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Famous
Han Tombs in China
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????China went through
its first great development during the Han Dynasty (BC206-220AD).
This more than 400-year period left later generations abundant
cultural relics and over 10,000 tombs constructed for emperors
and officials.
????The Han tombs were mainly made of brick
and stone. They were placed deep in the earth so that they would
not become rotten and thus be destroyed. That's why we find so
many tombs of the Han Dynasty today. To date, more than 40 Han
mausoleums have been unearthed, of which the Tomb of Liu Sheng
in Mancheng, Hebei Province, the Tomb of the Southern Yue King
in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, and the Tomb of Lu King in Rushan,
Shandong Province, remained intact. They contain a large number
of precious historical relics.
????During the Western Han Dynasty (BC206-25AD),
China led the world in terms of politics, economy, and culture
and most of the techniques developed at that time were used for
many centuries. The discoveries in these tombs provide a firsthand
look at some of the materials and advance our studies of the Han
Dynasty.
????Tomb of Liu Sheng
????This tomb is included in the list of the
Top Ten Archaeological Discoveries in China during the 20th century.
It was built for the Zhongshan King Liu Sheng and his wife.
????The well-preserved tomb is large and the
exact time of its construction has been accurately determined.
Most of the funerary objects found in this tomb are unique, including
two sets of complete jade clothes sewn with gold thread, a famous
Changxin Palace Lantern, and a brilliant and delicate gold-inlaid
furnace. All these objects demonstrate the advanced techniques
of the Western Han Dynasty in handicrafts and arts and crafts.
????Han Tomb in Mawangdui
????This discovery is also included in the Top
Ten Archaeological Discoveries of China in the 20th century. The
160-cm-long clothing on the body unearthed here weighed only 48
grams. What's more important is that the corpse remained well
preserved through thousands of years. Totally different from the
"mummies," "dry corpses" and "tanned
corpses" found elsewhere, the body unearthed here was as
fresh as if the person has just been buried. Such preservation
is rarely seen elsewhere in the world.
????Tomb of the Southern Yue King
????Many cultural relics found in this tomb
of the Western Han Dynasty at Xianggang in the Guangzhou, capital
city of Guangdong Province, are unique. It is the earliest and
largest tomb of this period found in south China, and the only
one of the early Western Han Dynasty that contained murals on
its stone walls. The jade dancing figurine unearthed here is the
only one of its kind using the technique of sculpture-in-the-round.
A Persian silver box found in the tomb is said to be the earliest
imported product found to date.
????Tomb of the Officials in Changsha
????This tomb was unearthed in 1993 in Changsha,
Hunan Province. The status of the occupant and scale of the tomb
both surpassed those of the Mawangdui Tomb. Of the over 2,000
relics discovered here, three painted zhu were the most unique.
A zhu was an ancient 13-stringed instrument played by striking
the strings with a light bamboo stick. For a long time, people
knew little about such a musical instrument, and the discovery
helped to advance musical knowledge.
????(CIIC 02/23/2001)
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