Golden Sun Bird

Golden Sun Bird
Material Gold
Size 12.5 cm in diameter
Discovered 2001
Present location Chengdu Jinsha Ruins Museum

The Golden Sun Bird (simplified Chinese: 太阳神鸟金饰; traditional Chinese: 太陽神鳥金飾; pinyin: Tàiyáng Shénniǎo Jīnshì) is an ancient artifact, unearthed in 2001 from the Jinsha Ruins in Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, China.[1]

It is a ring-shaped piece of foil, made of nearly pure gold. The pattern consists of four birds, flying in the same counter-clockwise direction, located around the perimeter. The center is a sun pattern with twelve points. It is 12.5 cm in diameter, with a 5.29 cm inner diameter. It has a thickness of 0.02 cm, and weighs 20 grams. [2]

The piece is from the late Shang dynasty, and is now located in the Chengdu Jinsha Ruins Museum.

Logo

In 2011, the city of Chengdu selected the Golden Sun Bird as the design for its logo. [3]

References

  1. author: unknown. "Gold Sunbird". Chinese Treasures. Retrieved 2012-02-15.
  2. ":: 新华网 :: - 地方联播". Xinhuanet.com. 2005-08-16. Retrieved 2012-02-15.
  3. "Chengdu Unveils its New City Logo". news.ifeng.com. 2011-12-30. Retrieved 2012-02-10.