17 September 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

3,400-Year-Old Jade and Stone Workshop Site Discovered at Sanxingdui Ruins

Archaeologists have uncovered a jade and stone processing site that dates back over 3,400 years at the Sanxingdui Ruins in Southwest China’s Sichuan Province.

The Sanxingdui Ruins, located in the Sichuan Province of southwest China’s city of Guanghan, were found in the late 1920s and are considered one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of the 20th century worldwide.

The new finds offer vital insights into the origins of various precious cultural relics and highlight the remarkable achievements of ancient Chinese civilization.

Blanks, waste, fragments, and completed products are among the recently discovered artifacts at the site, providing proof of a comparatively full early handicraft production chain. Initial analyses indicate that the location was a workshop for stone and jade.

Located approximately one kilometer north of the previously unearthed sacrificial pits, this latest discovery marks significant progress in the archaeological excavation at Sanxingdui, the Provincial Cultural Relics, and Archaeology Research Institute said, noting that the archaeologists have preliminarily identified this site as a jade and stone production workshop.

This is the first time a handicraft workshop has been discovered at Sanxingdui. The new findings will help archaeologists verify the sources of raw materials for Sanxingdui’s jade and stone artifacts and address questions about the functional layout of the ancient city.

This photo taken shows jade ware discovered at the Sanxingdui Ruins site in Guanghan City, southwest China's Sichuan Province. Photo: Xinhua/Tang Wenhao
This photo taken shows jade ware discovered at the Sanxingdui Ruins site in Guanghan City, southwest China’s Sichuan Province. Photo: Xinhua/Tang Wenhao

“The discovery of the workshop sheds light on several mysteries, such as the origins of the large quantities of jade and stone raw materials found at Sanxingdui, the techniques used in their crafting, the production processes, and the distribution methods involved,” said Ran Honglin, who is in charge of the archaeological work at Sanxingdui Ruins site, under the research institute.

 Researchers also said it marks an important step in Sanxingdui archaeological research.

“The archaeological discoveries and research into the layout and planning of the Sanxingdui ancient city highlight the wisdom of ancient residents, underscoring the depth and enduring legacy of the ancient Chinese civilization,” said Sun Hua, a professor from the School of Archaeology and Museology at Peking University.

Lei Yu, curator of Sanxingdui Museum, believes that large cities from the Shang Dynasty (1600 B.C.-1046 B.C.) often had concentrated areas for handicraft workshops, similar to modern industrial zones. “Following these clues, it may be possible to locate additional workshops for bronze-making, gold-making and more.”

Covering an area of 12 square km, the ruins are believed to be the remnants of the Shu Kingdom, dating back some 4,500 to 3,000 years.

Archaeologists believe that the core area of the ruins is a carefully planned ancient city, surrounded by tall city walls, with an area of approximately 3.6 square km. This belief is based on the recently confirmed city gates, water gates, and roads, as well as on earlier discoveries of the sacrificial and palace areas.

At Sanxingdui, more than 60,000 cultural artifacts have been found to date. Since its opening almost a year ago, the new Sanxingdui Museum has drawn over 5 million visitors from all over the world.

Cover Photo: Xinhua

Related Articles

Recent Excavations Unveil Five Remarkable Statues, Shedding Light on Perge’s Roman Heritage

12 February 2025

12 February 2025

During the excavations in the ancient city of Perge in Antalya, one of the most organized Roman cities of Anatolia,...

The human remains dating back 10,000 years unearthed in Vietnam

15 November 2023

15 November 2023

In Ha Nam Province, northern Vietnam, skeletal remains dating back 10,000 years have been discovered. This is marking the oldest...

Unique 2700-year-old mosaics unearthed in illegal excavations

17 November 2021

17 November 2021

Two 2700-year-old mosaics, which are thought to belong to a Roman rich man and symbolize magnificence, were found in a...

The World’s Oldest Smiling Water Flask with Emoji will be on display

4 July 2021

4 July 2021

After the collapse of the Hittite Empire, the Late Hittite States was established in Anatolia and Syria. One of these...

A burial complex and an Ancient Dog Statue have been unearthed during excavations in Appio Latino quarter the Rome

8 January 2022

8 January 2022

Workers laying pipes for utility company Acea at Via Luigi Tosti in Rome’s Appio Latino quarter have unearthed an ancient...

Climate and Archaic humans caused the extinction of giant camels that lived in Mongolia 27,000 years ago, a study says

3 April 2022

3 April 2022

Camelus knoblochi, a species of giant two-humped camel, survived in Mongolia alongside modern humans—and perhaps Neanderthals and Denisovans—until about 27,000...

6,000 years old Underwater Ruins Discovered off Cuba: A Lost City Older Than the Pyramids — Or Be a Geological Oddity?

10 August 2025

10 August 2025

Recently, a mysterious discovery has resurfaced on social media, reigniting debates and curiosity worldwide: the so-called “lost city” said to...

Complex Of Early Neolithic Monuments Discovered In Herefordshire, England

22 July 2023

22 July 2023

Archaeologists discovered a remarkable complex of early Neolithic monuments while investigating the area around Dorstone Hill in Herefordshire, England. The...

A rare Ogham inscription found on Pictish stone in Scottish Kirkyard

8 November 2022

8 November 2022

A Pictish carved stone cross slab with a rare inscription in the early medieval ogham language has been discovered in...

Rare 3,500-Year-Old Chariot Wheel Discovered at Inverness Golf Course

24 April 2025

24 April 2025

Archaeologists have discovered a rare prehistoric chariot wheel at the site of a future golf course near Inverness. The discovery...

Archaeologists Uncovered a Roman-Era Clay Theater Ticket in Ancient City of Prusias ad Hypium

1 December 2024

1 December 2024

Excavations at the ancient city of Prusias Ad Hypium in the Konuralp region of Düzce in northwestern Türkiye have uncovered...

The latest excavations in the ancient city of Dülük will shed light on the history of different religions

11 October 2021

11 October 2021

It is thought that the ancient city of Dülük, one of the 25 oldest settlements in the world, will shed...

Archaeologists unearthed the ruins of an imposing stoa from the Greco-Roman era in Sicily

1 April 2024

1 April 2024

Archaeologists have unearthed the ruins of an imposing stoa from the Greco-Roman period in the small village of Tripi in...

Megalithic structure found in Kazakhstan was probably a place of worship for miners in the Bronze Age

2 September 2024

2 September 2024

Archaeologists investigating a megalithic monument in the Burabay district of the Akmola region of Kazakhstan have revealed that the monument...

The largest marine turtle fossil of its kind ever discovered in Europe unearthed in Spain

21 November 2022

21 November 2022

In northern Spain, scientists discovered the remains of a new species of enormous marine turtle. The prehistoric creature is the...