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Sanxingdui Museum is located about 8 kilometers to the west of 
Guanghan City and about 40 kilometers from Chengdu, the capital city of Sichuan Province. The total area of Sanxingdui Ruins covers 12 square kilometers, and the Museum, which houses a main exhibition hall of 7, 000 square meters, lies in the northeastern corner of the Ruins.
• It is the first museum certified by Green Globe 21 in the Asia-Pacific Area.
• It is a national monument ratified by the State Council in 1988.
• It was designated as a 4-star China National Resort by the China National Tourism Administration in January 2001.
The total area of the six exhibition halls in the Sanxingdui Museum is more than 4, 000 square meters, and the thousands of valuable cultural relics on display include; bronze ware, jade ware, stone ware, gold ware, earthen ware and bone ware, all unearthed from the Ruins, especially from the No. 1 and the No. 2 sacrificial pits. The excavation of Sangxingdui has astounded the world with its large number of precious and exquisite cultural relics as well as its mysterious sacrificial customs. Large numbers of delicate and exquisite cultural relics both resemble and differ from those found in the Central Plain Civilization, convincingly demonstrating that Chinese culture as an entity comes from diverse sources. Sanxingdui Ruins have left a lot of unanswered questions to be further studied by archaeologists. Like the pyramids of Egypt, Sanxingdui Ruins are shrouded in a veil of mystery, which adds to the charm that is embedded in the age-old ruins.
When you walk from the lobby to the first exhibition hall, you will begin the journey to the primitive and mysterious ancient Shu civilization. The exhibits in this hall outline the history of the ancient Shu, and systematically display its splendid achievements. Thematically arranged with the topic of " Towering over the Southwest China" , the first showcase presents a model of the Sanxingdui Ruins, outlining the panorama of the ancient city. The unearthed relics are of a standard high enough to sufficiently prove that Sanxingdui used to be a prosperous ancient city or perhaps even an ancient state in the very early stages of civilization in southwest China.
Across from the first showcase is a second showcase exhibiting the achievements of the ancient Shu people in commerce and agriculture. It displays a large number of pottery utensils, bones of domestic animals, and vividly made models of small animals, which shows from various angles the highly developed state of agriculture of the ancient Shu. Numerous seashells, elephant tusks, lacquer works with carvings, and intricate and complex costume decorations on the bronze statue, reveal that there existed a comparatively definite and detailed division of labor in the ancient Shu society, and that the manufacture and exchange of these products was much more frequent than previously imagined.
Close to the first showcase is a third group of exhibits-pottery. This showcase, exhibiting a large number of earthenware, big or small, reveals the consummate pottery skills of the ancient Shu. The typical earthenware produced in the ancient Shu included flat-bottomed pots, high-necked plates, and bird-headed ladles. These earthenware products were not only the most frequently used things in the daily life of the ancient Shu people, but also of great archaeological significance in determining the age and the stage of development of an ancient society.
The last showcase with the title of "Fire Melting Gold" exhibits the complicated and renowned craftwork of metal melting and casting which created countless complex and exquisite bronze ware products as well as several artfully crafted and delicate items of gold ware of the highest purity. The items on display are gold leaves, gold foil as thin as a cicada’s wing, fantastic dragon-shaped ornaments, and bronze bells.
This exhibition hall reconstructs some of the scenes of thousands of years ago through the elaborate arrangement of various cultural relics, revealing the political structure and social patterns of the Shu, and that of their spiritual world. Model No. 1 and Model No. 2 display the sacrificial pits at the early stages of excavation. The models are a bit smaller than the originals. Many exquisite objects of bronze ware, jade ware, stone ware, gold ware and elephant tusks have been unearthed from the two pits, making the Sanxingdui Ruins world famous overnight.
Further along from the two sacrificial pits, is the second group of exhibits—the bronze figures. A great deal of research has gone into the arrangement of this group of bronze figures as the main body of the exhibition. This configuration reveals the political and social patterns of the ancient Shu, in which politics was integrated with religion. The bronze figures, so numerous and so diverse in shape, are unique not only in China but throughout the whole world.
Behind the bronze figures is the display of the sacrificial ceremony. This exhibit reconstructs the grand scene of the great sacrificial ceremony and reveals the intense spirituality of the Shu people, and confirms, once again, the impact of religious authority on the social structure of the ancient Shu. The three-section sacrificial altar is surrounded by a big crowd of figures attending the ceremony modeled after the figures excavated from the Ruins. At the center of the sacrificial scene is a reconstruction of the original bronze altar, only six times larger. The entire sacrificial setting looks primitive, mysterious, solemn and dignified, eliciting an involuntary response of awe at the sight of the holy altar.
