch a high-speed train to Guanghan North, then use public bus no. 13 to reach the museum

Hours

08:30-18:00, no entry after 17:00

Price

¥72 (¥36 for students)

Website

sxd.cn (opens in a new tab)