China Digs

China’s future is bright. So it its past. Nowhere is the link more evident than in big cities, where bulldozers are clearing the way for skyscrapers and digging up ancient sites in the process. In 2001 workers in Jinsha, a suburb of the fast-growing city of Chengdu, stumbled upon a treasure trove; thousands of relics- from gold head wear and jewelry to elephant tusks used in religious rituals- dating back 3,000 years to the Shu kingdom. Beijing’s Olympic sites have also yielded major finds, including hundreds of tombs and artifacts. The oldest are from the Han dynasty, some 2,000 years ago.

But the rush to modernize can come with a hefty historical price tag. Construction crews, failing to notify experts, having illegally destroyed sites; looting is a constant problem. That may be changing. Archaeology is a growing discipline in China, and Jinsha has opened a state-financed museum to display the bounty. Meaning what’s old is once again new.