三星堆

Why this place

Sanxingdui is the site of a Bronze Age civilisation in the Chengdu plain that produced bronze masks with protruding eyes, a 4-metre bronze tree and gold wares — objects unlike anything else in Chinese archaeology — and then disappeared without leaving a single written record. It rewrote the story of how Chinese civilisation began.

What to see

• The bronze masks, including the largest with its columnar eyes
• The bronze sacred tree, nearly 4 metres tall
• The gold masks and the gold sceptre
• The sacrificial pits and the reconstructed site, at the new museum campus

What to eat

• Sichuan cooking in Guanghan or back in Chengdu
• The local 'chuanbei' and preserved-meat dishes of the Chengdu plain

How to plan

Half a day to a full day, plus travel from Chengdu.

Best time

March–May and September–November

Practical tips

• The new museum is large — allow at least three hours, and book ahead in holidays