Genshin Impact Dreamy Collaboration with Sanxingdui: When Gaming Meets Cultural Relic

It's as if through these relics, we can see the people of the past. What were they thinking while sitting idly around the stove? History is never buried; artifacts, despite being momentarily obscured by dust, do not vanish. They will eventually emerge from the earth, astonishing the world in that moment of revelation

On December 18th, miHoYo, the developer of the open-world adventure game Genshin Impact, released a collaboration promotional video with the Sanxingdui Museum titled Gazing Up at Eternity, Looking Down at the World. The video, narrated in the traditional storyteller's voice, tells a story of Genshin Impact's iconic character Zhongli exploring a fantastical realm. Through a blend of creative imagination and scholarly research, the classic bronzes of Sanxingdui are reimagined in scenes akin to a serene Peach Blossom Village

Sanxingdui Story

The Sanxingdui site is hailed as one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of the 20th century. Spanning approximately 1200 hectares, to date, eight 'sacrificial pits' have been discovered, unearthing over 18,000 artifacts. These include jade ritual objects, gold items, bronzeware, ivory, silk, and other rare treasures. The sheer volume and diversity of these finds are breathtaking.

Established in 1992, the Sanxingdui Museum has spent thirty years promoting and preserving the Sanxingdui culture. In recent years, with the frequent 'going viral' of precious artifacts like the Bronze Standing Figure, Bronze Masks, and the No. 1 Bronze Sacred Tree, Sanxingdui, an important cultural symbol in human history, has garnered increasing attention and affection from the younger generation

Shanghai miHoYo Network Technology Co., Ltd. is consistently engaged in innovatively expressing traditional culture. miHoYo, behind Genshin Impact—a key project for national cultural export and the 2021 Game of the Year on both Apple and Google platforms—has introduced projects like the opera song The Divine Damsel of Devastation and the cultural heritage initiative A Journey of Art and Heritage. These initiatives have ignited the interest of a vast young audience in opera culture and heritage crafts, earning widespread praise from players.

This mutual commitment to cultural innovation led to a surprising cross-domain collaboration. On December 8th, miHoYo entered a strategic partnership with the Sanxingdui Museum and announced collaboration with the Sichuan Cultural Investment Group to explore innovative ways of disseminating cultural artifacts. This partnership aims to promote the international spread of excellent Chinese culture through various collaborative efforts. In the 4.3 version preview livestream of the game, they unveiled a collaboration poster featuring Zhongli, the Geo Archon from the Liyue region of Genshin Impact, gazing at the iconic bronze bird artifact from Sanxingdui.

Zhongli's Creative Commentary Sparks Discussions Among Global Users

With the launch of their collaboration, a series of joint initiatives gradually reached the players.

New Merchandise Released: Sanxingdui Zhongli museum gift box, Conducive to Promoting Sanxingdui Culture

In the realm of game content, following the partnership video, 'Genshin Impact' on December 20th unveiled Ancient Artifacts Insights, a creative artifact commentary voiced by the renowned Peng Bo, along with an interactive H5 feature Ancient Treasures Unearthed

Questions like what the bronze standing figure is holding, whether the bronze sacred tree symbolizes the connection between heaven, earth, and the divine, or the reasons behind the exaggerated bronze mask, are explored. Players can engage with Zhongli's detailed explanations and the interactive H5 experience to learn about the Sanxingdui civilization and its artifacts, leading to fascinating speculations.

In the game, players had the opportunity to obtain a limited-time decoration inspired by Sanxingdui's bronze art, the Bronze Curio: Ancient Golden Visage. This piece, modeled after Zhongli, the Geo Archon, features him with a regal golden mask. The mask's solemn and grand design, adorned with stunning patterns, appears to tell an enigmatic historical story