Beijing Dabaotai Museum

The Beijing Dabaotai Western Han Tombs Museum is China's first museum devoted to Western Han (206BC-8AD) tombs. Built in November 1979 and opened to the public on December 1, 1983, the museum is located in Dabaotai Village in Fengtai District, Beijing.

 

Archaeologists excavated the site in 1974 and 1975, and the museum is built around the No.1 Tomb -- the tomb of Liu Jian (73-45BC), the prince of Guangyang of the Western Han Dynasty. The huge tomb is comprised of burial chamber, antechamber (furnished like an imperial sitting room) and coffin chamber (with five coffins for the emperor). The length from South to North is 23.2 meters, while the width from East to West is 18 meters. It is 4.7 meters below the earth’s surface.

 

The underground palace adopts the "System of the Sons of the Heaven", the highest level funeral system reserved for use by the emperors of the Western Han Dynasty. The whole palace was built using several hundred cubic meters of cypress and chinaberry timber, the floor area is 417.6 square meters. It is called Xin Palace, Bian House and Huangchangticou. There are 2 carriages with red-spotted wheel and green cover and the bones of 11 horses that were buried alive with the dead.

 

The museum features four basic displays: Restored Dabaotai No.1 Tomb, Dabaotai No.1 Funerary Objects, Restored Dabaotai Carriages, and Dabaotai Unearthed Relics.

 

Although the tomb did not escape early grave robbers and vandals, over 400 burial objects of pottery, bronze, iron, jade, agate, lacquer and silk were salvaged. A piece of the earliest decarbonized steel known in China, woven brocade hat ribbons, iron axes stamped with the characters Yuyang Ironsmith and local agricultural products are on display.

Dabaotai Han Dynasty Tomb Museum is basically divided into three sections as follow:
1. Display of Tomb Room No. One – Mainly regarding the recovery display of underground display of the tomb.

2. Display of Chariots and Horses – Highlights on the three single-shaft wooden cars as well as 11 remains of horses etc.
3. Display of Treasury – Including ceramic, bronze, steel, jade, lacquer as well as woven products of over 400 pieces.