Jinsha Museum of Ancient Ruins located in the northwest of
Chengdu, is the museum established in the Jinsha ruins site, and is also a museum to show categories of ancient Shu culture in Sichuan area during Shang and Zhou dynasties. The museum set up projects and construct at the end of 2004, officially opened on April 16, 2007. It consists of the relic hall, exhibition hall, visitors center, cultural relic protection and restoration center, Jinsha theatre, garden area and other parts. It is a collection of education, research, leisure in one of the modern garden museum. And it is iconic landmarks shows a long history of Chengdu. Jinsha ruins are the first major archaeological discovery in China during the 21st century, in 2006 was named the national key cultural relics protection units.
Development History
Jinsha ruins found in February 8, 2001, located in the northwest of Chengdu, are a site of the Shang and Zhou dynasties period of the ancient Shu culture. Its distribution area is of about 5 square kilometers. And it have been found in sacrificial area, palaces, tombs, residents living area and so on, according to research, Jinsha ruins is another city of the ancient Shu culture after Sanxingdui civilization, is also political, economic and cultural center of Chengdu more than 3000 years ago. Jinsha ruins found in the same year and were named the “national top ten archaeological discoveries” in 2001, also known as China’s first major archaeological discovery at the early 21
st century. Jinsha culture has been listed as one of the three major cultural brands of Chengdu. The Jinsha Ruins Museum covers an area of 456 mu, building area of 38000 square meters. Modi River in downtown Chengdu flows from west to east from the museum, both sides of the river landscape constitutes the horizontal landscape axis of museum; Visitors can visit the archaeological site of Jinsha ruins and gallery from south to north in turn, the open space of the north-south make up the culture of longitudinal axis of the museum. Around the museum buildings is garden area with lush vegetation, when visitors appreciate the long history and culture at the same time, also can feel in the woods of nature.
Two of the main body of Jinsha Ruins Museum building is relics museum and gallery, all with the method of the slope, suggesting the Jinsha ruins was rising. Ruins museum is suborbicular, gallery is square, and a circle and a square regard as a symbol of ancient Chinese cosmology of theory of “a square earth and spherical heavens”. Two buildings are located in the bottom of the both sides of Modi R
iver in north and south. When a plane flies over Chengdu, people will see the Jinsha ruins museum two buildings like two pieces of leaves falling on the green grass, the museum also has become the important landmark of Chengdu.
Significant Relics
【Jinsha ruins Sacrificing and Worshiping
Area】
Jinsha ruins Sacrificing and Worshiping Area is a dedicated sacrifice area on the riverside during ancient Shu period, the distribution area of about 15000 square meters, and it was during late Shang dynasty to the early Spring and Autumn period (about 1200 BC – 650 BC). It distributed along the southern bank of the old channel. The ancient Shu people probably originally offered sacrifices to gods or ancestors on the river bank, after the sacrifice ceremony the oblation will be buried in the bottom of the hirst, covered soil above. After more than 500 years of sacrifice activities, to the early Spring and Autumn Period, basically the hirst was filled up and made even. Grand scene of sacrifice area reflected the strength of the ancient Shu kingdom, various offerings were bearing the weight of the rich spiritual world of ancestors, elegant cultural relics embodied the ancient artisans’ extraordinary creativity. But, along with the transfer of the political center, the holy land Jinsha also gradually deserted.
【Jinsha Remains No.1】
This remain as late as the early Western Zhou Dynasty, which was a rectangular plane, and when it was discovered, some parts damaged. The implements in the pit were hierarchical put, the upper accumulation was ivory, and the longest was nearly 160 cm. Observed from section, there was up to eight layer ivory placed regularly. The lower placed a lot of jade, bronze and gold. No.1 pit is the most complete, the neatest and the most concentrated of sacrifice found so far of Jinsha ruins ritual area remains.
【The Base of Jinsha Constructions】 In the northeast of Jinsha Ruins around the Huangzhong village, after three times archaeological excavation, there was found a large construction base site. It covers an area over 10000 square meters, grand and magnificent with a large scale, and its layout is strictly regular. It is the first discovery in southwest region of China. According to analysis by synthesis of the area, layout and excavation, it is speculated that the construction was the place of Jinsha ruins in the late Shang dynasty to the early Western Zhou dynasty (1046 BC-771BC).
【Jinsha Living
Area】
In the Jinsha ruins, widely distributed general living dwelling, illustrated that the social population was dense. In the living area, a lot of ash pits, pottery kiln, well, pond, burial site was found, which make us have some grip of people’s living conditions at that period.
