| Located
on Jiefang Bei Road, Guangzhou, the Western Han Dynasty
Nanyue King Mausoleum Museum is the oldest and largest
Han tomb with the most funerary objects in Lingnan (South
of the Nanling Mountain) Area. As one of the 80 famous
museums in the world, the museum covers 14,000 square
meters (150, 699.6 square feet) with 10 exhibition halls.
The
owner of the tomb is the second king, Zhao Mei of Nanyue
State of the Western Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-24 A.D.). Hidden
20 meters (65.6 feet) underground, the tomb is made up
of 750 huge stones with colorful murals. The over 1,000
pieces of cultural relics, bronze ware and terra cotta
ware in particular, feature the Yue Culture of south China(Nanyue
Culture). Represented also are traces of central Chinese
culture, the Chu culture of south China, the Bashu culture
of southwest China, the Hun culture from the northern
grassland, and even foreign cultures.
Highlighting
the mausoleum is a silk-jade garment made up of 2,291
pieces of jade. Though jade garments with pieces connected
by gold, silver, or copper are not uncommon, this garment
with jade pieces connected by silk is the only one of
its kind in the world. Nor are historical records available
to verify other jade garments connected by silk thread.
In addition, the style of buttons down the front is unique
among unearthed jade garments. This silk-sewn-jade garment
shows the early development of jade garments as well as
development of the Nanyue culture.
In
addition, three sets of bronze serial bells, thirty-six
bronze vessels, thirty-six bronze mirrors, and three gold
seals give visitors a glimpse of the ancient Nanyue Culture.
The oldest and largest folding screen used in China is
also here, as are two of the world's oldest bronze patterns
for textile stamping.
Foreign
articles excavated in the mausoleum indicate that Guangzhou
was an ancient Marine Silk Road starting point. For example,
there are five African elephant trunks, a silver box featuring
Western Asian silver wares, and bronze incense burners
and frankincense from Southeast Asia.
|
