The Exhibition of “Noble Tombs at Mawangdui” attracts interesting in New York

On view at China Institute Gallery, new York from February 12 through June 7, 2009, Noble Tombs at Mawangdui: Art and Life in the Changsha Kingdom, Third Century BCE to First Century CE presents 68 treasures including silk costumes, wood carvings, bronze objects, lacquer ware, jade ornaments, and seals, as well as sections of the Yang Sheng Fang manuscript, a medical text that outlines various techniques of enhancing vitality and lengthening life. These artworks, portraying aspects of daily life ranging from food to cosmetics and fashion, from entertainment to healthcare and exercise, provide a fascinating picture of reverence to the afterlife imparted by the ancients more than 2,000 years ago.

Organized by Willow Hai Chang, Director of China Institute Gallery, and curated by Chen Jianming, Director of the Hunan Provincial Museum, Noble Tombs at Mawangdui represents the most extensive collection of Mawangdui items ever on view in the United States. A fully-illustrated bilingual catalogue accompanies the exhibition.

More than two thousand years ago, a Chinese marquis and his family began their plans for the afterlife with three lavish tombs in Hunan Province which were excavated in the 1970s. Their extraordinary existence will come to life in NOBLE TOMBS AT MAWANGDUI: Art and Life in the Changsha Kingdom, Third Century BCE to First Century CE at China Institute Gallery from February 12 through June 7, 2009. For the first time in the U.S., nearly 70 treasures including bronze sculptures, lacquer ware, jade ornaments, seals, wood carvings and silk costumes will be on view from the Hunan Provincial Museum. A fully-illustrated bilingual catalogue will accompany the exhibition.

The excavation at Mawangdui in Hunan Province in Southeastern China is considered one of the major archaeological discoveries of the 20th century. Containing the remains and possessions of the Marquis of Dai and his wife and son, the tombs were found between 1972 and 1974 in the archaeological site of Mawangdui, which is located in a suburb of the modern city of Changsha. More than 3,000 objects from the Western Han dynasty (206 BCE to 25 CE) were found in nearly perfect condition representing the highest levels of workmanship.

“People during the Han dynasty regarded death as birth and longed for immortality,” notes Willow Hai Chang, Director, China Institute Gallery. “To prepare for the afterlife, they constructed their tombs to be eternal residences. As a result of this landmark excavation, we now have a rare window into the fascinating Han civilization through these remarkable objects of the highest artistry.”

For the first time ever in the United States, China Institute’s exhibition Noble Tombs at Mawangdui presents over sixty rare artifacts excavated during 1972-74 from one of the most important archaeological sites discovered in the 20th century. Consisting of three tombs in the hill named Mawangdui located near the modern provincial capital of Changsha in the Hunan province, the site has provided a unique window into the beliefs and cultural practices of the early era of the Western Han dynasty (206 BCE-9 CE). The Mawangdui tombs are the resting places of Li Cang, the Marquis of Dai (d. 186 BCE), his wife, Xinzhui, Lady Dai (d. ca. 163), and a third person who is thought to be their son.

Due to these advanced embalming techniques, Lady Dai’s perfectly preserved body could be autopsied by 20th-century pathologists, yielding amazing scientific discoveries, including her cause of death (a heart attack), analysis of her blood type, other ailments (gall stones and a hip infirmity), and even the foods that comprised her last meal. An exquisite and rare collection of texts on silk and bamboo from Tomb Number Three, on subjects such as philosophy, the military, health and Chinese herbs, have enriched our knowledge of the early books and culture of China.

Providing important windows into art, culture, history, science, geography, and other subjects, the Mawangdui site ranks among the most important of China’s -- and the world’s -- cultural heritage sites. With deep gratitude to the Hunan Provincial Museum, China Institute is proud to share with you these thrilling artifacts and educational resources.