三星堆

A farmer found jade pieces here in 1929, but the site became famous in 1986, when two pits full of bronzes, gold and ivory were dug up; six more pits have been opened since 2019. The finds belong to the ancient kingdom of 蜀, about 3,000 years ago, and their style differs sharply from the bronzes of the Shang heartland.

The name means "three-star mound": three earthen mounds here were said to sit beside a crescent-shaped rise, like three stars beside the moon.