Enter the Western Han Nanyue King Museum and explore the “Underground Palace” 2000 years ago (the first-class museum you do n’t know)
On March 11th, a live broadcast of the "Yunyou Museum" live event was held on the "South +" client. Lin Guannan, deputy curator of the South Han Dynasty King Museum of the Western Han Dynasty, led the audience to "deep into the tomb of the South Han Dynasty King of the Western Han Dynasty to see how the millennium tomb was disinfected and protected from epidemic disease" .
The Western Han Nanyue King Museum, located on Jiefang North Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, is a site museum built on the tomb of the Nanyue King. It opened in 1988. The museum is centered on ancient tombs and is built on the mountain. The building area is 17,400 square meters. It consists of a comprehensive display building, an ancient tomb protection area and a main display building. The exterior wall of the museum is modeled after the mausoleum's tombstone room and red sandstone is used as the veneer, which reflects the typical modern architecture style of Lingnan. The museum mainly displays the original site of the tomb of the Nanyue King and its unearthed cultural relics. In addition, there is a special display of ceramic pillows donated by Yang Yongde. In 2008, the Western Han Dynasty Nanyue King Museum was named "National First-Class Museum".
Visit tombs to experience unique
The birth of the South Vietnamese King's Tomb was a major archeological discovery that made a sensation in the 1980s.
In June 1983, the construction department of the Guangdong Provincial Government started construction on Xianggang Mountain in Yuexiu District. When the bulldozer excavated the wall of the apartment building, a large flat slab was exposed underground. The person in charge of the project immediately contacted the cultural relics department. After three days of investigation, the experts arrived came to a preliminary conclusion. This is a princely tomb of the Western Han Dynasty and the Southern Vietnam.
During the subsequent archeological excavations, archaeologists found a golden seal of the "King of the Emperor" on the chest and abdomen of the tomb owner. According to historical records, the second generation of kings of the South Vietnamese nation had confessed the "Emperor Wen" before his death and casted the seal for himself, burying him to death after his death. Experts have determined that the owner of the tomb is Zhao Yan's grandson, and Zhao Yue, the second-generation king of Nanyue Kingdom.
"The tomb of the Nanyue King is the largest Han Dynasty painted stone chamber tomb found in Lingnan so far," said Wang Weiyi, director of the Propaganda Department of the Nanyue King Museum of the Western Han Dynasty. China is unique. Spectators can enter the tomb of the princes of the Han Dynasty, and this experience is unique. "
The top of the ancient tomb is covered with an overburden-shaped glass lighthouse in the shape of a mausoleum, which symbolizes the overburden-type sealing of the tomb of the emperor of the Han Dynasty. Entering the tomb, the red and black cirrus pattern on the front door of the tomb is faintly visible. The tomb is made of more than 750 pieces of red sandstone from the ancient quarry of Lianhua Mountain in Panyu. The overall layout is like an inverted "Shi" character. It faces north and south and is divided into two parts, separated by a stone gate. The front (south) of the tomb is the anterior chamber, the east ear chamber, and the west ear chamber, which are equivalent to the chapel, the banquet house, and the storage room. The back (north) of the tomb is the main coffin room, the east side room, the west side room, and the back room. It is the tomb master room, concubine room, servant room, and storage room. The entire tomb has a construction area of about 100 square meters, which is like a smaller version of the palace of the king of Nanyue before his death.
Wang Weiyi introduced that the funeral in the tomb is very luxurious, including light silk colored silk, golden car BMW, bell chime, mountain treasures, and other flavors. In addition, there are 15 Tatars. Since the South Vietnamese King's Tomb has never been stolen and kept intact, more than 10,000 cultural relics have been unearthed from it, reflecting the political, economic and cultural conditions of South Vietnam more than 2000 years ago.
Rare Tibetan treasure in South Vietnam
After visiting the ancient tomb protection area, come to the main display building. The basement of the exhibition building is lighted by a pyramid-shaped light booth, which is different from the burial shed light booth. To the north of the building is a towering jade-guilloche, representing the noble identity of the tomb owner. Vessel embossed on the walls on the east and west sides are the reproduction of the ornaments on the unearthed cultural relic "shipped copper bucket".
The main exhibition building "Southern Vietnam Tibetan Collection" includes 6 units: "Southern Vietnam Emperor", "Beautiful Jade Grand View", "Weapons and Horses", "Sea Road Sailing", "Production Tools" and "Palace Banquet". There are more than 200 national-level cultural relics.
The first unit, "Southern Vietnam Emperor", introduces the life of the South Vietnamese King Zhao Yue and the cultural relics unearthed from the main coffin. The golden seal of "Wenxi Xingxi", which proves the identity of the owner of the tomb, is displayed in this unit, attracting many viewers to stop and appreciate it.
In 203 BC, Zhao Qin, the hero of Qin unified Lingnan, established the South Vietnam State during the chaos in the world, and the capital was set in Panyu (now Guangzhou). Five national kings of the South Vietnamese calendar, then was destroyed by the Emperor Han Wudi for 93 years. Unlike the vassal kingdoms sealed by Liu Bang in the early Han Dynasty, although the South Vietnamese kingdom was attached to the Han Dynasty, they still had greater independence, and the seal of "The Emperor Wenxi's Seal" unearthed from Zhao Qian's tomb was the embodiment of their independence.
