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The Mawangdui Burials
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.
Buried in the tomb to accompany Lady Dai to the Afterlife were a complete wardrobe of the finest silk and linen for each of the seasons, various food and lacquer ware, pottery, wooden figures, and musical instruments. In the burial tomb archeologists also found Lady Dai’s perfectly preserved 2,000 year-old body. Incredibly, her skin was still supple and her limbs could be manipulated, as if she had just died last week. This is because — unlike the process used in Egypt that produced “dry” mummies — the ancient Chinese mummification process involved “saponification,” causing the fat of a corpse to convert to a water-insoluble material consisting mostly of saturated fatty acids.
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.
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General Overview
GeographyThe significance of physical place that spatially situates the exhibition's content |
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 HistoryThe significance of historical and political periodization that temporally situates the exhibition's content |
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 Culture and PeopleHuman behaviors, beliefs, and customs that inform the exhibition's content |
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 Material CultureWhat the physical objects in the exhibit reveal about the socio-cultural identity of the objects' producers and possessors |
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 AppreciationHow the exhibition's content is theoretically, economically, and morally appreciated |