Hunan Museum

The Mawangdui tombs, sealed around 168 BC and excavated in the 1970s outside Changsha, produced one of the most extraordinary archaeological finds of the twentieth century: the body of Lady Dai, a noblewoman preserved by a sealed multi-layered tomb and a fluid bath so completely that her limbs were flexible, her organs intact and her blood type identifiable when found. With her came painted silk banners, lacquerware, silk manuscripts including versions of the Daodejing older than any then known, and a gauze robe weighing under fifty grams. The museum, rebuilt and reopened in 2017, displays the tomb reconstruction, the body and the finds across several floors.

History

The Hunan Museum was built in 1951 and opened in July 1956, and its collection of more than 180,000 objects includes the finds from the Mawangdui tombs of the Marquis of Dai and his wife, Xin Zhui. It closed on 18 June 2012 for rebuilding to a design by the China Central Academy of Fine Arts with the Japanese architect Arata Isozaki, and reopened on 29 November 2017 (Wikipedia, Hunan Museum).

The main sights

• Lady Dai - the exceptionally preserved body from the Mawangdui tomb.
• The painted silk banner - the funerary banner showing heaven, earth and underworld.
• The silk manuscripts - early texts including versions of the Daodejing.
• The gauze robe - a silk garment weighing under fifty grams.

When to go

Year-round; the museum closes on Mondays. Free entry requires advance online booking and slots go quickly at weekends. The body is displayed in a low-lit chamber that queues form for.

Practical notes

Booking is compulsory and difficult without a Chinese app. Viewing the preserved body upsets some visitors and is not suitable for everyone. English labelling is partial and the museum is large.

Nearby

Yuelu Academy lies across the river; Orange Isle is in the Xiang.

Key facts