Mausoleum of the Nanyue King description and photos - China: Guangzhou (Topic)

Mausoleum of the Nanyue King description and photos - China: Guangzhou. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The title in English is Mausoleum of the Nanyue King.

Photo and description

The mausoleum of the kings of the Nanyue principality is one of the most ancient burial places of the royal dynasty of the same name. This museum, located on North Jiefang Street in Guangzhou City, displays over a thousand historical and cultural relics.

The main exhibit of the gallery is the first gold seal of the emperors of the Western Han Dynasty, which existed longer than others in the history of ancient China. The seal belonged to Prince Wendi, and thanks to it scientists were able to identify the owner's name. The kingdom itself was formed after the end of the Qin dynasty, and remained independent for about a hundred years. But in 111 BC. e. Emperor Wu di annexed Nanyue to the Han Empire. This largely explains the fact that representatives of the second generation of the Nanyue kings who served the Han dynasty are buried in the mausoleum.

Among the buried rulers there is another famous person - Zhao Mei, the second king of Nanyue. In his tomb, archaeologists have discovered the remains of 15 courtiers who apparently took poison in order to be buried next to their king. This was common in ancient China.

Although the search for the royal burial lasted for several centuries, the mausoleum was discovered by accident: in 1983, when construction work began on this site, workers stumbled upon the tomb at a depth of 20 meters underground.

The age of the mausoleum is about 2100 years, which cannot be said about it from the outside. It has been restored and even supplemented with modern design elements. In particular, at the entrance and on the roofs of the building you can see glass pyramids following the example of the Parisian Louvre. The tomb itself is designed in the style of an imperial palace.

The museum contains many artifacts of history - these are terracotta figures, various vessels made of precious metals, as well as various musical instruments. A separate exposition is reserved for ancient kilns. The most valuable exhibits of the museum are jewelry made of gold and jade. The jade collection is completely unique for the Han Dynasty.

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Topic: Mausoleum of the Nanyue King description and photos - China: Guangzhou.