"Cloud dialogue" on China's Sanxingdui Ruins held for foreign teenagers

CHENGDU, May 31 (Xinhua) -- Over 180 North American teenagers and university students have participated in a "cloud dialogue," learning about the legendary Sanxingdui Ruins in China.

Named "Night at Sanxingdui Museum," the online event was jointly held on Monday by the Department of International Chinese Education of Southwest Jiaotong University in Sichuan Province, Sichuan International Communication Center, the Chinese School Association in the United States, the Sichuan Provincial Cultural Relics and Archeology Research Institute, and the Sanxingdui Museum.

The one-hour event targets foreign youth who are learning the Chinese language and are interested in Chinese culture. It will also be held for young learners in European countries.

With the help of 3D technology, the event presented various kinds of cultural relics in the Sanxingdui Museum, including the Bronze Standing Figure, Gold Scepter, Bronze Sacred Tree, Vertical-eyed Bronze Mask, and Gold Mask.

Xu Danyang, a 27-year-old archaeologist who was in charge of the excavation of a sacrificial pit in the Sanxingdui Ruins site, introduced the cultural relics' characteristics and historical background, as well as the excavation process via live-streaming. He also answered questions raised by the curious participants.

Cheng Shiyi, a material artist and accessories designer, compared Sanxingdui cultural relics with contemporary artworks with Sanxingdui-inspired elements.

The participants also engaged in an interactive activity to restore and decorate the cultural relics and craft their own creative works.

Discovered in the late 1920s, the Sanxingdui Ruins have been called one of the world's greatest archaeological finds of the 20th century. Covering 12 square kilometers, the ruins are located in the city of Guanghan in Sichuan. They are believed to be remnants of the Shu Kingdom, which survived for over 2,000 years. The ruins date back at least 4,800 years.

By the end of last year, over 10,000 relics, including golden masks, figurines and ivory objects had been unearthed from the six recently unearthed sacrificial pits.