Sanxingdui Bronze Heads

The Sanxingdui ruins are the earliest and largest Shu culture site found so far. In 1986, two sacrificial pits were found in Sanxingdui. The historical relics excavated from the pits all reflect the religious worshipping and sacrificial activities in the ancient Shu State. And the dozen or so bronze heads unearthed are a testament to the ancestral belief custom at that time.

The sizes of the bronze heads are pretty much the same as those of real people. The heads are cast to include the whole neck, with the lower parts of some heads being cast into an upside-down triangle shape. The crowns on the heads, plaited hair at the back and the collars at the necks can be clearly seen. The facial features are presented in an exaggerated manner, with excessively big eyes that are like apricot leaves and protruding pupils in the middle. The ears are equally big. They are created in cloud-shape structures, with holes at the lobes.

Meanwhile, the brows on the heads are broadly shaped, with long mouths and protruding cheeks. The heads are in different styles. Some are round and full, and some are slim. There are crowned heads wearing hairpins, heads with buns or coils and heads with gold foil masks etc.
 
One of the most distinctive features of the Shu people's ancestor Can Cong was "protruding eyes". And the eyes of these heads are all highlighted with exaggeration, reflecting the worship of divine ancestors by ancient Sanxingdui people.