This gold seal weighs 148.5 grams and has a gold content of 98%. It is the largest Western Han gold seal currently found by archeology. The printed surface has the Tian word boundary grid, and the inscription engraved with the inscription "Wen Di Xing Xi" is 4 characters. The Yin button is a dragon, coiled into an S-shape and beautifully carved.
In addition to the "Golden Seal of the Emperor Wenxi", there are 2 gold seals unearthed from the tomb of the King of South Vietnam, which together account for 1/4 of the number of gold seals discovered in the Han Dynasty so far. In addition, there are 20 other seals of various types, including 6 materials such as copper, jade, crystal, agate, turquoise, and ivory. "These seals and their seals provide a direct basis for judging the identity of the tomb owner and the tartars, and also reflect the unique seal system of the South Vietnamese nation, which plays an important role in studying the history of the South Vietnam nation and the integration of Han and Vietnam." Wang Weiyi said.
Silk jade clothing is also a representative cultural relic in the tomb of the King of Nanyue. This jade suit is worn by the owner of the tomb with a total length of 1.73 meters and made of 2291 pieces of jade. It is made of silk thread and sackcloth, including headgear, top, sleeves, gloves, trousers and shoes. At the time of the excavation, the silk thread and sackcloth that adorned the jade clothes were dead, and the jade pieces were scattered. Now the exhibits that people see are restored by experts for 3 years.
"There are no less than 50 jade clothes found throughout archeology across the country, mostly made of gold, silver, and copper wire. The jade clothes of Zhao Yue, the king of South Vietnam, are the only silk jade clothes that have been completed in archeology. "Said Wang Weiyi.
In the "Beautiful Jade Grand View" unit, a jade pendant with openwork dragon and phoenix pattern attracted reporters' attention. In the inner ring of the jade pendant, there is a headed dragon, and the phoenix bird in the outer ring is graceful and stands on the claws of the dragon. The crown and tail extend into a moiré pattern, filling the space between the double rings. The phoenix bird turned back and looked at the dragon as if muttering, expressing the beautiful meaning of the dragon and the phoenix. Wang Weiyi told reporters that the emblem of the Museum of the Nanyue King of the Western Han Dynasty came from this cultural relic.
Copper and iron weapons, iron agricultural tools, eating utensils, bronze musical instruments, etc. can be seen in the exhibition, which vividly reflects the production and living scene in Lingnan more than 2000 years ago. The large number of Hehuaque remains unearthed from the tomb reveals the eating habits of the King of South Vietnam. Cooking utensils such as ovens, grills, kettles, and cormorants reflect the diverse cooking methods of the South Vietnamese.
"Hesse" cultural relics of extraordinary value
During the Western Han Dynasty, Guangzhou was already an important port and distribution center for commodities. Many cultural relics unearthed from the tomb of the King of Nanyue are related to the "Maritime Silk Road", which reflects the grand occasion of economic, trade and cultural exchanges at that time.
"This is the only angular jade cup unearthed in the tombs of the Han Dynasty. It is also one of the first batch of cultural relics prohibited by the state for exhibition abroad." Wang Weiyi pointed to a uniquely shaped and beautifully carved angular jade cup and told reporters. It is carved from a whole piece of blue-white jadeite, with a rhino horn shape, elliptical mouth, beautiful lines, and the pattern is dominated by cirrus patterns. It integrates carving techniques such as round carving, line carving, bas-relief, and high relief, under the cup mouth. Yuan is also carved with a sharp beak. This jade cup is different from the same type of jade in the same period in China. It is similar to the western Laitong cup in terms of shape, decoration, and use. Therefore, some experts believe that it is a cultural exchange after the opening of the "Maritime Silk Road". product.
The "Sail by the Sea" unit shows a oblate silver box unearthed from the main coffin of the South Vietnamese King's Tomb. The box and lid have oppositely staggered garlic-shaped convex petal patterns, which is quite distinctive. "It is made by the 捶 揲 method. This process, ornamentation and shape have the characteristics of ancient West Persian gold and silver wares, and experts judge it is likely to be an overseas product." Wang Weiyi said. After the silver box entered China, the craftsman welded a lid button on the lid and added a copper ring on the bottom of the box. It was used as a pill box, and the pill was also contained in the box when it was unearthed.
Cultural relics such as precious frankincense from West Asia or the Red Sea, five original African ivory, and welding beads and golden flower bulbs (jewelry) with typical western characteristics were also found in the tomb of the King of Nanyue. On a ship pattern copper lifter, the watertight tank structure of the large ship can be clearly seen, reflecting the superb shipbuilding technology at the time. The so-called watertight cabin is to use wooden boards to separate the cabin into areas that are not connected to each other to prevent the cabin from entering the water. This technology makes long-distance navigation possible.
In 2016, 6 historical sites including the Nanyue National Palace Administration Site in Guangzhou and the Nanyue King Tomb Site were included in the list of China's first batch of "Silk Road Maritime World Heritage Sites in China". The treasures in the tomb of the King of Nanyue have witnessed Guangzhou's long history of maritime traffic and trade, and it has remained glorious after more than 2000 years.
Zhang Pengyu