Shu/History

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Although better known as the base of Liu Bei during the Three Kingdoms period, the ancient region of Shu (centred around present-day Sichuan province in China) had a long and illustrious past that predated his arrival there by centuries. Shu, by virtue of her hilly terrain, her strategic location at the peripheries of the Chinese world as well as her unique natural resources, was an important regional power during the Warring States period. Even after the loss of independence, she would still wield great influence over the history of China in the Bronze Age — the success and eventual dominance of Qin is often attributed to two things — the success of Zheng Guo's canal works begun under king Zhaoxiang, and the fecundity of the lands of Shu and Ba, which after annexation provided a breadbasket region to maintain a vast standing army for Qin.

Discoveries, such as a trove of boat-shaped coffins and grave goods made near Chengdu in 2017, suggest that the Shu state was socially stratified and enjoyed a highly developed material culture, with interments made during a period stretching from the Spring and Autumn Period to the Warring States Period itself. The discovery of glass beads in one coffin hinted at possible trade links with the Middle East, as with other parts of China.

According to legends and historical records, there was once an ancient state called “Shu” located in the enclosed Sichuan Basin in Southwest China. In 316 B.C., the ancient Shu State was conquered by the Qin State and the ancient Shu culture had been buried under the mainstream Central Plain (Zhongyuan) culture, only leaving a few reign titles mentioned in the later literatures and tales. Thus, the reconstruction of the ancient Shu history and culture is heavily relied on archaeological materials and references. Thanks to the important archaeological findings in the sites of ancient Shu, a unique and fascinating civilization, which was entirely different from the Bronze Civilization of the Yellow River Valley, was gradually revealed. The Archaeological Sites of the Ancient Shu State is an outstanding representative of the Bronze Age Civilization of China, East Asia and even the world. The nominated Archaeological Sites of the Ancient Shu State consists of Sanxingdui Site, Jinsha Site, and the Great Tomb in the Shangye (commerce) Street, and their natural environment in a total heritage area of 611.3 hectares.

Sanxingdui culture[edit | edit source]

Jinsha culture[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]