An exhibition highlighting the civilization of the ancient Shu Kingdom in China opened on Nov. 8 in Oxford, England, bringing the treasures of Sanxingdui to a wider audience and further enhancing cultural exchange.

Titled "Behind the Masks: Discovering Sanxingdui and Jinsha," the event at St Anne's College, University of Oxford, showcased the latest archaeological findings from the renowned Sanxingdui and Jinsha archaeological sites in southwest China.
Through photographs, multimedia installations and replicas of artifacts, the exhibition introduced visitors to the artistic splendor and spiritual imagination of China's ancient Shu civilization.
The exhibition displayed 17 reconstructed relic replicas, with augmented reality experiences allowing attendees to virtually explore excavation sites and ancient ritual scenes, offering a dynamic encounter between archaeology and digital technology.
Archeologists noticed how many of the masks were broken or burned before being put in the pits, suggesting perhaps that they were used as offerings to their gods.
"Chinese archaeologists are amongst the best in the world, are very painstaking, in their researches and so on. So it's going to take a long time. But the correct view is that it has been there a long time, and we have a long time to, to try and understand it. So yes, but the future I think is particularly exciting at the moment," said James Trapp, a famous sinologist.
Experts believe that only 0.2 percent of the site has been excavated so far, leaving countless 3,000-year-old stories buried beneath the earth.
Curator Liu Bo and her team are uncovering these narratives to reveal the connections between ancient civilizations in China and beyond, demonstrating the rich tapestry of cultural exchanges throughout history.
"You can see the connections with the other parts of China. So it is a very good demonstration how the world's old civilizations connect with each other, and they may learn from each other, and they have exchange with each other," she said.
The exhibition ended on Nov. 12. The Sanxingdui Museum and the Jinsha Site Museum served as co-organizers, alongside other institutions.
Discovered in the late 1920s in Guanghan City of southwest China's Sichuan Province, the Sanxingdui Ruins are considered one of the world's most significant archaeological discoveries of the 20th century. Spanning 12 square kilometers, the Sanxingdui Ruins are believed to be the remnants of the Shu Kingdom, dating back 4,500 to 3,000 years.