CRI听力:Occupant of 2,000-year-old Tomb Confirmed

New evidence has led to the confirmation of the identity of the master of a 2,000-year-old tomb in east China's Jiangxi Province as the Marquis of Haihun.

As CRI's Huang Shan reports, the confirmation has significant meaning for archaeology in China.
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According to the excavation experts, a jade seal found in the interior coffin of the tomb has helped identify its master as the Marquis of Haihun.

The printing base of the seal is inscribed with the characters of "Liu He," the name of the Marquis, who was also the grandson of Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty, ruling from 141–87 BC.

Liu was given the title "Haihunhou" after he was deposed as emperor after only 27 days.

Yang Jun, an expert from the excavation team, says the Marquis of Haihun has a very special status in Chinese ancient history.

"We believe that the identity of the Marquis of Haihun is very special. Because he used be a feudal king, an emperor, and at last a marquis. This is very rare in ancient China's history."

The tomb, which dates back to the Western Han Dynasty, is believed to be the best-preserved tomb of its age found in China.

Over 20,000 items including gold coins, bamboo slips and bronze wares have been unearthed from the tomb of since the excavation began in 2011.

Xin Lixiang is the head of the excavation expert panel.

"So far, it is the largest finding in a Han Dynasty tomb in terms of the number of gold coins. It has set a record for this in China."

Xin believes that the nearly 3,000 wooden tablets and bamboo slips will also be helpful in getting to know more about Chinese history.

"These unearthed wooden tablets are mainly copies of reports submitted to the emperor and the empress dowager. The content in these bamboo slips is unknown at present, but according to earlier experiences, they are mainly medical and agricultural books dating back to the Western Han Dynasty."

To get people to better appreciate the delicacy of the unearthed items and the meanings behind them, a three-month- long display has been arranged at Beijing's Capital Museum.

More than 400 artifacts selected from over 10,000 items unearthed from the tomb during the 5-year-long excavation will be shown.

The exhibition is scheduled to last from March 2 to June 2.

For CRI, this is Huang Shan.