THE VANISHED BUILDERS OF SANXINGDUI CIVILIZATION

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hopefully I can say this right. But the vanished builders
of the san xing Duive civilization San shing Dui is
san Xi and g Dui. It remains one of the
greatest archeological mysteries of ancient China. Discovered in nineteen twenty
nine and further excavated in the eighties and Shishuan province,
the shanxing Dui site revealed a lost Bronze Age culture

(00:21):
unlike anything previously associated with early Chinese civilization. Giant bronze masks,
gold covered staffs, intricate jade objects, and other worldly statues
suggest to people of immense creativity, wealth and power, yet
there's no written language or historical record that directly mentions
who they are. The builders of this sang jing Dui

(00:43):
vanished over three thousand years ago, and their identity still
baffles historians. Dated to sixteen hundred and twelve hundred BCE,
that particular culture flush flourished during the same period as
the Shang dynasty, traditionally, regardless of China's first major Bronze
Age society. However, the art of facts at sang jing
Dui off differed drammatically from Shang Objects in both style

(01:04):
and symbolism. The exaggerated eyes and facial features of the
bronze masks, some nearly sized life size, were larger ap
pure alien and ceremonial. The craftsmanship is technically advanced, suggesting
a highly organized society. Yet around twelve hundred BC, the
sang xing du Dui culture seems to have abruptly collapsed
or relocated. There's no clear evidence of war, disease, or

(01:28):
environmental catastrophe, leaving researchers to wonder where such a powerful
civilization disappeared so suddenly. Some theorizes that a massive earthquake
altered the course of the nearby Minjiang River, disrupting agriculture
and trade routes and forcing the inhabitants to abandon the site.
Others believe this people might have emerged with or evolved into,
the later Shoue Kingdom known from earlier Chinese records. What

(01:50):
makes this so remarkable is its indication that early Chinese
civilization was far more diverse and regionally complex than once believed.
For decades, scholars assumed that the Yellow River Valley is
the singular crater cradle of Chinese culture, but the sang
jing Dui challenges his narrative by revealing a parallel, highly
developed society in the Southwest. Despite new fines and technological advances,

(02:13):
the true identity of these people remains elusive. Their legacy
lives on, and the objects they are left behind mystical, magistic,
and haunting. For now, it stands as a powerful reminder
the history often holds more questions than answers, So I
don't know if this is unexplained in regards to them
living there, but their advancement and their wealth that remains unexplained.

(02:34):
It's a fascinating story.