Sacred Bronze Tree
A nearly 4-meter tall bronze tree with birds, flowers, and a dragon — possibly representing the mythical Fusang Tree connecting heaven and earth.
The Story
Rising 3.96 meters, this is the tallest bronze artifact ever discovered from the ancient world. The tree has three levels of branches, each bearing three clusters of fruit and perching birds — nine birds in total. A sinuous dragon coils down the trunk. Many scholars believe this represents the mythical Fusang Tree (扶桑树) described in the ancient text 'Shan Hai Jing' (Classic of Mountains and Seas), upon which ten suns would rest. The tree was found smashed into over 200 fragments in a sacrificial pit and painstakingly restored over years. One branch remains missing, suggesting the tree may have originally been even taller.
Why It Matters
The tree connects Sanxingdui's unknown civilization to pan-Asian mythology of the World Tree, suggesting cultural exchanges across vast distances in the Bronze Age.
Fun Facts
It was reconstructed from over 200 broken fragments
One branch is still missing — the complete tree may have been taller
The 9 birds may represent the 9 of 10 suns from Chinese mythology
Similar 'world tree' concepts exist in Norse, Mesoamerican, and Indian mythologies
Where to See It
Public collections holding this artifact or closely related pieces.
In Popular Culture
Modern games, films, and TV shows that draw on this artifact.
The Connection
The mythological 'world tree' imagery in the film's cosmic scenes resonates with the Sanxingdui Sacred Bronze Tree — both drawing from an ancient pan-Chinese cosmology of a tree connecting heaven and earth.
The Connection
The franchise's sacred mountain and cosmic lineage imagery resonates with the Sanxingdui Bronze Tree, one of China's most powerful surviving images of a world axis.
Part of These Themes
Sanxingdui Mysteries
A 3,000-year-old civilization that rewrote Chinese history
The bronze masks, gold foil, and towering figures of Sanxingdui belong to a civilization the world did not know existed until 1986 — and many of their secrets remain unsolved.
4 artifacts →
Mythic Animals and Cosmic Order
Dragons, beasts, trees, masks, and the invisible structure of the universe
Chinese art repeatedly turns animals and hybrid beings into maps of the cosmos — from Sanxingdui birds and bronze masks to Shang taotie, jade beasts, and porcelain dragons.
6 artifacts →
Ancient Shu & Sichuan Heritage
Sanxingdui, Jinsha, Leshan, and the Cultural Geography Behind New Chinese Games
Sichuan's heritage is not peripheral to Chinese civilization — Sanxingdui, Jinsha, and Leshan form a 3,000-year arc of bronze ritual, gold sun worship, Buddhist monumentality, and contemporary game-world design.
5 artifacts →
Related Artifacts
Bronze
Bronze Standing Figure
The tallest and oldest known bronze statue in the world — a 2.62-meter enigmatic figure with enormous hands, seemingly grasping something now lost to time.
Gold
Gold Mask of Sanxingdui
A hauntingly beautiful gold mask weighing about 280 grams, with protruding eyes and an enigmatic smile that has captivated the modern world.
Sources & References
- ·Wikipedia — Sanxingdui(CC-BY-SA 3.0)
Content informed by the sources above. Where Wikipedia text is used, it is licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.