Replicating the past: father-daughter team’s school project using leftover clay to produce mask resembling 3,000-year-old artefact goes viral in China

The Sanxingdui archaeological site in Sichuan province has become one of the most important Chinese sites of the past decades

The father-daughter duo decided to make a copy of a famous bronze mask as they spent more time at home because of Covid-19

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The replica of a mask made by a father and his daughter (left) compared with the original (right). Photo: Handout

Published: 9:00am, 19 Apr 2022Updated: 9:30am, 19 Apr 2022

A father-daughter art project in which the two built remarkable clay replicas of 3,000-year-old bronze artefacts from Sanxingdui in southwest China drew over three million views on Weibo since it was published on Sunday.

The pair made two replicas, one of a beautifully designed ding – a vessel similar to a cauldron – and a copy of one of the masks that have become famous worldwide. The two used cardboard to build the structure and then added clay and paint for the details.

The artefacts unearthed at Sanxingdui have transformed the site into one of China’s most important archaeological discoveries in decades. Last year’s announcement of pristinely-preserved gold masks has fundamentally altered how scientists view the very first cultures to have lived in China thousands of years ago.

The girl, a primary 4 student, had initially asked for her mother’s help to finish the project. But the 41-year-old mother surnamed Zhao told Wutong video, a news platform in mainland China, that she “had no idea how to finish the assignment”.

“I asked her father for help and he said, ‘the square ding should be simple to make with boxes’.”

“My daughter found the patterns online, and, because the patterns on the left and right sides [of the ding] are relatively simple, she kneaded it with clay herself, while her father kneaded the Sanxingdui mask pattern on the front of the ding,” Zhao said.

Replicating the past: father-daughter team’s school project using leftover clay to produce mask resembling 3,000-year-old artefact goes viral in China

The Sanxingdui archaeological site in Sichuan province has become one of the most important Chinese sites of the past decades The father-daughter duo decided to make a copy of a famous bronze mask as they spent more time at home because of Covid-19

The Sanxingdui archaeological site in Sichuan province has become one of the most important Chinese sites of the past decades

The father-daughter duo decided to make a copy of a famous bronze mask as they spent more time at home because of Covid-19