Mrs. Xin Zhui in Jinsha, Deciphering the Mysterious Mawangdui—Treasures from Mawangdui Han Tombs Grandly Opened in Jinsha Site Museum
Release Time: 2017-10-31
On the arrival of the 8th China Cultural Heritage Day, Treasures from Mawangdui Han Tombs was held on Jun. 5, 2013 in Jinsha Site Museum, an exhibition sponsored by the Museum in cooperation with Hunan Provincial Museum for the purpose to carry forward national spirits, consolidate cultural exchange, greet the Chengdu Global Fortune Forum 2013 and show the world a cultural Chengdu. The exhibition is expected to be ended on Sep. 5, 2013.
On the exhibition, 120 (sets) treasures unearthed from 3 Han tombs in Mawangdui were showed with other cultural relics found in Hunan, including lacquerware, silk cloth, bambooslips and silk, ancient corpses and paintings on silk. The social life in Han civilization, the magnificence of Han Dynasty and its cultural charm were reproduced from basic necessities, arts, astronomical calendar, healthcare and entertainment.
Not only China but also the world was shocked by its discovery. The giant hall of history led us back to 2,000 years ago to see the glory of the nobility in Han Dynasty. Lacquer Fang-Vase with Cloud Design, Lacquered Table and Colored Lacquered Bell are representatives of Chinese lacquerware and the extravagant life of the Marquis; the heptachord, the first sample of Chinese Qin in Han Dynasty, gave visitors a chance to see a real “semi-box” Qin. Moreover, the Chinese Se of 25 strings and figurines of musician and dancers presented us how grand a show was in Han Dynasty while superhigh weaving skills were evidenced by those silk products in different colors and patterns, and the life of noble women in Han Dynasty was seen from their Lacquered Cosmetic Box with Painted Design and Nine Small Boxes, wooden comb and wooden double-edged fine-toothed comb; the Guiding Picture, the earliest atlas for body building exercise in China, will be a new trend-setter in TCM healthcare.
The tomb hostess, Mrs. Xin Zhui, the wife of the prime minister of Changsha State Li Cang in the Western Han Dynasty, now came to Sichuan again after 20 years. Her wealth and rank and pursuit of immortality were embodied in the restored statue, painted lacquer coffin of Zhu Di, T-shaped painting on silk and color figurines buried together. In 1972, she was firstly showed; today, she came again to the cradle of Chinese civilization with her servants, where the exchange between ancient Shu civilization and Huxiang civilization 2,000 years ago was further expanded.
To make the exhibition more informative and interesting, a multimedia interaction area was set up, through which, visitors could learn to exercise, query for knowledge on cultural relics of Han Dynasty to better understanding the exhibition. Meanwhile, some other activities were also designed, for instance, Han cloths design, Jinsha lecture on healthcare, coming-of-age ceremony of Han style, and the little instructor and Let’s Do Archaeology for kids. For more details, please visit the official website or follow the Microblog and WeChat account.
Background Information:
The three tombs of Western Han Dynasty of Mawangdui were found at the eastern suburbs of Changsha City, Hunan, where the family of the prime minister of Changsha State and marquis at the beginning of Western Han Dynasty were buried, including the 1st generation of the marquis, Li Cang, his wife Xin Zhui and their son. The three tombs were unearthed from 1972 to 1974. Over 3,000 pieces of rare relics were found, including some books and paintings on silk, bamboo slips, silk products, lacqureware, bamboo implements, pottery vessels, music instruments, weapons, specimen of animals and plants as well as the remaining of Mrs. Xin Zhui who had rested underground for more than 2,000 years. The body remaining intact in a humid environment has never been seen before in world archaeology, thus it is also named the “Corpse of Mawangdui”. Those Han tombs have brought the development of society, politics, economy, science and technology, military, culture and arts during the “Rule of Wen and Jing” 2,100 years ago, and even made up some gaps, rewrote the records of the past and have been given high attention in China or even in the world in 20th century.
