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Noble Tombs at Mawangdui: Art and Life in the Changsha Kingdom, Third Century BCE to First Century CE
马王堆汉墓：古长沙国的艺术和生活

February 12 – June 7, 2009

In the 1970s, Chinese archaeologists in Hunan Province unearthed three tombs, dating back to the Western Han dynasty (206 BCE–8 CE), of the Marquis of Dai (Dai hou, 轪侯), chancellor of the Changsha kingdom, his wife Lady Xin Zhui 辛追, and their son. Over three thousand cultural relics reflecting the opulent life of this noble family were recovered from the site. This exhibition presented sixty-eight treasures from Mawangdui 马王堆, including silk costumes, wood carvings, bronze objects, lacquerware, jade ornaments, and seals, as well as sections of the Yang Sheng Fang 养生方 manuscript, a medical text that outlines various techniques of enhancing vitality and lengthening life. The artworks, portraying aspects of daily life ranging from food to cosmetics and fashion and from entertainment to healthcare and exercise, provided a fascinating picture of reverence for the afterlife imparted by the ancients more than two thousand years ago.

Curated by Chen Jianming

Exhibition organized by China Institute Gallery and the Hunan Provincial Museum; catalogue published by Yuelu Publishing House; copyright 2008 by Yuelu Publishing House.

Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara, California, September 19 to December 13, 2009

Media Coverage

  • Ken Johnson, “Art Review: How the Upper Crust Lived, and Died, in Early China,” The New York Times, April 10, 2009.

    “Because they had escaped the notice of plunderers and because of the unusually well-preserved state of their contents, the tombs are considered among the major archaeological discoveries of the 20th century. Momentous as this sounds, the exhibition is not one of those astounding, blockbuster compendiums of shiny gold and jeweled treasures. Most of the material, including samples of fabric, lacquer ware, lamps, grooming implements and wooden figurines, is more remarkable for historical than artistic reasons. Scholarly specialists will be most appreciative.”

Media Coverage

  • Asian Art
  • China Press 侨报
  • Orientations
  • Sing Tao Daily 星岛日报
  • World Journal 世界日报
  • Xinhua News Agency

Related Programs

  • Curator’s Lecture: Chen Jianming, “Noble Tombs at Mawangdui” (February 12, 2009).
  • Symposium: “Archaeology, Cosmology and Technology: The Culture and History of Chu” (May 10, 2009). Speakers included: Lothar Von Falkenhausen, John S. Major, Sarah Allan, Robert Murowchick, Colin Mackenzie, Robert P. Youngman, and Hsin-Mei Agnes Hsu. This symposium explored the significance of Mawangdui by drawing attention to the Yangzi region as a conduit for cultural exchange and innovation rather than simply a recipient of culture transmitted from northern China.
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