The Enigmatic Legacy of Sanxingdui: Ancient Secrets, Celestial Alignments, and the Dawn of a New Civilization
In ancient solar mythology, there's a captivating legend. At the two ends of the earth stand two mighty trees. The eastern one is called Fusang, and the western one, Ruomu. They tower on mountaintops, the grandest of all trees. In primordial times, silken threads from the heavens draped down, mingling with the mother goddess Xihe in a sacred union that birthed ten children, known as the "Ten Suns." These beings blend human and divine forms, embodiments of golden crows—fierce, soaring solar birds. Each dawn, the solar birds take turns ascending from the Fusang tree in the east, streaking westward across the sky, only to descend at dusk and rest upon the Ruomu.
Legend has it, this tale forms the divine origin of the "Ten-Day Solar Calendar," a timekeeping system rooted in celestial observation that's been used in China's Central Plains for four millennia. A calendar, after all, is a method of calculating time based on heavenly patterns—the zodiac's earthly symbols in astrology. The myth may end, but the reality of these stars endures.
In the fall of 1986, a truck rumbled into the Sichuan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology. Workers unloaded crates into a modest room, drawing thick curtains over the windows. Then, they cracked open the boxes, revealing a jumble of soil-encrusted shards—broken, dusty fragments piled high. Ten years later, in Guanghan, Sichuan, a museum would officially open its doors.
A majestic bronze sacred tree, weighing 800 kilograms, stands restored, its sprawling branches supporting nine divine birds. Estimates suggest there should be a tenth at the very top. This bronze vessel was meticulously pieced together from those remnants in that dim little room back then. Its name? Sacred Tree No. 1—or, the Divine Tree "Ruomu." And the museum? The Sanxingdui Museum.
Major Discoveries at the Sanxingdui Site in 2021 Emerge from the Shadows
Since the unearthing of the No. 1 and No. 2 sacrificial pits in 1986, from 2020 to the present, six more "sacrificial pits" have been revealed, yielding over 500 significant artifacts. From gold masks and massive bronze statues to large bronze vessels and Sanxingdui gold scepters, these wide-eyed, exaggerated bronze creations echo the hot search topic buzzing lately—is the Sanxingdui site truly an extraterrestrial civilization?
Discovered in 1929;
Excavated in 1934;
Sacred pits unveiled in 1986;
New pits exposed in 2021;
……
Whether Sanxingdui is an alien civilization, I can't say. But I do know that in these pivotal moments of Sanxingdui's rediscovery lies a secret about Saturn. It bounces repeatedly between the archer's seat and the water bottle's seat, lingering in errors amid updates and iterations of collective consciousness.
Its name is civilization.
Rewind to spring 1929 in Guanghan, Sichuan. Yan Daode and his son Yan Qingbao, digging a irrigation ditch at home, stumbled upon the first jade artifact exposed at Sanxingdui. That year, Saturn lingered at the tail end of Sagittarius, the moon conjoined the south node in the heavenly scales, and guardian Saturn was exalted at 16 degrees in the giant scorpion. The yellow path bore a "power number." A story from the past was about to unfold. Sanxingdui seemed fated to carry the essence of the archer and the heavenly scales, transcending cultures and perspectives, brimming with divine mystery and wonder. Much like the Yan family's excavation process.
After unearthing the jade, the precocious Yan Daode spotted the "bronze mechanism" within at a glance. He reburied the artifact, waiting until nightfall when no one was around to dig it up again. Subsequently, the Yan father and son unearthed over 400 jade pieces. But good fortune was fleeting; the family fell gravely ill, nearly fatal. Thus, they decided to "break the curse by dissipating wealth," selling or donating the jades. Thanks to the Yans, Sanxingdui escaped destructive excavation at the time.
Back then, no one knew that this Saturnine tail-end overture in Sagittarius would, years later, become the "world's ninth wonder." She would bring a barbaric culture utterly unlike the Central Plains civilization into public view. And amid scholars' debates, it would be summarized as a distinctive "divine power culture."