The most eye-catching object in the third exhibition hall is undoubtedly the No. 1 holy bronze tree, which has a base, a tree and a dragon. The 3. 9-meter bronze tree is made in sections and of three parts from the root to the top; each part has three branches. Fruit grows on the nine branches, and nine birds perch exquisitely on the tips of the branches; a weird dragon twists upward on the trunk. Despite some deformities found on the top of the trunk and on the rear end of the dragon, the whole holy tree is constructed based on a reasonable proportion and layout, projecting a strong sense of the aesthetics. The tree also represents the consummate and mature foundry skills of that time. Among all the bronze ware found in China, this holy tree is the biggest, with superb artistic value and great archaeological significance, vividly reflecting the primitive faith in the organic unity of man and Nature, and the connection between man and the gods.
Next to the No. 1 holy tree is a smaller bronze holy tree, which is exquisitely and delicately carved. In the innermost part of the hall is a Yaoqian Tree, a legendary tree of about 169 centimeters, which sheds its coins when shaken. It was made during the Han Dynasty, and unearthed in 1990. More than 300 copper coins hang on the six-layer Yaoqian Tree, elaborately designed and delicately cast.
Sanxingdui Ruins have yielded hundreds of jade and stone artifacts of great variety, more than those found in any other museum in China. The jade and stone artifacts with distinctive features, not only leave a precious legacy in ancient Shu history, but also provide important factual evidence for the study of the primitive faiths.
The configuration of "Jade Mountain", made up of three huge jade stones, is emplaced in the middle of the large exhibition hall, and the traces of carving are still clearly visible on the stones. It was from stone materials like this that the ancient Shu people made jade articles 3, 000 years ago. The jade articles displayed in the hall include: ritual articles, weapons, utensils, musical instruments, miscellaneous articles, ornaments, figures of humans and various kinds of animals. The number of the ritual articles, weapons, utensils, and sacrificial vessels is unprecedented. Some of the jade and stone artifacts are real rarities, including "the King of Bianzhang", an enormous jade tablet, and a giant Bi, which is claimed as the biggest stone Bi (a round flat piece of jade with a hole in the center) in China. These jade and stone artifacts, some dazzlingly radiant and some gracefully plain, reveal the diverse aesthetic sentiments of the Shu people.
The fifth exhibition hall displays 10 historical relics, thematically arranged with "soul" as its topic. They are believed to be of the highest cultural and artistic value among thousands of artifacts unearthed from Sanxingdui Ruins. The "soul" symbolizes the never vanishing spirits of the Shu people and represents the everlasting brilliant cultural relics found in Sanxingdui Ruins.
The Crowned Mask with Protruding Eyes is said to have been made to mirror the face of Can Cong, the founder of the Shu. The mask has a 68.1- entimeter long dragon-shaped crown on the forehead. A letter "U" is enchased on its forehead in cross section, 78 centimeters wide and 82.5 centimeters high. Two eyes are inlaid on the mask and protrude about 10 centimeters from the face. This majestic mask, unique in shape, has become one of the representative images of the cultural relics of Sanxingdui Ruins.
Many bronze human heads are on display. Although the statues are different from each other in shape, they have one similarity; all of them wear a mask on their faces. The reason why they wear a mask is still a mystery. Their giant protruding eyes and the extremely big ears overwhelm many visitors. Legend has it that Can Cong; the king of the ancient Shu had clairvoyance, and a pair of big ears. Maybe the people of the ancient Shu showed their respect to their king Can Cong by exaggeration to convince their offspring that Can Cong is just as awe-inspiring and prestigious as the deities who descend to the earth from heaven. The mask also demonstrates the spirit of ancient Shu culture—how human beings and the deities are interrelated, and how human beings and heaven are combined into one.
Opposite to the Crowned Mask with Protruding Eyes is the Jade Tablet. This jade tablet, also called Tooth Shaped Tablet, is 90.8 centimeters long. The surface of the tablet is engraved with symbols of the sun, signs of mountains, lines like clouds, and human figures. As the representative of the jade and stone artifacts, it is believed to have been connected with the worship of mountains of a primitive religion.
