Chinese archaeological site grows in importance  The
archaeological site in Jinsha Village, in the western suburbs of
Chengdu in Sichuan province, has shown the world that a stable
and religious civilisation flourished there some 3,500 years
ago, modifying previous assumptions about the origins of Chinese
civilisation. The site, discovered in 2001 by a housing
development company, continues to yield a stream of art works
and religious symbols.  Jade and gold artefacts resembling finds
at the nearby site of Sanxingdui, 40km from Chengdu, reinforce
the theory of a powerful kingdom believed to be one of the
oldest in the world. Historians think these are the remains of
the ancient Shu kingdom mentioned in stories of the Han and Qin
dynasties 3,000 years ago.  The sophisticated craftsmanship of
the artefacts and the presence of non-indigenous copper, tin,
bronze and ivory point to a complex society that traded with
other societies from the Yellow River to the north and modern-
day Thailand to the south.  The disco