New discoveries at the Sanxingdui Ruins site in Guanghan, Sichuan Province drew the world’s attention. On March 20, Chinese archaeologists (考古学家) announced that they had found more than 500 cultural relics (文物) in six new pits at the site, dating back about 3, 000 years.

So far, archaeologists have unearthed different important cultural relics from four of the pits, including pieces of gold masks, gold foil (箔), bronze masks, bronze trees and large numbers of ivories. In 1986, a large number of cultural relics were discovered in No. 1 and No. 2 pits.

The Sanxingdui Ruins, which were first discovered in 1929, are believed to be the remains of the ancient Shu Kingdom. The kingdom was a center of civilization (文明) along the upper reaches of Yangtze River.

The discovery of Sanxingdui raised an important question about the origins of Chinese civilization. The ancient Shu civilization that built Sanxingdui is believed to be one of the earliest examples of Chinese civilization. The site, along with the Liangzhu and Shijiahe sites along the Yangtze River, shows that the birthplace of Chinese civilization might not have been only along the Yellow River Basin in north China.

The newly-discovered cultural relics are similar to those found in 1986, as they also include bronze trees and bronze masks. They further support the idea that the pits were used for sacrificial purposes.

New kinds of cultural relics have also been dug up. For example, experts found two square zun (尊), a kind of ancient bronze jar that was used for holding water or wine. They also found cong (琮)-a jade item commonly found at the 5, 000-year-old Liangzhu Archaeological Ruins in Zhejiang Province.

“These artifacts show that the Sanxingdui Ruins site had a close connection with Central China, but it also marks an original ancient civilization in Sichuan with strong creativity,” said Chen Xiandan, a member of the project who also took part in the 1986 excavation (发掘).

Four Treasures of Study is Chinese brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. It got its name in the Northern and Southern Dynasties（朝代）. In the old days, People used them for writing and drawing in their everyday life, but now they are used because of people’s interest.

It’s said that Chinese brush was first made by Meng Tian in the Qin Dynasty. So it has a history of over 2,000 years. The body of Chinese brush can be made of different kinds of materials like bamboo, wood, gold and so on because of different needs. But the materials of the head are usually animal hair. Hu Brush is the best Chinese brush that comes from Shanlian, Zhejiang.

Paper refers to Xuan paper. Xuan paper smells（闻起来）nice because it’s usually made from rice plants. And it can take in ink easily so people like to use it. Paintings on Xuan paper look more beautiful than on other kinds of paper and it can be kept well after many years. Nowadays, the Xuan paper made in Jing County of Anhui Province is People’s favorite.

In ancient China, ink is used together with inkstone. Before man-made ink came out, people used natural（天然的）ink. Inkstone is the head of the four treasures. There are many fans of Duan Inkstone. It is made in Zhaoqing, Guangdong.

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Double Ninth Festival in China is celebrated on the ninth day of the ninth month of the Chinese lunar calendar（农历）every year. And it is also known as Chongyang Festival.

Traditionally, it’s a time when the family get together to climb hills, drink chrysanthemum wines（菊花酒）, eat Chongyang cakes, and wear cornels（茱萸）. However, those activities are only one part of the story. The day is also seen as a chance to care for the elderly.

Once upon a time, on a river bank lived a farmer called Aniu with his blind mother. Aniu wanted to cure（治愈）his mother’s eyes. One night, he dreamed of a beautiful girl, who told him to find white chrysanthemum in the west. She said the flower would come out on the ninth day of the ninth month and could cure his mother’s eyes. He followed his dream, found the flower and planted it in his yard. On the ninth day of the ninth month, the flowers came out. His mother could see things again.

The story is very beautiful and now the festival is still popular among Chinese. The old traditions are meaningful to people’s health. Mountain climbing encourages people to exercise, while chrysanthemum wines are good for the eyes, liver（肝脏）and brain. Cornel, with its special smell, can stop people from catching a cold. The day also reminds all people to take care of the elderly.

Nowadays, the festival has also developed some new meanings. It’s the time for young adults to have a family outing with their elder parents on this day.