Divine, like that arrow racing to the horizon in Sagittarius. Yet now, in February 1929, a corner of this ancient civilization pried open by fate has once again fallen back into slumber. She awaits true vision. The answer would dawn in 1934. That year, Saturn entered Aquarius. And on this rugged soil, other voices echo from another dimension, listening to shared destinies. For instance, the archaeologist who just became curator of the West China University Museum, visiting professor Wei Weihan. While organizing the museum's collection, Wei spotted five Sanxingdui jades acquired from the Yan family, stored by British missionary John Graham.
Image source: Online; 1934, Wei Weihan (far left) with the excavation team at the Yan courtyard site (Provided by Sichuan University Museum)
Wei Weihan immediately recognized the archaeological value of these artifacts. He contacted John Graham and led a team to Guanghan. After ten days of digging, Wei unearthed over 600 artifacts and fragments from Sanxingdui. Comparing them, he concluded a local culture existed in contact with the Central Plains, dating roughly from the late Neolithic to early Zhou, around 1100 BCE. Thus, he proposed the concept of the "Guanghan Culture."
This excavation formally brought Sanxingdui into the archaeological spotlight, allowing the ancient civilization behind her (Saturn) to truly enter the collective human view (Aquarius).
And the story? It was just beginning.
1986 marked a year of broader global vision. For many, the deepest impression of 1986 is a TV drama. On Chinese New Year's Eve, February 9, Journey to the West aired, drawing 89.4% viewership—streets empty nationwide. It was the eighth year of reform and opening up, with freer, innovative vibes sweeping the country; people were growing accustomed to richer, more colorful lives. Journey to the West became one of China's first cultural exports to the world.
That year, Saturn was in Sagittarius. But what elevated us onto the world stage wasn't just the TV show.
In July 1986, Sanxingdui Pits 1 and 2 successively yielded over a thousand bronze, gold, and jade artifacts, shocking the globe. From then on, the site was hailed as one of humanity's greatest archaeological finds of the 20th century. This archaeological milestone suddenly illuminated China's ancient civilization under the world's spotlight. Pluralistic and inclusive, Sagittarius carried arrows from unprecedented perspectives, shooting toward broader horizons.
Expanding horizons—these are words belonging to Saturn's archer. And this expansion was more an extension on the spiritual-cultural front. Through this forward-leaping journey, we glimpse our own smallness and the vastness of conceptual worlds. "The nature of the sacrificial pits determines Sanxingdui's essence"—one standout feature is its profound, intense ritual culture.
Faith is Sanxingdui's core, and Sagittarius' core.
Image source: Online; 1986, Sanxingdui "Bronze Standing Figure" unearthed
As ritual bronzes, the bronze eye-covered figures symbolizing power with gold scepters, massive bronze statues, the bronze sacred tree... These unearthed artifacts captivating the global archaeological community all bear intense imprints of faith.
Buried in history's layered sediments, Saturn hides too many distant memories. Those are the frameworks of bygone ages, societal forms. Now, Sagittarius erupts fittingly, like a wild horse bolting free, letting us, through faith's symbols, glimpse in astonishment the vast ocean of ancient spiritual worlds. That year, the sun was in Sagittarius too. And another collective representative, the guardian Saturn, sat in the heavenly scales.
This phase of excavation confirmed for archaeologists: The ancient Ba-Shu, once called "land of barbarians," had developed civilization 3,000-5,000 years ago. People realized Sanxingdui culture even implies that the center of ancient Chinese civilization isn't solely the Yellow River basin—there's also the Yangtze—making Chinese civilization's origins pluralistic and integrated.
This discovery let Sagittarius, in the mainstream domain represented by Saturn, gallop into new rivers and lakes. It truly refreshed how we view history. By the 1980s, it became a golden age for pre-Qin archaeology. Sanxingdui's finds relate to Saturn's expansive vibe. Amid reform's winds, academia gained freer scholarly atmospheres; spiritually, pursuits grew more fervent.
This growing spiritual demand on society's surface (Saturn) isn't singular but pluralistic. Sagittarius' aim is to evolve higher spiritual goals on the consciousness level. Saturn's grounding extends this "higher spiritual reach" into society.
When Journey to the West actors, carrying ancestral mission, passionately performed on stage, at the Beijing concert commemorating the "1986 International Year of Peace," Cui Jian's Nothing to My Name stunned the nation. His performance first planted rock 'n' roll's milestone on the mainstream stage.
