Advertisement
Does this caged jade ‘guarded by four dragons’ hold key to secrets of lost Chinese civilisation?
- The stone was found in a unique cage at Sanxingdui and archaeologists hope it may contain the first written evidence from the mysterious Shu kingdom
- Artefacts previously found at the site suggest a complex, sophisticated civilisation lived in modern Sichuan province thousands of years ago
Reading Time:3 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
3
Researchers working at an archaeological site in southwestern China are preparing to open a 3,000-year-old cage holding a jade stone that may help unlock the secrets of a mysterious ancient civilisation.
Advertisement
The unique cage, which was unearthed from a pit on Tuesday, is the latest discovery at the Sanxingdui site in Sichuan province, a place that has yielded some of the country’s most exciting archaeological finds in recent years.
The cage was made of cast bronze with four dragons guarding the corners. A large piece of jade has been securely locked inside by a “delicate plugging mechanism” that appears to have remained largely intact despite some erosion, according to state media reports.
01:43
Ancient treasure trove unearthed in southwest China sheds light on mysterious kingdom
Ancient treasure trove unearthed in southwest China sheds light on mysterious kingdom
Li Haichao, a professor of archaeology from Sichuan University and lead scientist at the excavation, said the discovery shocked him at first.
Advertisement
Advertisement