Mural Paintings in A Liao Tomb

It was a custom in the Liao Dynasty to decorate tombs with murals. The paintings in Zhao Dejun's tomb, excavated in Beijing, provide a well-known example. During the Five Dynasties period, Zhao Dejun was a warlord in Youzhou, which became the southern capital of Nanjing in the Liao Dynasty (and even later, was renamed Beijing). The Zhaos grew to become a very powerful family in the area, as can be seen from the size of Zhao's tomb and the value of the funerary objects buried with him. His tomb     

Tomb of Jiangn and Jieshi Palace

The legend surrounding the tomb of Jiangn(?) is well-known throughout Suizhong County, Liaoning Province. During the reign of Emperor Shihuang of the Qin Dynasty, Fan Qiliang was spirited away on his wedding day to take part in the construction of the Great Wall. Meng Jiangn(?), his wife, travelled a thousand li (one li=0.5 km) to give him winter clothes. but found that Fan had died from exhaustion and was buried at the foot of the Great Wall.     

Double Cups with Phoenix

THIS cup, unearthed at the site of an aristocrat's tomb (No. 2 Baoshan Tomb) of the Chu State, was a vessel used during weddings in ancient times. According to the earliest account of the vessel, found in the book Liji, a new couple would use it to gargle together, which meant that they would be of one heart and one mind, and that they would love and take care of each other. Shaped like a standing phoenix, the vessel is 17.6 cm. long. The phoenix holds a pearl in its beak and its wings are spread     

Girls in a Bronze Chamber

"Singing and Dancing Girls in a Bronze Chamber" was among 17 pieces of bronze ware unearthed froma late Spring and Autumn Period tomb at the foot of Shizi Mountain in Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province, in 1982. It is a rectangular model of a musical chamber 17 cm high, 13 cm wide and 11.5 cm in distance from the entrance to     

Bronze Dragons and Phoenix Table

The table is one of the oldest kinds of furniture in China.Most, however, haven't survived as they were made ofbamboo or wood, The discovery of this bronze table gives usa chance to see a real object from the Warring States Periodfor the first time. This bronze table was unearthed from the tomb of a kingof the Zhongshan Kingdom during the Warring States Periodat today's Pingshan County, Hebei Province. The stand isformed from four two-winged dragons and four phoenixes     

Lacquer Painting

In 1981, Ningxia archaeologists unearthed an ancient tomb from the tenth year of Taihe in Northern Wei (the year 486). A couple was buried in the tomb. The lacquer painting on the wooden coffin is regarded as a unique flower in the history of ancient Chinese painting. The coffin was decayed but analyzed from its lacquer     

Silver Bell

Among the many exquisite burial articles excavated from Hua Fang's tomb in the western suburbs of Beijing, this silver bell has attracted much attention with its unusual design. The bell, dating back to the Jin Dynasty, is indeed a work of art. The upper half of the 2.6cm diameter silver ball is filigreed with eight musical figurines. A small bell hangs from each figurine. The lower part of the silver ball is decorated with an arc pattern. The     

Decorative Toiletries Case

This toiletries case was used by women in ancient China to hold their mirror, comb, brush, clasp, tweezer, eyebrow pencil and powder. This painting on the case lid, measuring 87.4 cm. long and 5.2 cm. wide, was excavated in southern China from the tomb of a nobleman in the State of Chu. There are 26 people, four carriages, ten     

Chiseled Gold Ornament

According to some archaeological discoveries, people began to use gold to make ornaments during the Shang Dynasty, more than 3,000 years ago. This partfcular piece of chiseled gold ornament was unearthed in 1957 from the Ming Dynasty tomb of Wang Gui at You'anmen, Beijing. Wang Gui was a head of the Imperial Bodyguard in the Ming Dynasty. His eldest daughter was an imperial concubine of the Emperor Cheng Hua. Consequently, his family held a prominent position at the time. The gold ornament, 50.5 centimeters in length and 295 grams in weight, is composed of two parts. The upper part is shaped like lotus leaves, with fine double lines as the vein. To indicate auspiciousness, a pair of mandarin ducks with lotus flowers in their months sit on either side of the thick leaves. Seven long gold chains measuring 21 centimeters in length link the     

Glass Bowl with Knobs

IN 1964, the tomb of Hua Fang was excavated at a construction site in Beijing's western suburbs. Hua Fang was the wife of Wang Jun, who was a prefectural governor of Youzhou (an ancient name for Beijing) during the Western Jin Dynasty. Found in the tomb were a bone ruler and a silver bell in good condition, as well as a packet of half-transparent pieces of glassware. The fragments were restored by experts in 1984 into a complete vessel, which is currently displayed in the Capital Museum.     