From known to unknown. For Saturn, this isn't easy. Sagittarius ties to pursuing faith and truth, while Saturn signifies the journey's hardships. Saturn in the archer evokes the "quest for scriptures in the West": We carry beliefs in reality, chasing heart's ideals time and again.
Whether Journey to the West's visualization, Sanxingdui's excavations, or rock era's awakening... In this spiritual expansion journey, we tangibly touch a "greater" spirit. And this seems precisely what Saturn's archer does: Let grandson monkey somersault on the scripture path, drawing larger circles for Tang's monk.
Finally, time arrives at 2021.
This is the third month after the 2020 pandemic year ended. Two million departed this world; some collisions still blaze fiercely, silent ashes linger in corners…… Yet in the network's other realm, people welcomed a digital day splashed across screens by Sanxingdui's "six consecutively unearthed mystery boxes."
Like an ancient call, Saturn returns to Aquarius, quadrature to the sun—just like 1934 when Sanxingdui was formally surveyed. And guardian Saturn reaches Capricorn. This deep-buried ancient civilization reignites her collision with collective consciousness. And this time, what does she want to tell us?
If 1934's Saturn in Aquarius, with Wei Weihan's formal excavation, was a beginning, then 2021 feels like its echo. Since last year, archaeologists restarted a new round of surveys and digs at Sanxingdui, uncovering six more "sacrificial pits" with over 500 key artifacts: gold mask fragments, bronze sacred trees, ivory tusks, and more.
And this Sanxingdui hot search dominating screens thrusts before us the ancient civilization's "vanguard," "breaking through pluralistic and cultural walls." This is Saturn in Aquarius' essence. Dubbed "alien" by netizens, the vertical-eyed bronze masks by Zheng Yunlong spark our imagination of ritual culture and deity worship. Silk remnants like "black carbon" expand boundaries on southern silk road timelines in pre-Qin eras.
Image source: Sichuan Daily; Netizen's gold mask
"Network red" gold masks, designs like directional compasses and furious little birds—these "vanguard" elements open cross-era hot debates and exchanges. Beyond that, Sanxingdui's most vital, most mysterious ritual culture links us to other ancient civilizations.
At 30°N latitude, Sanxingdui shares a parallel with ancient Egypt, India, Babylon, Mesoamerica. Perhaps due to this "mystical" position, its artifacts show traits from diverse cultural spheres; people speculate ties to Erlitou culture, ancient Egypt, etc. For example, Sanxingdui's gold masks evoke Egyptian pharaohs wearing them in death, or African rain-dance debtor masks.
Where does Sanxingdui's civilization truly originate? What cultures did it absorb and transcend? What does its ritual civilization truly signify? We can't know for sure, but one answer is certain: They share a common name—spirit.
Image source: Online; Bronze Standing Figure
As Sagittarius' opposite, Aquarius and Sagittarius both carry spiritual expansion and breakthroughs. The former transcends cultural bounds, pursuing spiritual horizons, living out willful creation's ultimate heights in life's journey; the latter, with shared visions and unions, transmits similar heartbeats and breaths between tribes.
1934's wartime, Sanxingdui's excavation began;
Post-2021 pandemic, Sanxingdui's civilization renews.
Like a collective sync, one side of the world enters fission, involution, and shrouds from fear; the other calls for brand-new unions, an eternal script of fate from unchanging antiquity, because of love. People chase extraterrestrial civilizations, mysterious pasts, wondering whence the guests came.
This is Saturn in Aquarius—fear and love's dialectic.
Sanxingdui's reemergence, like a temporal mirror, infuses interpersonal spaces with liberating air. Letting us, in past stories, see another possibility for collectives.
This year marks Sanxingdui's 92nd year in the world.
From the first jade unearthed to 1934's formal recognition: 5 years; From 1934 site confirmation to Pits 1 and 2 unveiled: 52 years; From 400 top artifacts debuting to 2021's 500 more: 35 years…… 92 years—that's three generations on stage, one generation's passing. Yet compared to Sanxingdui's millennial civilization history, it's but a white horse fleeting past a crevice.
Saturn's keyword is service. Like humanity's service to time. Sites, archaeology, excavations—the Saturnine threads hidden behind these ancient terms concern time and persistence. And those treasures left after experiencing time.
