Shu

On June 13th of this year, visitors entering the National Museum of China in Beijing were greeted by an object no larger than a dinner plate.

delicate circular and almost impossibly thin it weighs only about twenty grams yet this small piece of gold has become one of the most recognizable symbols of chinese civilization known as the sun and immortal bird gold ornament the artifact dates back roughly three thousand years to the mysterious shu civilization of southwestern china its design is simple yet mesmerizing a blazing sun at the center surrounded by four birds flying in perpetual motion since its discovery in 2001 the ornament has transformed scholars understanding of ancient china offered clues about a civilization that left behind no known writing system and become the official symbol of china's cultural heritage The artifact was one of the highlights of the exhibition titled The Ancient Shu Civilization of the Sanxingdui and Jinsha Sites, which brought together treasures from two of China's most important archaeological sites.

For many visitors, however, the gold ornament itself remained the star attraction.

It's not merely a beautiful object.

Around 3,000 years ago, the city appeared to have been abandoned.

But where had its people gone? The discoveries at Jinsha offered a possible answer.

Many archaeologists now believe that Jinsha succeeded Sanxingdui as the political and religious center of the ancient Shu kingdom.

Rather than disappearing, the civilization may simply have relocated, perhaps due to flooding, political change, or environmental pressures.