Gauze Dress and a Mummy

Silkworm raising and silk reeling is a great contribution of ancient Chinese women to the world civilization and progress. When the Silk Road opened in the Hah Dynasty more than 2,000 years ago, westerners used to call China the Kingdom of Silk. The gauze dress unearthed from the Mawangdui No. 1 Tomb of the Han Dynasty in Hunan's Changsha, is as thin as cicada's wings and only weighs 49 grams. Made of high quality silk, this dress is as soft and light as the dress made of georgette, revealing the ancient Chinese weaving workers' high skill and talent. It is a silk dress, the earliest and best preserved in the world currently. Also excavated from the same tomb is a mummified woman's body. The woman was the wife of a prime minister of a kingdom     

Sixteen-joint Jade Pendant

This light green jade pendant, measuring 48 cm, was unearthed at the Zenghouyi tomb. It was made from five pieces of jade which were carved into ornamental shapes, including a dragon, a phoenix, a bi(a round flat piece of jade with a hole in the center), and rings. Three slip-hoops are fashioned into an ellipse. A single jade nail connects the pieces to a pendant which can be folded or taken apart. Some designs often were carved either on one side or both sides of these ornaments. On this piece are found 37 styles of dragons, seven kinds of phoenixes and ten snakes, done by drill-carving, carving on the surface or in intagolio. Also on the pendant is a picture titled "The Claws of the Phoenixes Grasp the Snakes."     

Zenghouyi Woven Chimes

The Zenghouyi Woven Chimes were unearthed in 1978 from the Leigudun No.1 Tomb, Sui County, Hubei Province. In this tomb was buried Zeng Houyi, a prince of the State of Zeng. There are 65 separate chimes, the largest being 152.3 cm high     

天然去雕饰的蓝印花布(英文)

After more than two thousand years, the masterpieces of people living in the Han Dynasty (B. C. 206-A. D. 220) —blue printed cotton cloth are still laying quietly in a tomb in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. In the vast countryside of China, especially     

The Changxin Palace Lantern

The Changxin Palace Lantern wasexcavated from the tomb of Dou Wan,wife of the Zhongshanjing Prince LiuSheng, in Mancheng, Hebei Province in1968. It is 48 cm high and gilded all over.The support of the lantern is in the shapeof a pretty maid of honor in a kneelingposition. The maid's dress specifically reflectsthe women's dressing during the HanDynasty. Under the conceal of her sedateappearance is a trace of sadness. Holdingthe lantern with her left hand, her right     

戴帏帽的骑马女陶俑(英文)

This colored pottery figurine was excavated from a tomb in Turpan, Xinjiang and dates back to the Tang Dynasty (AD. 618-907). The ornament is a full figured, noble lady riding a horse. Dressed in a long skirt, and sporting a veiled hat, she is beautifully captured taking the horse for a leisurely trot. This figurine is still in mint condition despite being more than one thousand years old. Luckily even the veil is still intact, which provides precious evidence for the study of women's fashion in Tang Dynasty.     

A Wine-Water Container

This exquisite bronze object is a combination wine container and water container. It was excavated from the tomb of Zeng Houyi, a prince of the State of Zeng. The upper part is a wine container, measuring 30. 1 cm tall and the lower part is a water or ice container, measuring 58 cm in diameter. The two parts resemble a     

Jade Figures

Jade carved figures,the tallest 4 cm high,the lowest2.5cm,were unearthed from the tomb of a nobleman fromthe Zhongshan Kingdom in the Warring States Period.Allthe figures,of solemn expression,have clear and simplefacial features,The one with hair worn in a small bun is aboy and the two with hair shaped into ox horns are female     

Unearthed Artifacts of Western Mythological Figures

Although wars and shifts of power happened constantly during the Southern and Northern dynasties (420-589), the exchange with foreign countries in culture and economy never stopped. Some art works unearthed from the tomb of General Li Xian of the Northern Zhou (died in 569) and his wife in the western suburb of Guyuan County, Ningxia in 1983 are the affirmation of that. These art works include a glass bowl with raised floral design, a     

公主墓中的金面具(英文)

In 1986, a pure gold mask was unearthed from a tomb in Inner Mongolia, which contained the remains of a Qidan Kingdom princess and her husband—dating from the Liao Dynasty (916-1125). A rare find, the mask bestowed by