Travelogue of the Museum of the Nanyue King

The Western Han Nanyue King's Mausoleum Museum, discovered in 1983, is the tomb of Zhao Mo, the second-generation king of the Nanyue Kingdom. It is the largest and only Han Dynasty painted stone chamber tomb found in the Lingnan region. Over ten thousand relics were unearthed from the tomb, including the 'Wen Di Xing Xi' gold seal, jade horn cups, gold-inscribed tiger tally, printed bronze plate molds, and flat glass copper decorations, all of which have significant historical, scientific, and artistic value. They collectively reflect the political, economic, and cultural aspects of Lingnan from two thousand years ago. The tomb of the Nanyue King is one of the major archaeological discoveries of the 1980s in China and was listed as a national key cultural relics protection unit in 1996. In 2004, it was selected as a national AAAA-level scenic spot, and in 2008, it was rated as a 'National First-Class Museum'. The 'Relics of the Nanyue Kingdom' and the 'Maritime Silk Road' were included in China's tentative list for World Cultural Heritage. The Western Han Nanyue King's Mausoleum Museum, which officially opened to the public in 1988, has a building area of over 17,400 square meters and mainly displays the original site of the Nanyue King's tomb and the relics unearthed from it. Centered around the ancient tomb and built against the mountain, the museum organically connects different sequential spaces such as the comprehensive exhibition building, the ancient tomb protection area, and the main exhibition building, highlighting the group style of the site museum. It is a splendid representative of modern Lingnan architecture and has won six domestic and international architectural awards. The museum also features a special exhibition of ceramic pillows donated by Yang Yongde and his wife, as well as temporary exhibitions that are held from time to time. The museum currently holds more than 400 ceramic pillows, ranging from the Tang Dynasty to the Republic of China, with the majority from the Song and Jin Dynasties. The quantity, quality, and variety of kiln origins of these pillows are rare among similar collections in China.