On the occasion of the Chinese New Year of the Rabbit, "Happy Chinese New Year: The Exhibition of the Best Artifacts from Sanxingdui" kicks off online. On behalf of the Chinese Embassy in Canada, I would like to extend my warm congratulations on the opening of the exhibition.

The Sanxingdui artifacts have a long history and significant historical value. This exhibition presents 23 pieces of exquisite ones from the Sanxingdui Ruins site in China to our Canadian friends. The site and the unearthed artifacts boast distinctive local cultural characteristics, forming a unique cultural system. Named the "Sanxingdui Culture" by the Chinese archaeological community, it has a history of 3,000 to 5,000 years. The discovery of the Sanxingdui Ruins site confirms the existence of a highly developed ancient civilization in the Yangtze River basin in China, indicating that the Yangtze River basin, like the Yellow River basin, is also the birthplace of Chinese civilization.

The exquisite Sanxingdui artifacts feature unique aesthetic value. Since the discovery of the Sanxingdui Ruins site in 1929, large quantities of pottery, stone artifacts, jade ware, bronze ware, gold items, and other precious artifacts have been unearthed. In 2021, six new sacrificial pits were discovered, with more than 15,000 pieces new artifacts unearthed. These artifacts are of superb craftsmanship and come in different art forms, especially the 2.62-meter bronze standing figure, the delicate hollow-out kneeling figurine with a Zun on the head, and the wafer-thin gold mask on display, reflecting the exquisite metal smelting, casting, and carving skills of that time and manifesting the high aesthetic achievements of Chinese ancestors.

The Sanxingdui artifacts are well-recognized throughout the world and loved by people from all over the world. Since the opening of the Sanxingdui Museum in 1997, it has received more than 26 million visitors from home and abroad, and a number of Chinese and foreign dignitaries and celebrities. The Sanxingdui artifacts have been exhibited abroad more than 70 times, being widely popular in more than 100 cities in over 20 countries, such as Canada, the United States, the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore, etc.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Sichuan Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism for its strong support, the Sanxingdui Museum and the Sichuan Provincial Cultural Relics and Archaeology Research Institute for organizing this exhibition. I am sure the exhibition will be well received by our Canadian friends, and I look forward to your visit to Sichuan, to feel the unique charm of the Sanxingdui Culture in person.

Finally, I wish you and your families a happy, healthy, prosperous New Year!