Jinsha was discovered in 2001 during urban construction in Chengdu, revealing a major ancient Shu ritual center active roughly 1200–650 BC. The site yielded gold masks, jade weapons, stone figures, ivory deposits, and the famous Sun Bird gold foil that later became China's official cultural heritage symbol. Together with Sanxingdui, Jinsha proves that the Chengdu Plain had a sophisticated Bronze Age civilization with its own ritual system, artistic language, and solar-bird iconography.
