Led by Ma Yansong, MAD Architects unveiled the design proposal for the "Sanxingdui Ancient Shu Culture Relics Museum and Associated Facilities" titled "The Eyes of Sanxingdui." MAD places a series of scattered, shuttle-shaped wooden structures above the dense forest and clear waters of the site. These new buildings create a new earthbound landscape, simultaneously evoking the ancient future mystique reminiscent of the Sanxingdui civilization, while their restrained mass and form connect seamlessly with nature. The design transforms the area into a cultural and urban public space where humanity and nature, history and future meet.

Located in the western part of Guanghan City, Sichuan Province, the Sanxingdui Ruins date back approximately 4,500 to 2,800 years and are one of the largest, most significant, and long-lasting ancient city and kingdom sites in Southwest China. The Sanxingdui site, along with the Jinsha site, has been jointly nominated as a World Cultural Heritage site.

The mystery surrounding Sanxingdui is what draws global attention. This ancient city and kingdom, and the culture it represents, remains largely unknown. One widely accepted theory suggests that, due to its position between the Yangtze River and the Yellow River basins, the Sanxingdui artifacts not only reflect the unique local culture of the ancient Shu civilization but also showcase influences from Central Plains cultures, brought by migrants from the central regions. The Sanxingdui Museum currently displays a wide range of relics from the site, including bronze wares, jade, gold, stone tools, pottery, ivory, and shells.

The planned Sanxingdui Museum campus is located at the northeastern corner of the core protection area of the Sanxingdui site, covering a total area of 90,000 square meters. The design includes master planning for the entire campus, the construction of a new museum and a visitor reception service center, as well as overall landscape planning for the site. Once completed, the museum will become a world-class thematic museum dedicated to the collection, display, preservation, and research of the relics unearthed from the Sanxingdui site.

The new architectural complex designed by MAD for the Sanxingdui Museum consists of six wood-structured buildings scattered in an east-west direction. The first building, located to the east along the new road, is the Visitor Reception Service Center, covering an area of 5,830 square meters. Extending westward from there, five buildings of varying sizes form the new museum. The new museum covers approximately 30,000 square meters, with a building area of 28,650 square meters.

The unearthed relics from the Sanxingdui site, such as the bronze vertical-eyed masks and the bronze giant human statues, have exaggerated and bizarre shapes. After sunset, the six buildings seem to transform into the eyes behind the Sanxingdui bronze masks and golden faceplates, with their piercing gaze, becoming one with the form. This creates an atmosphere that makes those who experience it feel as if they are walking between history and the future.

During the day, the wooden facade of the building echoes the natural qualities of the surrounding forested park. The large-span wooden structure provides an open, column-free space inside, offering maximum layout flexibility for the exhibition areas. The glass skylights on the roof allow natural light to flood the gallery corridors, creating a bright and welcoming environment for visitors.

Visitors enter through the main entrance of the Visitor Reception Center and, after experiencing the introductory film about the Sanxingdui culture, proceed through an underground corridor to reach the main lobby of the new museum building. From here, they begin their journey through the Sanxingdui culture. The exhibition halls are connected via a south-facing glass corridor, where visitors experience changing views of the landscape as they move through the space, with each step offering a new perspective.

MAD defines the park as a place where culture and nature meet. Therefore, rather than designing the new museum as a large structure, the design maximizes the preservation and integration of the existing trees and water features on-site. These natural elements have been carefully optimized to harmonize with the new building, creating a seamless landscape that blends the museum with its surroundings, fostering an atmosphere where the museum and park coexist as one.

The northern exhibition halls and other functional blocks of the building complex flow seamlessly into a undulating landscape, covered beneath a green roof. Visitors can slowly walk from the north side along the Duck River to the second-floor rooftop garden, where they can enjoy a 360-degree view of the park and the beautiful river scenery.

Sichuan Sanxingdui Ancient Shu Culture Heritage Site Museum and Associated Facilities Project
Guanghan, Sichuan, China
2020 - 2021

Type: Museum
Site Area: 90,000 sqm
Building Area: Museum: 28,650 sqm, Visitor Reception Service Center: 5,830 sqm

Lead Architects: Ma Yansong, Dang Qun, Haruo Yano
Competition Design Team: Tiffany Dahlen, Liu Zifan, Pittayapa Suriyapee, Ma Yiran, Cievanard Nattabowonphal, Roman, Chen Hao, Chen Shijie, Wang Shuang, Xiao Yuhan