Description of the attraction
Mausoleum of the kings of the Nanyue principality presents the graves
The mausoleum of the kings of the Nanyue principality is one of the oldest burial places of the eponymous royal dynasty. Located on North Jiefang Street in Guangzhou City, this museum 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 her, scientists were able to identify the name of the owner. The kingdom itself was formed after the end of the Qin dynasty, and remained independent for about a hundred years. But in 111 BC. NS. 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 a 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, glass pyramids can be seen at the entrance and on the roofs of the building, following the example of the Parisian Louvre. The tomb itself is designed in the style of an imperial palace.
The museum contains many historical artifacts - these are terracotta figures, and various vessels made of precious metals, as well as various musical instruments. A separate exposition is reserved for ancient furnaces. The most valuable exhibits of the museum are jewelry made of gold and jade. The jade collection is completely unique for the Han Dynasty.
