Casting Light

Since the opening of its new site in Guanghan, Sichuan in 2023, Sanxingdui Museum has been a significant attraction, and the Beijing exhibition created even more enthusiasm for these relics. Everyone was eager to see firsthand what had been unearthed after more than 30 years of excavation, and whether there were any new answers to the mysteries of Sanxingdui culture that have intrigued so many.　

The Bronze-Age Sanxingdui site was first discovered in 1929 and underwent its first scientific excavation in 1934. But work was halted for more than 50 years due to war and other turbulent events in China until the 1986 discovery of the first and second sacrificial pits. These excavations have yielded many valuable artifacts, including bronzes, jades, gold objects, seashells and ivory from the 3,000-year-old Shu civilization, and provided evidence that a flourishing culture occupied the area from around 1700-1050 BCE.　

Particularly noteworthy are the first appearances of uniquely shaped and exaggerated bronze artifacts, including masks, a large standing figure and a sacred tree sculpture. These discoveries caused a sensation both domestically and internationally.

There have been countless reports and speculation in films, images and articles about the Sanxingdui finds, especially the bronze ware items. One in particular, the “Bronze Sun Wheel,” stands out as an artifact that is both representative and fascinating.　

The Bronze Sun Wheel, measuring 88 centimeters in diameter, is a perfectly symmetrical five-spoke round disk, so well-crafted that it could easily be mistaken for a steering wheel on a bus. This likeness makes the artifact particularly popular with children, who often let their imaginations run wild as to its use. Their takes are as good as anyone’s, as even archaeologists do not know its exact purpose.　

Among the more entertaining suggestions is that a contemporary time traveler accidentally left the steering wheel at Sanxingdui. Or maybe it is a steering wheel from an alien spacecraft that visited Earth 3,000 years ago.　

A more realistic theory is that it might have been a part of some wheeled device, such as a cart, a spinning wheel or a waterwheel, all of which could have existed during that era.　

However, archaeological findings do not support this. First, no mechanical parts have been found among the tens of thousands of artifacts at Sanxingdui. Second, practical tools typically started with wooden or stone versions before more valuable bronze ones were made, but no such tools have been found at Sanxingdui. Third, even if it were a part of some practical device, early technological methods would make an even number of spokes for symmetry much simpler to craft. Creating an even five-spoke design would be difficult even for modern artisans working by hand.　

In August 2024, during the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, the Olympic flame was hoisted aloft over the Tuileries garden next to the Louvre by hot air balloon. The flame was held on a metal disc suspended beneath the balloon. Visitors who had previously seen the Sanxingdui exhibition exclaimed “Could this ‘steering wheel’ also have been used by ancient people to carry a sacred flame into the air for worship and viewing?”　

This idea could be closer to the truth. Most ancient bronzes discovered in China were ritual objects, while practical tools, especially agricultural implements, are relatively rare. There are weapons, but these were mainly status symbols for high-ranking nobles and seldom used in battle. Given the scarcity of bronze at the time, it was reserved for the most important ritual uses.　

Ritual objects, or liqi in Chinese, were used in ceremonial contexts, such as formal ceremonies, entertainment and ancestor worship, as well as to ward off evil. People believed these objects deserved to be made from the most precious materials with the finest craftsmanship. Bronze was among the most esteemed material for creating these ritual objects, highly favored by the ruling class and nobility.　

This “steering wheel” is considered representative among Sanxingdui artifacts because like the bronze standing figure, masks and sacred tree, it has all the tell-tale signs of a ritual object: expensive materials, exquisite craftsmanship and unique design. However, since no written records have been found at Sanxingdui, the exact purpose of these bronze ritual objects remains a mystery, making it one of the many unsolved mysteries of Sanxingdui culture. Parsing their religious belief system could help answer other questions as to Sanxingdui’s cultural origins and influences, whether from Central China, ancient Mesopotamia or ancient India.　

This bronze artifact might hold the key to unlocking these mysteries. If it was a practical object, like a wheel, then considering the oldest wheels were created by the ancient Mesopotamian civilization of the Tigris and Euphrates, roughly in today’s Iraq, it would suggest that Sanxingdui culture was significantly influenced by ancient Western Asia. However, if it is a ritual object, what was its purpose? A common theory among experts links its design to primitive sun worship, which inspired the name “Bronze Sun Wheel.”

However, ancient China’s Central Plains civilization in the middle and downstream of the Yellow River seems to be an exception. The sun in Central Plains mythology does not have the same status as in other civilizations – instead, it has a somewhat mixed or even negative portrayal.　

For example, according to the myth “Houyi Shoots the Suns,” there were once 10 suns in the sky. Though only one was supposed to rise each day, sometimes all 10 suns mischievously appeared together, scorching the earth and causing great suffering. Houyi, a hero known for his immense strength, shot down nine of the suns with arrows, leaving just one to continue providing light and warmth for humanity.　

Similarly, the story “Kuafu Chases the Sun” tells how tribal leader Kuafu was dissatisfied with the sun scorching the earth and causing harm to his people. He began chasing the sun from the east, where it rises, and pursued it westward for nine days and nights. Kuafu finally caught up with the sun but was utterly exhausted and dehydrated, ultimately dying of thirst. This story illustrates both Kuafu’s overestimation of his abilities and self-sacrifice for his tribe.　

These portrayals differ greatly from those of other civilizations. When it comes to sun worship, ancient Egypt is perhaps the most well-known example.　

Ancient Egypt’s unique geography was highly conducive to the early formation of a unified monarchy and its mythology. Egypt is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, with deserts on the other three sides, and the Nile River running through Upper and Lower Egypt, dividing the country into east and west.　

The sun’s east-west path was reflected in ancient Egyptian understanding of life – from birth to death, and from death to rebirth, in a perpetual cycle. Much like the sun’s daily rise and fall, and the Nile’s annual and predictable flooding, both these natural phenomena nurtured and irrigated one of humanity’s earliest agricultural civilizations.　

There are countless examples of ancient Egyptian sun worship. At the Shanghai exhibition, the presence of the sun god is ubiquitous, depicted in various forms and artistic expressions.

Because even after more than 30 years of significant archaeological discoveries, including numerous artifacts never seen before, the mystery of Sanxingdui’s origins remains unsolved, especially since no written records have been found. This lack of textual evidence has only deepened the enigma of Sanxingdui’s origins. Over the past three decades, archaeological experts have studied jade, stone and pottery artifacts unearthed from Sanxingdui, revealing that Sanxingdui culture was significantly influenced by the civilization of the Central Plains.　

Many of the jade artifacts, particularly ritual jade items, are quite similar in form and function to those found in Central Plains jade culture. However, the unique design of Sanxingdui’s bronzes remains a mystery. With the discovery of the six additional sacrificial pits, this question has only become more pronounced.　

If the dragon-shaped patterns on the clothing of the large bronze figure at Sanxingdui suggest an influence from Central Plains culture, then could the other bronze artifacts, which lack obvious Central Plains elements, have been influenced by cultures from Western Asia, Persia, India, or even Greece and Egypt? With the increasing number of unearthed artifacts and the clearer relationship between Sanxingdui and Central Plains culture, scholars and interested parties might be ready to systematically reassess possible connections between Sanxingdui and other cultures and civilizations.　

Civilizations and cultures do not exist in isolation. They develop through fusion and interaction. And perhaps this “Bronze Sun Wheel” could help broaden our view, allowing us to peer into the distance and steer a path from Sanxingdui to ancient Egypt or even further into the unknown.