The style of this god-man sculpture is almost identical with that of a human head profile found in the No 2 pit of the Sanxingdui Ruins, and similar to that of a large bronze animal mask unearthed from the same pit.

The identical style of this jade sculpture from the Jinsha Ruins and the human head profile from the Sanxingdui Ruins indicates the close links between the two sites, researchers say.

Like the Sanxingdui Museum whose exhibits are mainly from sacrificial pits of the Sanxingdui Ruins, most of the exhibits in the Jinsha Site Museum are from the area for holding sacrificial rites. Historical records show that in ancient China, sacrifice and war were the most important state affairs.

Although the Jinsha Site Museum does not seem to be a very hot tourist destination, most of the time being of interest only to history buffs like Shen, it has received 16 million visitors since it opened in 2007, according to Zhu.

In addition to its regular exhibits, the museum arranges unique temporary exhibitions, like the present Syrian cultural relic exhibition. Many of the temporary exhibitions span the Spring Festival and are a big draw for locals.

Contact the writers at huangzhiling@chinadaily.com.cn

If you go

Jinsha Site Museum

8 am-6 pm

2 Jinsha Yizhi Lu, Chengdu, Sichuan province

Tel: 028-8730-3522

Admission: 70 yuan