1 Day Chengdu Panda & Sanxingdui Tour: Trace the Lost Ancient Shu Civilization

In the morning, you will meet your guide early at the appointed time in your hotel lobby. Since pandas prefer cool weather and are more active in the morning, we advise you to arrive early at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding (Chengdu Panda Base), located only about 17 kilometers away from the city center. This is the closest panda base around Chengdu for you to fulfill your panda dream.

Chengdu Panda Base is the base with the largest population of captive giant pandas in the world, accommodating over 100 pandas of different ages. You can watch pandas playing, eating, climbing, sleeping, and in autumn, even see the pink newborn giant panda cubs in the Sunshine Nursery House and the Moonlight Nursery House. Discover the charming panda stars at this base, such as Hua Hua, the most adored and celebrated panda who has captured the hearts of the nation, and Zhi Ma, the real-life inspiration behind the panda mascot of the World University Games. Besides giant pandas, the cute red pandas (rarer than giant pandas) at the Red Panda Playgrounds are also the highlight of the Chengdu Panda Base. Nowadays, the panda base has also become an urban birding spot for local birders and kids to search for Red-billed Leiothrix, Black-throated Tit, Chinese Blackbird, Spotted Dove, White-browed Laughingthrush, and more. If you're interested, you can follow your guide to discover more about pandas' secrets through the Chengdu Giant Panda Museum, which is free to enter but requires advance reservation and is closed on Mondays.

After lunch, drive to visit the Sanxingdui Museum in Guanghan, which is about 40km away from Chengdu. This is an archaeological museum that exhibits relics of the Shu kingdom, a cradle of Chinese civilization that dates back about 3,000 to 5,000 years. The most famous pieces in the collection include a nearly 4-meter-tall Bronze Sacred Tree, a 1.38-meter-wide bronze mask, a 2.56-meter-tall Bronze Standing Figure, and the oldest golden scepter, among others. All items are different from any other kind of archaeological items we have found on earth before. Some archaeologists say that Sanxingdui was a super-civilization, even more important than Xi'an's Terracotta Warriors.

The Sanxingdui Museum is divided into several sections, including the comprehensive pavilion, which displays jade, stone, gold, pottery and bronze objects used in sacrificial ceremonies, depicting the appearance of the ancient Shu civilization and the historical context of the Sanxingdui site. Here, you will encounter famous artifacts such as the Bronze Standing Figure, Bronze Sacred Tree, God Scepter, Gold Mask, and Jabe Tablet. Another highlight is the Bronze Pavilion, showcasing the most representative bronze artifacts, such as the iconic Vertical-eyed Bronze Mask and Bronze Human Heads. The Sanxingdui bronzes are renowned worldwide for their unique cultural and artistic value, making them exceptional representatives of the world's bronze culture.

Your guide will provide rich, contextual narratives of the Sanxingdui culture as you move through the museum, helping you understand the significance of the artifacts and their roles in the civilization's daily life and religious practices. After the visit, you will be driven back to your hotel in Chengdu.