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Explore the region
About Guishan Han Tombs
Narrow, carefully finished entrance passages lead into chambers designed with the functions of a residence.
Rooms interpreted as sleeping, kitchen, storage and other domestic spaces show how the tomb translated life into an underground setting. Follow the museum’s permitted route through the passages and chambers; their narrow proportions are part of the experience and may affect accessibility.
The tomb was discovered in February 1981 during quarrying at the western foot of Guishan, in Xuzhou's Gulou District, and was excavated and cleared by the Nanjing Museum in two campaigns during 1981 and 1982. In 1985 a silver seal belonging to the tomb's occupant was recovered, identifying it as the joint burial of Liu Zhu (刘注), the sixth Chu king of the Western Han, known as King Xiang, and his wife. Xuzhou Museum and other institutions carried out three further clearances in 1987, 1990 and 1992, and the Guishan Han Tomb Museum was established on the site in 1993.
The tomb consists of two parallel, connected burial chambers with north and south entrance passages opening on the west side of Guishan and leading east into a large chamber cut into the mountain. Both passages are about 56 meters long, about 1 meter wide and about 1.77 meters high, finely finished with polished stone walls and drainage grooves cut along the base. The tomb contains fifteen rooms, including a bedroom, kitchen, well, garage and toilet, linked by corridors; the passages and chambers together cover more than 700 square meters with a volume of more than 2,600 cubic meters. It had already been looted by the Wei, Jin and Northern and Southern dynasties period, leaving few excavated artifacts.
What to look for
- Two parallel passages lead into connected tomb complexes.
- The rock-cut chambers reproduce different domestic functions within the burial setting.
The surrounding area
A northern extension focused on Han culture, with its own travel days rather than a short detour from Suzhou.
Location & getting there
Getting to Guishan Han Tombs
Approach the tomb museum at the western foot of Guishan in Gulou, Xuzhou; the travel listing identifies 3 Xiangwang North Road.
Combine your visit
A suggested sequence linking the specific features of this visit.
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Entrance-passage display
Begin with the narrow, precisely cut approach to the tomb.
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Accessible chamber sequence
Compare rooms associated with different household functions.
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Tomb interpretation
Connect the underground plan with the identification of Liu Zhu and his wife.
This order is editorial. Confirm access and any transfers between stops; it does not establish a walking route, same-day connection or common admission ticket.
Find Guishan Han Tombs
龟山汉墓 · 徐州市
The pin marks the area, not the entrance.
More places nearby
Approximate straight-line distances between map pins, not travel distances.
Xuzhou Museum 徐州博物馆
8 km awayXuzhou Museum links the city’s local history with the material culture of the Han-period Chu kingdom. Jade, figurines and burial objects provide a particularly strong focus, including the collection’s gold-thread jade burial suit.
View guide →Yunlong Lake 云龙湖
8 km awayYunlong Lake lies at the foot of Yunlong Mountain in southwestern Xuzhou. Its East Lake, West Lake and Small South Lake create distinct water landscapes rather than a single compact pond. Hudong Road follows the mountain-facing…
View guide →Huaihai Campaign Memorial Museum 淮海战役纪念馆
10 km awayThe Huaihai Campaign Memorial Museum in Xuzhou interprets the military campaign alongside the civilian labour that supported it. The grain-processing exhibit makes that support concrete through the work of preparing supplies…
View guide →Sources & visit information
The sources below support the place-specific description and arrival information. Suggested combinations are editorial planning ideas; confirm current opening, entry arrangements and transport services for your date.
Visitor information adapted and edited from Wikipedia contributors, “龟山汉楚王墓” · CC BY-SA 4.0. Source revision 93224175.
Visitor information adapted and edited from Wikivoyage contributors, listing “Guishan Han Dynasty Tombs” · CC BY-SA 4.0.
Background paragraphs translated and condensed from Wikipedia contributors, "龟山汉楚王墓", Chinese Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0. Source revision 93224175.