A team of Chinese archaeologists has discovered a monumental ritual site in a remote valley of Sichuan Province, significantly expanding the known range of the Sanxingdui culture. The centerpiece of the find is a massive bronze sun-chariot, measuring nearly three meters in length, decorated with intricate swirling cloud patterns and featuring four wheels shaped like radiant solar discs. This artifact is believed to have been used in grand processions honoring a sun deity.
The excavation also yielded several gilded bronze masks with the characteristic oversized eyes and ears associated with the Shu Kingdom, along with ivory tusks and jade scepters. The presence of such high-status objects so far from the Sanxingdui core suggests a complex network of sacred landscapes and ritual pathways through the mountains that connected different regional centers of this enigmatic civilization.