Mawangdui Overview & Map Weather Transportation Information
The tombs are very grand and complicated as well. Of the three tombs, No 1 tomb is the biggest, 19.5 meters long from north to south, 17.8 meters wide from east to west with a depth of 16 meters. Now the No 1 and 2 tombs have been blocked up. No 3 tomb has been preserved after reinforcement. A new cover has been built to make it convenient for people to visit it.
Who were buried here
According to legend, it is the tomb of Ma Yin, the King of Kingdom Chu, so it is named Mawangdui. However, it was wrong. Actually, among the three Han tombs, No 2 tomb is of Marquis Quan Li Cang, the administrator of Changsha in the beginning of Han Dynasty. No 1 tomb is of the wife the Li Cang. No 3 tomb is of the son of Li Cang. The tombs were excavated between 15 and 18 meters below the ground surface and buried beneath a huge earthen mound.
What were found here
Among the more than 3,000 relics unearthed, were exquisite lacquer-ware, musical instruments, silk paintings, and pottery and Chinese medicinal herbs. These represent the Han Tombs at Mawangdui and splendid Han culture to visitors in a vivid and lively way.
No.1 tomb
It is "Lady Dai's tomb", where Li Cang's wife was buried here. It was the best preserved, measuring 19.5 meters north to south, 17.8 meters east and west, and 16 meters in depth.
It was filled with a mixture of charcoal and white kaolin, which combination led to the nearly perfect preservation of Lady Dai's body and grave clothes. The nearly 1,400 objects in Lady Dai's grave included silk tapestries and painted wooden coffins, bamboo objects, pottery vessels, musical instruments (including a 25-string zither), and wooden figures.
"The Corpse of Mawangdui"
The well-preserved female corpse has been designated by medical science authorities as "the Corpse of Mawangdui," which has been adopted as an academic term for similar corpses.
With a history of over 2100 years, it is well-preserved and similar to fresh corpse: the whole body is lenitive; some of the joints can be moved; the parenchyma is still flexible. It is different from mummy or cadaver tanned in peat hog. It is a miracle in antisepsis. When the tomb was first discovered, it shocked the world and has attracted many scholars and tourists. After anatomization, the body and entrails of the corpse are displayed in a special designed basement.
A silk coat
Another outstanding representatives here is a silk coat which is as light as the mist and as fine as gossamer. It is 1.28 meters (about 1.40 yards) in length with a pair of long sleeves, but weighs only 49 grams. Amazing!
Colorful silk painting
The sarcophagus of Number 1 tomb was covered by a colorful silk painting. It is the best preserved painting of its kind of Han Dynasty. It is in the shape of the English letter "T," so people also call it "T" silk painting. In fact, this kind of silk painting was called "long narrow flag" in ancient time and used for funerals. It was held by the person who headed the funeral procession and then draped over the coffin when burying the dead.
This particular silk painting from Number 1 tomb can be divided into three parts. The upper part is about the heaven, the middle part is about the earth and the lower part is about the afterlife. Heaven means the end-result for life of the dead. Earth shows the wealth and nobility of the dead when alive. World after death displays the happiness of the dead in the afterworld. The whole painting is symmetrical and colorful with fine depiction, reflecting the lofty painting skill in the Western Han Dynasty.
All the mysteries, strange animals and mysterious signs in the painting present us with a romantic world with its own sense of symbolism. As yet no one has been able to interpret its real meaning.
A map in No. 2 tomb
No 2 tomb is of Marquis Quan Li Cang, the administrator of Changsha in the beginning of Han Dynasty. A map unearthed from Number 2 tomb is amazing for its advanced drawing technique and its place marks very similar to a modern map. It was praised as "a striking discovery" by foreigners when exhibited in America, Japan, Poland and many other countries.
Silk manuscripts in No.3 tomb
Their son's tomb contained more than 200 silk manuscripts, along with silk paintings and other grave goods. Silk books with more than one hundred thousand Chinese characters were uncovered from No 3 tomb and are rare historical artifacts.
The books cover with ancient philosophy, history, science, technology, medicine and many other aspects. There are 28 sorts of books and with a total of 120,000 words. There are also several books with drawings, most of which are lost ancient books.
What we got to know
Among the relics uncovered were bright-coloured lacquerwares representing the highest level of craftsmanship, fine silks showing amazingly accomplished weaving techniques ,and inscriptions on silk demonstrating knowledge and wisdom of the ancient sages.
The Han tombs at Mawangdui are regarded as an encyclopaedia of that time, touching many fields such as politics, economics, science and technology, culture, religion, customs and lifestyles. It's a window into Chinese society in the early Han Dynasty some 2100 years ago.
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Great Wall at Badaling
Forbidden City
Potala Palace
Tian'anmen Square
Great Wall at Mutianyu
Great Wall at Juyong Pass
Chengde Mountain Resort
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Xi'an City Wall
Hutong in Beijing
Kong Family Mansion
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Jiayu Pass
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Kizilgaha Thousand Buddha Cave
Yumbulagang Palace
Great Wall at Simatai
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Mural in Baisha Village
Mawangdui
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Tangyue Archway
Ancient City Wall of Pingyao
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Former French Concession
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Qiao Family's Compound
Old Summer Palace
Puppet Emperor's Palace
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Astana Tombs
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Badabu
