Wonders of Marquis of Dai now on display
The exhibition hall at Minhang Museum is decorated with cloth bearing patterns from the cultural relics.
Shanghai residents are now able to see cultural relics unearthed from the famous Mawangdui without the need to travel to the archaeological site thanks to an exhibition that opened on Friday at the Minhang Museum.
The "Han Infinity" exhibition is showcasing 138 sets of exhibits from the archaeological site dating back more than 2,000 years. It contained the remains of Li Cang, prime minister of the Changsha Kingdom in the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 25), who was also called the Marquis of Dai, his wife Xin Zhui and their son Li Xi.
It has three sections – an introduction to the noble family, a detailed demonstration of their life including wealth, food, clothing, entertainment and a depiction of their pursuit for immortality and understanding on life, heaven and the universe.
A lightest silk gauze garment on display
At Minhang Museum, visitors can see a 49-gram silk gauze garment, the lightest of its kind in the world. It is a woven mesh of silk threads. The extremely fine gauze gown represented the supreme skill of silkworm breeding and weaving during the Western Han Dynasty. It's one of the 64 items on China's first list of cultural relics forbidden from being carried out of the country.
A visitor takes a photo of seals of Li Cang, prime minister of the Changsha Kingdom in the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 25), who was also called the Marquis of Dai.
There are also dressing boxes, wooden figurines, silk manuscripts, paintings and even food such as waxberries and a millet cake discovered in Madam Xin Zhui's tomb, as well as a four-layer colorful coffin for nobles in the Western Han Dynasty.
Visitors can also follow a video and do physical exercises popular in the Western Han Dynasty. There is also a projection show created based on the funerary objects to show the heaven dreamed of by ancient Chinese and their concept of immortality.
A visitor has a close look at a dressing box from the tomb of Xin Zhui, wife of Li Cang.
The exhibition will run through May 3. It's is free but reservations are required.
Exhibition info:
Dates: 9:30am - 4:30pm Tuesday to Sunday through May 3
Tickets: Free
Venue: Minhang Museum (闵行博物馆)
Address: 1538 Xinzhen Road, Minhang District (闵行区新镇路1538号)
Visitors can scan the QR code to make reservations.