【Jinsha Ruins
Burial Area】 In the Jinsha Ruins a lot of tombs were found, and there are groups of cemetery and also scattered cemetery, which shows that some parts of people after death buried near the residential area, more buried into focus cemetery. According to the burial ground, this obviously showed that at that time there was social stratification and hierarchies.
Near the Jinsha Ruins Living Area, it has found more than 1000 tombs, the distribution area of about 30000 square meters. Most of these tombs were formed after the living area abandoned. Each tomb inside was planning orderly. And the largest cemetery is “Yansha courtyard” site.
What to See
【Exhibition Hall】
Exhibition Hall is located in the north of Modi R
iver, which is a sloping square building. Roof designed by the architect integrated in Jinsha and elements of archaeology, big round logo is the treasure of Jinsha Ruins Museum “Golden Sun Bird” pattern, a square revolve around the Golden Sun Bird pattern of is a symbol of the grid used in the archaeology. Exhibition Hall also adopts whole steel structure, is divided into two floors of the ground and underground. Construction area of 16000 square meters, the exhibition hall area of 16000 square meters. There are five exhibition halls. The emphasis of the five exhibition halls are not identical, from different angles show and explain the ancient Shu culture. Each exhibition hall, according to its different display content, take a different display means to let visitors have different feelings when they into an exhibition hall. At the same time, the exhibition hall use of modern means of science and technology to enrich display. When people in the hall to listen to vigorous Qing (a kind of ancient percussion instrument) and play a fun game, they will not feel dull and boring. Exhibition Hall has a four dimensional special effects theater, set-time broadcasting 4D movie “The Dreams of Jinsha”, using the latest technology of seeing and hearing, let the audience pass through time and space of 3000 years ago to appreciate the ancient Shu culture from Duyu dynasty to Kaiming dynasty. And exhibition hall also has press hall, academic lecture hall, Jinsha characteristic souvenir shops, Jinsha restaurant, service desk, deposit center, etc.
【RuinsMuseum】
Ruins Museum is the most important archaeological site of Jinsha ruins, is the ancient Shu Jinsha kingdom large-scale ritual activities spot, is currently China’s most complete preservation of large-scale ritual activities spot. Ruins
Museum building adopts whole steel structure, covers an area of 7588 square meters, 19 meters high, and the span of 63 meters, and is the domestic large site second to Emperor Qin Shi Huang’s Terracotta Warriors site protection. Original ecological display not only maximize the protection of the historic sites and unearthed relics, it is also bring visual shock to the audience when enter Jinsha Ruins. Here, the audience on the one hand can experience of the grand sacrificial activities of ancient Shu kingdom 3000 years ago, and can be personally on the scene to have a closer look at archaeological site on the other hand, understand the working principle of archaeological excavations.
【Garden Area】 Jinsha Ruins Museum garden area’s design philosophy is “natural beauty, interest of grass”, green coverage rate is as high as 80%, and it is an organic part of the museum. Trees and vegetation in the garden area, according to the different characteristics divided into different areas. Main tour road on both sides are planted a very old tree species from S
ichuan basin, ginkgo metasequoia and so on; Cherry forest, peach forest, pear flower forest, lotus, wintersweet etc. throughout the park; Bamboo forest and shrubs surrounded around the museum building. Everywhere of Jinsha
Ruins Museum garden area is blooming all the year round. Spring, very beautiful flowers outshine each other; Summer, gardenia, michelia are fragrant; Autumn, ginkgo turns to gold and a rich perfume of osmanthus blossoms was wafted to us by the breeze; Winter, wintersweet fragrance wafted through the fresh air, sweet red plum left bloom alone.
【Jinsha Theater】 Jinsha Theater is located in the northwest of museum, tits appearance is crystal crown and looks like a budding flower, which is China’s first original large play ground of musical “Jinsha”. At the same time, known as “Chengdu people’s own cultural salon” Jinsha forum entered Jinsha Theater since May 2011. Jinsha Theatre is often held academic exchanges and theatrical performances that are associated with Jinsha culture and the ancient Shu civilization.
How to get to Jinsha Ruins Museum
【By Bus】
1. taking bus No.5, 79, 82, 83, 84, 100, 111, 123, 147, 163, 805, 848 or 1043 to East Gate of Jinsha Site Museum Station.
2. taking bus No. 5, 7, 83, 84, 123, 147, 805 or 848, and get off at Jinfeng North Road Station. Then walk north until reaching Jinbo Road, then turn right and walk around 310 meters to the north gate.
【By Subway】
Taking subway line No.2 and get off at Yipintianxia Station and get out from Exit B. Then go north around 1 km to the east gate.