Archaeological sites bear witness to history and embody the inheritance of culture. As April 18 marks the International Day for Monuments and Sites (國(guó)際古跡遺址日, guó jì gǔ jì yí zhǐ rì), also known as World Heritage Day (世界遺產(chǎn)日, shì jiè yí chǎn rì), we've selected ten archaeological sites in China that merit exploration.

6. The Jinsha site, Sichuan province (四川金沙遺址, sì chuān jīn shā yí zhǐ)

Located in Chengdu, capital city of Sichuan province, the Jinsha site is the urban center of the ancient Shu Kingdom (古蜀國(guó)市中心, gǔ shǔ guó shì zhōng xīn) and features the distinct Shu culture that emerged during the Shang and Zhou dynasties (c.16th century-256 BC) (商周時(shí)期, shāng zhōu shí qī). Its civilization, along with the Sanxingdui civilization, was two of the peaks of development in ancient Shu history.

The Jinsha site has excavated the densest collection of ivory (象牙制品, xiàng yá zhì pǐn) and the most abundant gold and jade artifacts (金銀工藝品, jīn yín gōng yì pǐn) of any site dating back to the same period globally. The most famous "Sun and Immortal Birds Gold Ornament" (太陽(yáng)神鳥金飾, tài yáng shén niǎo jīn shì), has been designated as a symbol of Chinese cultural heritage and the symbol of Chengdu's urban image.