Excavations will continue in an attempt to understand the economic, spiritual, and social role of the region. A group of experts in China has located a craft workshop that sheds new light on the ancient Shu civilisation. The discovery was made in Sanxingdui, in Sichuan province, where a workshop dating back more than three centuries was found containing pieces of gold, jade and carved stones.
The workshop was identified by the Sichuan Provincial Institute of Archaeological and Cultural Relics Research, just one kilometre from the famous sacrificial pits that have made the area world-famous. According to experts, this space would have functioned as a manufacturing centre directly linked to the production of relics that are now considered among the most sophisticated of the ancient Shu Kingdom, which existed between 2500 and 1000 BC.
This is the oldest gold in history
Investigations carried out at the site confirm that the workshop is more than 3,000 years old, making it a key piece in directly connecting with the treasures previously discovered in Sanxingdui. In addition, it offers a clearer picture for interpreting the archaeological finds in the region, which until now had no definite explanation as to their origin or function within the Shu Kingdom.
According to the official Xinhua news agency, investigations into this gold workshop will continue. The aim is to elucidate the economic, religious and social role that this productive space played within the structure of the ancient civilisation. With the upcoming excavations, it is hoped that more accurate data will be obtained on how craft production was organised in Sanxingdui.
Due to its relevance, the discovery could also boost Sanxingdui’s bid for UNESCO World Heritage status. If successful, it would not only reinforce its historical value but also increase the tourist appeal of the area, already recognised as one of China’s major archaeological centres.
A key production centre for understanding the Shu Kingdom
The Sanxingdui ruins, also known as the Sanxingdui site, have been known since the 1920s and cover about 12 km² in the Yangtze River basin. But research begun in 2024 has revealed something new: more than 400 areas with remains, including the craft workshop that seems to have concentrated much of the local production. Archaeologist Ran Honglin, leader of the excavation team, explained that structures fundamental to mass production were found there: foundations, combustion furnaces, ditches filled with ashes, and processing areas. Thanks to this, it is now possible to reconstruct how these pieces were manufactured more than three thousand years ago.
For experts, this is one of the most significant revelations in Chinese archaeology in recent times. Inside the workshop, materials were found in all their stages: from unworked stone blocks to fragments, jade pieces and finished objects. This diversity suggests that the site functioned as a production centre with a highly developed craft chain over time.
The discovery reinforces the hypothesis that many of the famous Sanxingdui relics were created there and not brought in from other regions, as previously thought.
