Nanyue King Museum (Royal Tomb Exhibition Area)

Located in Yuexiu District, Guangzhou City, the Nanyue King Museum is the royal tomb exhibition area of the Nanyue King […]

Located in Yuexiu District, Guangzhou City, the Nanyue King Museum is the royal tomb exhibition area of the Nanyue King Museum (Research Center for the History of the Western Han Nanyue Kingdom). The museum was established on the original site of the royal tomb unearthed in June 1983, primarily displaying the tomb and its unearthed artifacts. Compared to other museums, a highlight is the treasure known as the ‘Silk Thread Jade Suit’, which is one of the earliest complete jade suits excavated in China to date and is definitely worth seeing. Additionally, the museum is built on the original site of the tomb, housing the tomb of the Nanyue King within its premises. To the east of the museum stands a three-story comprehensive exhibition building, while to the north is a two-story main exhibition building. Encircled by a surrounding corridor, these three buildings are connected as a whole, with a total of 10 exhibition halls in the museum. The museum’s permanent exhibitions include artifact displays and a porcelain pillow exhibition, with occasional temporary exhibitions. The artifact exhibition is the main focus of the museum, featuring over ten thousand burial artifacts unearthed from the tomb of King Zhao Mo of Nanyue. The exhibition is divided into five sections: Emperor Wen’s Gold Seal, Treasures of the Main Chamber, Accompanying Persons in the Tomb, Imperial Treasury, and Bells and Cauldrons. Among the accompanying artifacts, there is a large number of jade pieces, such as a celadon jade horn cup, eleven sets of jade accessories, and fifty-eight pieces of jade sword ornaments, which are significant discoveries in Han Dynasty jade. The treasures among the jade pieces include the ‘Silk Thread Jade Suit’, ‘High-footed Cup with a Tray’, and the ‘Dragon and Phoenix Pattern Double Ring Jade Pendant’. The Dragon and Phoenix Pattern Double Ring Jade Pendant is a decorative jade piece, unearthed at the position of the tomb owner’s right eye, carved from blue-white jade. The pendant is divided into two circles, with an inner circle featuring a carved dragon and an outer circle featuring a carved phoenix. Its shape and pattern have been selected as the emblem of the Western Han Nanyue King Museum. Opening hours are Tuesday to Sunday, 09:00-17:30 all year round; on New Year’s Day, Spring Festival, Qingming Festival, Labor Day, Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, and National Day, the museum is open from 09:00-17:30; the museum is closed all day on Mondays, except for national holidays when it opens as usual.