Nanyue King Mausoleum is located at the western part of Xiyue Park on Xianggang Hill. Discovered in 1883, the mausoleum dates back to the Western Han Dynasty. It is believed to have been built by the self-proclaimed king, Wen Di of the Nanyue Kingdom. It is said that Wen Di unified and brought much political stability to the Lingnan Region. The 2,000 year-old structure is the earliest large-scale stone painted tomb chamber found south of the Five Ridges, and is the earliest and largest early Han-dynasty mausoleum ever discovered. The mausoleum features rich burial objects including a painted coffin chamber with painted murals. The coffin chamber was built entirely of stone and is considered unique for its time. Discovered artifacts include brassware and pottery that are typical of the Yue ethnic group that resides in southern China.
The owner of the mausoleum was buried with a "jin lü yu yi" – literally a "gold thread jade garment" – which was a garment of jade plaques joined with gold thread which adorned the bodies of Han dynasty emperors. It is believed that this is the earliest such burial garment ever found in China. A number of invaluable rare objects, including African elephant tusks, a blue plate glass panel and the world's first set of color print copperplate moulds have also been unearthed from the mausoleum.
Visitors coming to the museum will not be disappointed since much of the detail information is also provided in English.
Getting there: Bus number:5, 6, 10, 21, 24, 30, 33, 58, 63, 101, 122
Metro line 2