The Sanxingdui site, which gives strong evidence of the diverse origins of Chinese civilization, contains the oldest and largest ruins from the ancient Shu Kingdom in the southwest China region, which dates back 3,000 to 5,000 years.

Xiao Xianjin, curator of the Sanxingdui Museum, said at the conference that the two new exhibition halls built on the original archeological site will house the world's tallest bronze tree and a large collection of jade pieces.

The discovery of the archeological site has great significance in the study of the civilization in the Yangtze River Valleys, or southern China, which used to be considered less civilized in ancient times than the northern region. The museum was opened in 1997 and has some 1,200 relics.

It has been visited by about two million Chinese and foreign visitors.

(People's Daily November 30, 2001)