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CGTN ICON's Interview with Director of the Sanxingdui Site Workstation
30:00

In a special ICON series on the ancient archaeological site at Sanxingdui, host Ji Xiaojun talks to Lei Yu, director of the Sanxingdui Site Workstation. Having graduated from Peking University with a degree in archaeology, Lei started work at the Sichuan Provincial Cultural Relics and Archaeology Research Institute in 1984. Early on, he became involved with the Sanxingdui site, located in Guanghan City. When, in 1986, a trove of ancient artifacts was discovered there, the archaeological world was astonished. Thirty-five years later, Chinese archaeologists undertaking a second excavation have uncovered six more sacrificial pits at Sanxingdui, in addition to the original two. What new discoveries do they hope to make? Can they dispel some of the mystery surrounding Sanxingdui? In this special episode, we accompany Lei Yu to the Sanxingdui site, where it's hoped more can be revealed about the ancient State of Shu. Lei Yu also shares his personal story, explains how new archaeological techniques are being employed, and offers his views on the current craze for archaeology in China. 

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