Findings shed light on Sanxingdui layout

Thanks to the relics, the Sanxingdui Museum has recorded over 5.9 million visits this year.

"We urgently needed to figure out where and how these artifacts were made," Ran recalled. "So, after the excavation of the 'sacrificial pits' was completed, we began to seek answers in areas where there could be workshops.

"The jade-processing workshop also gives an idea about production technology, resource management and division of labor in the Sanxingdui era," he said. "It shows how a complicated society was organized."

Excavations have also revealed the urban infrastructure of the Sanxingdui site. To the south of the workshop, a three-tier earthen terrace covering an area of over 6,000 sq m was discovered. The ruins of a wood and bamboo structure measuring 200 sq m were found on the terrace premises.

"This could have been a core zone of a settlement complex," Ran said.

Another key new finding is a large-scale network of waterways in the eastern and southern parts of the Sanxingdui site.

"Some are natural waterways while the others are moats by city walls and ditches within the city," Ran said. "We could also figure out the direction of water flow." At the spots where the waterways flowed out of the town, Ran's team came across several sluice gates.

Lei Xingshan, a veteran archaeologist with Beijing Union University, said the terraces and waterways could provide a fresh view of Sanxingdui's urban layout.

"Though it's still too early to arrive at a conclusion, it reminds us of the water town of Liangzhu," he said.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site in Zhejiang province, the Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City, estimated to be over 4,300 years old, is also known for its highly developed water conservancy system and jade.