- Index - Exhibition
- The Exhibition OF Mawangdui Han Tombs
- 1.A Great Archaeological Discovery
- 2.Walking into the Family of the Marquis of Dai
- --Li Cang’s Family
- --An Extravagant Life
- --The Beauty of Lacquerware
- --The Brilliance of the Silk Country
- --The Treasure on Silk and Inscribed Slips
- 3.Set of Painted Coffins with a Big Outer Coffin
- 4.Everlasting Remains
- 5.Gallery
- The Exhibition of Shang and Zhou Bronzes Found in Hunan
- The Exhibition of Ceramics from Famous Kilns in Hunan
- Exhibition of Calligraphies in the Ming and Qing Dynasty
- Exhibition of Paintings Created in the Ming and Qing Dynasties
- Exhibition of Ten New Major Archaeological Discoveries in Hunan
An Extravagant Life
Given Li Cang’s high rank and emolument, he and his family members could afford luxurious meals and clothes. The Li family probably led a life of extravagance, throwing banquets at will and having an entourage of servants at their beck and call.
Scene of Banquet on the T-shaped Paintings on Silk from Tomb No.1 and Tomb No.3
Food and Drink
The family of Marquis of Dai enjoyed various kinds of food. A lot of funeral objects such as grains, vegetables, fruits, pastries, meats, aquatic products, wines and food vessels were found in the tombs. The funeral object list inscribed on bamboo slips records 150 kinds of food total. All of them are practical materials for the study of ecology, agriculture, and the culture of food in the early Han Dynasty.
Agricultural Products
Unearthed from tomb No.1It was a great day for farming archaeology when such a plethora of agricultural products were found in the Han tombs at Mawangdui. When the agricultural products were unearthed, they were placed in bamboo cases or hemp sacks and most of them were well-preserved.
Gilded Bronze Goblet with Jade Inlay
Height 18cm diameter at mouth 9.7cm Unearthed from Tomb No.2 It is a vessel for drinking wine.
Keeping in Good Health
The family of Marquis of Dai thought highly of staying in good health. They used traditional Chinese medicines to prevent and treat diseases, and practiced Qigong to build up their health. Many traditional Chinese medicines and Drawings of Dao-yin (origin of Qigong) were unearthed from Tomb No.1 and Tomb No.3.
A Group of Traditional Chinese Medicines’
The traditional Chinese medicines unearthed from Tomb No.1 and Tomb No.3 are some of the earliest existing specimens of traditional Chinese medicines. Among them, the magnolia, orchid, fragrant reed, Chinese pickly ash, cassia bark, wild ginger, etc. are still distinguishable. They were respectively set in the perfume satchels, pillows and braziers, which could be used for purifying the air, reducing humidity, strengthening the spleen, preventing decay and disinfection.
Medicinal Herb Pillow
Unearthed from Tomb No.1The pillow was stuffed with fragrant orchid. This is one of the earliest health care medicine pillows.
Perfume Satchel
Unearthed from Tomb No.1This is one of the six, which contained fragrant reed, Chinese pickly ash, magnolia and so on.
“Drawing of Daoyin”, the Physical Exercise Chart
Length 100cm width 50cmUnearthed from Tomb No.3
On the chart, 44 Daoyin positions are illustrated, such as breathing exercises, limb stretching and gymnastics, and each position is labeled with its particular term and function. The exercise of Five Fowls was created by Hua Tuo, a famous doctor in the Eastern Han Dynasty and was based on Dao-yin.
