A 3,000-year-old ceremonial gold mask has become an unexpected sensation on social media in China following its recent discovery in Sichuan province.
The artefact was one of the 500 Bronze Age remains found at the Sanxingdui Archaeological Site.
Experts believe the discovery may provide new insights into the ancient Shu state, which ruled the area before 316 BC.
But the mysterious half-face mask has also sparked a popular meme and tributes on social media.
Once the latest discoveries were announced on Saturday, users of the microblogging platform Weibo started taking photos that put the mask on the faces of pop culture figures.
The hashtag “Sanxingdui Gold Mask Photo Editing Competition” has been viewed nearly 4 million times and has garnered numerous reports while net users have praised the “beautiful” and “beautiful” mask.
Officials from the Sanxingdui Museum – one of the most important archeological sites in China – soon took part in the fun.
“Good morning, we just woke up, apparently everyone was shopping for photos?” said the museum in a recent Weibo report while sharing his own opinion on the meme.
The museum also released a promotional animated video starring the mask and other artifacts, while a rap song created by a TV host praising the ‘intelligence’ of ancient civilization went viral.
This is not the first time a Chinese artifact has attracted the attention of social media users. In August, another relic was found that resembled the pig characters in the popular video game Angry Birds.
In addition to the gold mask, archaeologists in Sanxingdui have found bronze pieces, gold foils and artifacts of ivory, jade and silk.
The items were uncovered in six “sacrificial pits,” said the National Cultural Heritage Administration, which used Shu civilization to offer sacrifices in prayers for prosperity and peace.
The Sanxingdui ruins were accidentally discovered in 1929 by a farmer. To date, more than 50,000 remains have been excavated at the site, about 60 km from Chengdu city.