Video source: Courtesy of Sichuan Radio and Television Station
Cover news reporter Zeng Jie picture according to the film side
On Chinese New Year's Eve Night 2022, Sanxingdui's heavyweight cultural relics "Bronze Mask" appeared at the Spring Festival Gala of the Year of the Tiger. The exaggerated, peculiarly shaped and well-cast large mask has attracted a lot of attention since it was unearthed. The treasure unearthed in Sanxingdui not only opened the door to the ancient Shu civilization, but also witnessed the origin of Chinese civilization.
Whether it is a bronze longitudinal mask with a "smile of fans", a tall and magnificent bronze sacred tree, or a dazzling complete gold mask, every time the Sanxingdui ruins are "new", people are shocked and at the same time, they also cause thinking and questioning: "Where did such a magical and surreal civilization come from?" "Beyond Sanxingdui, what was the ancient Shu civilization like at that time?"
Poster for the documentary "Treasures of Ancient Shu"
The large-scale archaeological documentary "Treasures of Ancient Shu" produced by Sichuan Radio and Television Station will outline a clearer evolution of ancient Shu civilization for the audience. The documentary will be broadcast on CCTV Documentary Channel from March 30 to April 1 at 20:00 and on Sichuan Satellite TV at 21:15.
In 2020, Sichuan Radio and Television Station and Phoenix Satellite TV jointly produced a 10-episode large-scale cultural documentary "Shu Dao Fengliu", which began the journey of searching for the roots of bashu traditional culture. As a companion piece to "The Wind and Currents of Shu Dao", "Treasures of Ancient Shu" is a vivid combing and new interpretation of the prehistoric ancient Shu civilization by Sichuan Radio and Television Station.
So systematically with Sichuan Sanxingdui as the origin, relying on the 4K ultra-high-definition image method, supported by the academic views of more than 60 experts and the latest research results, the prehistoric civilization in the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River is systematically combed in an all-round way, which is rare in China, and "Ancient Shu Treasures" will bring more surprises to the audience.
Sanxingdui archaeological capsule
Sanxingdui is archaeologically new
Systematically combing the ancient Shu civilization, it is impossible to bypass the Sanxingdui. On the south bank of the Yazi River in the northwest of Guanghan City, Sichuan Province, is the ruins of Sanxingdui, which is about 12 square kilometers.
From the 1930s to the present, generations of archaeologists have gone forward and questioned this silent land, trying to sort out more clues about the ancient Shu civilization from this sand and stone.
Unlike other work that is glamorous or exciting, archaeological work is more about persistence and waiting. For a long time, the main job of the film crew was to shoot "planing", "digging" and "loading soil".
But what is different from the past is that this Sanxingdui archaeological excavation has installed the latest multi-functional archaeological system, which has opened a precedent for contactless archaeological excavations in the country. Archaeological excavations and the protection of cultural relics are carried out simultaneously, which is an innovative move in archaeological work. The Emergency Conservation Laboratory can quickly process the excavated artifacts, which will buy valuable time for subsequent conservation and research.
On February 1, 2021, an exciting news came: inside Pit 5, a sheet of gold leaf had been unearthed. Under the lens, the process of discovering, excavating, protecting and researching the complete gold mask is recorded. Subsequently, more and more national treasure-level heavy weapons were unearthed one after another, and they met with the audience in the documentary.
From "Ancient Shu Treasures", the audience will see the complete process of archaeologists excavating 6 sacrificial pits with new ideas, new technologies and new means.
Bronze Sacred Tree
Search for the origin of civilization
Looking back, we can better appreciate the open, diverse, inclusive and interpenetrating cultural posture of the ancient Shu civilization and the orderly and endless pulse of life. To explore where the ancient Shu civilization came from, what height it reached, and where it went, it is necessary to constantly search, explore, and verify.
The film crew turned their attention to a wider area: the Majiayao Ruins in Dingxi City, Gansu Province, the Baodun Ancient City Ruins in Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, the Guiyuan Bridge Ruins in Deyang City, Sichuan Province, the Shijiahe Ruins in Tianmen City, Hubei Province, the Zhongba Ruins in Zhongxian County, Chongqing City, the Jinsha Ruins in Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, and the Liangzhu Ancient City Ruins in Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province, to explore the connection between civilizations.
Why are the faience pottery in Yingpanshan and Majiayao similar in appearance and pattern? Restoring the way of life of ancient humans, can we understand the recipes and life forms of the ancients? Did the ancient Shu culture ever go to Vietnam or even further southeast Asia? What stories were left behind in the journey of the ancient Shu people?
The film crew and archaeologists crossed thousands of miles, following the footsteps of the Shu people between the mountains and the sea, looking for answers to their questions. Through the comparison of culture and cultural relics of various sites, the experiments on climate and vegetation, and the search for remaining relics along the ancient road, the development, growth, evolution and integration of ancient Shu civilization were gradually clarified.
Sanxingdui bronze large mask on the Spring Festival Gala (according to CCTV)
Read the place of civilization
Pluralistic unity, full of stars shining in China. Ancient ruins and rich cultural relics have proved irrefutable facts that Chinese civilization originated and developed in many places, enriched and diverse, exchanged and learned from each other, and finally embraced and returned to the sea.
Perhaps with only 3 episodes of about 120 minutes, "Treasures of Ancient Shu" is not enough to fully interpret the past and present lives of the ancient Shu civilization. However, this documentary allows the audience and archaeologists to explore the cultural sites scattered everywhere, clarify the evolution of ancient Shu civilization, look back at the origin of Chinese civilization, and thus stand in a more macroscopic perspective and understand the cultural map of ancient China.
Special reminder: From March 30 to April 1, CCTV Record Channel 20:00 and Sichuan Satellite TV 21:15 broadcast.