Next to the Jade Tablet are the Bronze Sun Wheel and the Bronze Giant Bird Head. The exquisitely cast Bronze Sun Wheel, about 85 centimeters in diameter, is said to have been related to the worship of the sun by the Shu people. The 40.3 centimeters high Bronze Giant Bird Head is the biggest one from among all the bird-shaped articles. This magnificent Bird Head may have had something to do with totemic worship in prehistoric times.
The Bronze Standing Figure, which consists of a base and a bronze man, is in the middle of the hall. The 2.62-meters high statue with a crown, is standing barefoot with his hands clenched, but empty. Judging from the clothes and manner of the figure, we can infer that the image represents a king or a great sorcerer, an integrated symbol of theocracy and monarchy.
Behind the Bronze Statue is the Bronze Human Head with Gold Mask. The mask of Bronze Human Head with Gold Mask, shaped exactly for the Bronze Human Head, is made of gold sheet carefully hammered into shape. The mask is delicately and exquisitely made, a symbol of dignity and honor, which have some functions in the sacrificial ceremony. In addition to the human head masks, there are some other masks of deities and monsters.
The next group of exhibits is that of the Bronze Birds and the bird shaped ornaments. Large numbers of bronze birds, so realistic, reveal the ancient Shu people’s worship of birds, as well as that of the sun and the sun god. The next group of exhibits is called Flying Dragon and Snake. Though the remaining part of the snake is only 55 centimeters long, you can still see that it is so remarkably life-like. The dragon is abstractly shaped, which reflects the rich imagination of the ancient Shu people.
Next you will see a set of three cultural relics made up of the Vessel-perched Kneeling Statuette the Elephant-crowned Statuette and the Bird-Legged figurine ( 5j Sip A W ) , and among them the delicately and oddly cast Bird-legged Figurine is considered to be the most mysterious artifact of all cultural relics in the Sanxingdui Ruins.
One of the most mysterious objects is the three-section Bronze Altar, the remaining part of which is only 53 centimeters high. The first section of the altar includes a round pedestal and two monsters, the second section is made up of another round pedestal and a bronze statue, and the third section consists of a mountain-like pedestal and some signs of human and animal figures on the top. The altar is believed to have been used in the sacrificial ceremony. It is very mysterious; and no one has ever been able to find irrefutable evidence to explain its mysteries. The Bronze Altar has an extremely important role in the study of the ancient Shu history. Nevertheless, it is also one of the most mysterious artifacts, and until this day no one has ever been able to find irrefutable evidence to explain the mysteries connected with it.
To the left of the hall is a small room, in which the world famous Gold Scepter is on display. The Gold Scepter is made by wrapping a wooden stick with gold sheet, shaped by hammering. It is 1.42 meters long, 2.3 centimeters in diameter and 480 grams in weight. Elaborate and mysterious patterns are carved on it. At the end of the scepter is a pattern, 46 centimeters in length, made up of three parts: the first part, close to the end, has two identical human heads? Both of them wear the same five-tooth crowns and earlobes in a triangle shape, smiling mysteriously. The other two parts are the two birds with their heads facing each other, and two fish with their backs opposite each other. An arrow is lined up to pierce the necks of the birds and the heads of the fish.
Why are patterns of fish and birds carved on the scepter? It is believed that Yu Fu , one of the kings of the Shu Kingdom was well known for his skills of fishing and hunting. So this scepter may probably have belonged to king Yufu. As we know, the crown, seal or scepter served as the signal of kingship in ancient China. The Gold Scepter, representing the supreme power of the king, is a symbol of the monarchy in the political structure which integrates politics with religion.
This Exhibition Hall gives a full and complete history of the great influence of Sanxingdui, both at home and abroad, which includes many pictures and various documents as well as the findings of the many archaeologists of various generations, dating back to the beginning of the excavation. The excavation and study of the Sanxingdui Ruins are important not only for their academic value in the comprehensive research and study of the ancient Shu society, but have also filled many blanks in history. Therefore, the position of Sanxingdui in the academic world is indisputable. However, the research of the Ruins has just begun, and the depth and breadth of the explanation of the primitive and mysterious Shu culture cannot be completed in one day. The Sanxingdui Ruins have provided us with not only a precious cultural legacy, but also many mysteries, which continue to arouse interest and curiosity. The timeless and miraculous Sanxingdui Ruins show much vitality and exuberant energy.