China's prehistoric Sanxingdui Ruins to be made animated movie

Plans are in the pipeline for an animated movie about the prehistoric Sanxingdui Ruins in Southwest China's Sichuan province, Sichuan Publishing Group Co., Ltd. announced on Monday.

The Golden Mask will focus on a golden mask found during the excavation and the mysterious culture of the ruins, according to sources with the group.

Touching on fantasy, adventure and time travel, the movie will be produced and screened on 3D and IMAX screens. It is expected to be released in 2019.

With investment of $20 million, the movie has secured copyright certificates from China and the United States, said Yao Xiaoming, executive producer of the movie, adding that the crew will include a Hollywood director, art designer and composer.

"We hope to use the popular medium of animation to share the mysterious culture of Sanxingdui," said Yao.

The Sanxingdui Ruins are in Guanghan city, some 40 kilometers from Chengdu, capital of Sichuan. They are believed to be remnants of the Shu Kingdom that disappeared under mysterious circumstances some 3,000 years ago.

Listed among China's top 10 archaeological findings of the 20th century, Sanxingdui Ruins, which sprawl over an area of 12 square kilometers, witness the diverse origins of Chinese civilization.

The ruins were discovered by accident by Yan Daocheng, a farmer, when he unearthed a bright piece of jade while digging a ditch in 1929.

Two sacrificial pits filled with more than 1,000 national treasures, including gold masks, bronze ware, jade tablets, ivory and sacred trees, were discovered in 1986 when workers were excavating clay for bricks.

In 1988, the ruins were given state-level protection.