Museum · SICHUAN
Sanxingdui Museum
三星堆博物馆 · Sānxīngduī Bówùguǎn
About
Bronze Age site museum 60 km north of Chengdu. The bronze masks of the Sanxingdui culture (1700–1100 BCE) are among the most distinctive Chinese archaeological finds.
The Sanxingdui culture, contemporaneous with Shang-dynasty China but in the Sichuan basin, produced ritual bronzes utterly unlike those of central China — most famously the bronze masks with bulging cylindrical eyes and oversized ears, plus a 2.6m bronze human figure. Two ritual pits excavated in 1986, plus newer pits opened in the 2020s, have revolutionised understanding of pre-Qin Sichuan. The new museum (opened 2023) is one of the most modern in China.
How to get there
Bus from Chengdu Zhaojuesi station to Guanghan, then taxi (~1.5 hours total).
When to visit
Weekday morning. Reservations required.
Gallery
Other attractions in Chengdu
Itineraries featuring this site
- Family China classic — 10 days Beijing, Xi'an, Chengdu, Shanghai
10d · Ten days at a child-friendly pace: Beijing history, Xi'an warriors, Chengdu pandas and Shanghai's waterfront — the four cities that deliver the widest variety for families with school-age children.
- Slow travel China — 14 days, fewer cities, deeper neighbourhoods
14d · Fourteen days in just three cities — Xi'an, Chengdu and Lijiang — spending four to five nights in each to move beyond the headline sights into daily rhythms, local markets and neighbourhood life.
- Train-only China — 14 days using HSR exclusively, no flights
14d · Fourteen days across eastern and central China using only high-speed rail — no domestic flights. A lower-carbon alternative that also provides a closer view of the country at ground level.
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