"In esoteric astrology, Saturn represents the disciple, meaning one who is learning…… It carries ancient, flawless inheritance, always linked to the mystical world, religions, folk tales, and children's stories in various ways. The concept it seeks to express is: Instead of fleeing evil demons, go forward to kiss its double lips, letting it shake and transform into the sun's blazing eye."
Yet, the compassion in Alice Bailey's "kiss the double lips" often cloaks painful exteriors. There, we must shed our ego, and the severance and loss from letting go:
Sanxingdui's Ba-Shu civilization's exact chronology remains untraceable. But its conclusion has a date: 316 BCE, spring and autumn, Qin armies south to Shu, merging Shu into Qin.
95 years later, Qin unifies the six states, proclaims emperor.
14 years later, Qin falls;
5 years later, Han dynasty rises, capital Chang'an, Liu Bang historically Han Gaozu;
Another 15 years, Eastern Han established, with Zhang Heng's seismograph ahead, Ban Chao's western envoy behind;
To the Battle of Red Cliffs, Three Kingdoms rise……
Then, Wei Jin north-south dynasties, Tang Song Yuan Ming Qing.
Nations perish, civilizations endure eternally. But what kind of civilization endures?
Image source: Xinhua Net; 2021 Sanxingdui unearthing
Saturn says, not what kind of civilization, but civilization itself. People think Saturn brings time's cold copy, unaware of the growth only the wise perceive beneath, and true evolution. Ba-Shu vanished, like later Qin Han Three Kingdoms, yet they regrow in new forms—infused into the blood: And now, summer.
Humanity's evolutionary torch ignites in moments of shedding pride, dissolving biases. Sanxingdui entering the world—this "world's ninth wonder"'s most eye-catching aspect is none other than—it lets us step out of Central Plains civilization's ego-center, seeing the collective light co-born with it. The ancient texts' "barbarian land" was once a glorious civilization's weaver.
Saturn's endurance dwells amid era's changes. It concerns nature's laws for true growth and rest. Frank, president of the Luntz Astrology Academy, once said, "Ultimately, all Uranus-style novelties become Saturn-style; pioneering contents turn conservative, and dragon-slaying heroes ultimately become dragons."
People think Saturn is antiquity's unchanging preserver. But Saturn knows: Only the preserve itself is unchanging. In Greek myths, Uranus conquered by Cronus, Cronus by Zeus; finally, divine powers stand divided, gods coexist, no more heavenly strife.
Image source: Online
1929, in Sagittarius era's tail note, people saw "another civilization"'s torchlight;
1934, in Aquarius era's mid-game, a fresh recognition of old things began;
1986, in another Sagittarius era's opening, another cultural fire illuminated the distance;
……
Today, what new life do we assign to history's past?
92 years ago, the world on war's brink gasped in hardship, ultimately shattering nation-walls with great war; 92 years later, the world just endured a great war—can hundreds of millions' deaths exchange for nations' union? Past and future interchange repeatedly. People think they're racing from past to wholly different future. Yet unaware, in the future, we rediscover the past again and again.
One foot steps to the stars, one into the grave; we dance between hope and despair; we strive to touch the starry sky, forgetting roots below hold spirit's eternal thirst.
Saturn knows: The past won't vanish; one day, it will see the sun again. In new guise, carrying all humanity's memories, all told and untold stories, passed to the next generation's hands. With new ink, rewriting those once-defined tales. Just like this current Saturn in Aquarius, and that quadrature sun.
A new civilization is about to begin.
(This article represents one observational perspective; events are multidimensional, limited by length hard to cover fully; if shortcomings, hope readers forgive; welcome more views and corrections in comments to share thoughts)
References:
[1] Li Ling. Unbearable Civilization Scenes: Following a Frontline Archaeological Team Across History[M]
[2] Qian Wei. Why Do Sanxingdui Excavations Always Spark Sensations? [EB/OL]. Xinmin Weekly
[3] Zhang Xingyun. Who Was the First to Excavate Sanxingdui Site? [EB/OL]. Sanlian Life Weekly
[4] Li Sida. Sanxingdui "Renewed": The Distinctive Sanxingdui Civilization's True Origins [EB/OL]. National Humanity History
Text | Shepherd Jade Heart Lamp Qingtan
Editor | Shepherd
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