JANVI TOURS

The Museum of the Mausoleum of the Nanyue King is the witness of Guangzhou’s history of over 2,000 years. It is well known for its well-preserved tomb and funerary antiquity from the Han Dynasty, as well as elegant and grand architecture from the Lingnan (south of the Nanling Mountain) area. The owner of the tomb is the second king of Nanyue, Zhao Mo (r. 137 BC – 122 BC).

The tomb was discovered in 1983 and the museum opened in 1988. It is 20 meters under Xianggang Shan (Elephant Hill) in Guangzhou on a construction site for a hotel and was excavated. The tomb is nearly 11 meters long and over 12 meters wide. It is divided into seven parts, with a front chamber, east and west wing rooms, the main coffin chamber, east and west side rooms, and a back storage chamber.

The tomb has yielded more than 1,000 burial artifacts, a chariot, gold and silver vessels, musical instruments, and human sacrifices were found (15 courtiers were buried alive with him to serve him in death). It is also among the only tombs of the early Western Han Dynasty that has murals on its walls.

A silk-jade garment made up of 2,291 pieces of jade is the spotlight of the mausoleum. It is acknowledged that jade garments with pieces connected by gold, silver, or copper are not uncommon. But this garment is unique for its jade pieces connected by silk which makes it the only one of its kind in the world. Nor are historical records available to verify other jade garments connected by a silk thread. Besides, 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 the development of the Nanyue culture.

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