Tomb of Marquis of Haihun 海昏侯墓

About Tomb of Marquis of Haihun

It is associated with Liu He, the briefly enthroned Western Han emperor who later became Marquis of Haihun.

The cemetery includes principal tombs, attendant burials and a chariot-and-horse burial pit. Excavated gold objects and other grave goods illuminate the rank and material culture of a Han aristocratic household.

The park is trapezoidal, covering about 46,000 square meters and enclosed by a rammed-earth wall some 868 meters around, with gates and paired towers on its east and north sides. The two main tombs sit at the center on the highest ground, sharing a ritual complex of a sleeping hall (寝) and shrine hall (祠堂), and each of the seven subordinate tombs had its own shrine hall in front.

The tomb park lies southwest of Zijincheng (紫金城), the Haihun marquisate's capital, sited on the middle hill of a range running northeast to southwest and flanked by hills, with small rivers to its south and west and open ground on three sides.

The tomb complex forms part of a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level (全国重点文物保护单位) that also covers the Zijincheng city site and the Tiehe tomb cluster (紫金城城址与铁河古墓群). Excavation recovered more than 20,000 artifacts, including the first Han-dynasty gold tablets found in China and the largest number of gold cakes from any Han tomb, and in 2015 the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences named the site one of China's six major archaeological discoveries of the year.

What to look for

• The tombs belong to Liu He, who briefly held the Western Han imperial throne.
• Attendant burials and the chariot-and-horse pit explain the scale of an aristocratic cemetery.

The surrounding area

Provincial city base for noodle breakfasts, Tengwang Pavilion and Gan River scenery.

Location & getting there

Getting to Tomb of Marquis of Haihun

Approach the Haihun Marquis site at Guanxi village in Datangping, Nanchang’s Xinjian district; use the designated visitor complex for the cemetery.

• Confirm the visitor entrance and access to the named areas before departure.