Archaeologists in Hunan Province have uncovered a sacrificial pit containing over two hundred bronze artifacts in the style of the famous Sanxingdui culture. The find includes a 2-meter tall bronze tree and several gold-leafed masks with oversized, almond-shaped eyes, identical to those found in Sichuan.
This discovery proves that the Sanxingdui culture was not an isolated phenomenon but was part of a vast ritual network extending across the Yangtze River basin. It suggests a high level of cultural and religious homogeneity among the early civilizations of southern China, predating the rise of the Han dynasty.