I've long been fascinated by the jade burial suits 玉衣 of ancient China since I first saw them on television in the 1970s.
During this trip to Guangzhou, I saw the Jade Burial Suit of King Wen of Nanyue kingdom at the Nanyue King Wen's Mausoleum 南越文王墓.
Nanyue King Wen's Mausoleum 南越文王墓 is just about 20 minutes walk from the obligatory tourist hotspot, Beijinglu Pedestrian Mall - so you can easily include the museum in your day's itinerary (especially, if you are a history buff).
Nanyue King Wen's Mausoleum 南越文王墓 is built at the site of Nanyue kingdom King Wen's tomb - an over 2000 year old site in the heart of the modern Guangzhou megapolis.
King Wen's Jade Burial Suit is one of the over 1,000 amazing artefacts excavated from King Wen's tomb discovered in 1983.
The Nanyue kingdom was founded by Zhao Tuo, an army commander sent by the Qin dynasty with 500,000 ethnic Han soldiers to subdue the tribes of Lingnan (south of the mountains) region. Mission accomplished, Zhao Tuo administrated Lingnan as a Commandery until the Qin dynasty collapsed and broke up into several feuding kingdoms in 206 BC.
Zhao Tuo took the opportunity of chaos under heaven to establish his own kingdom, Nanyue - which lasted for five generations over 93 years (203 BC - 111 BC). Nanyue's territory stretched from today's Fujian province, west through to Guangdong and Guangxi provinces, Hainan island and north of Vietnam.
Nanyue survived nearly a century through trade (with the Malay archipelago and even the Middle East), shrewd diplomacy and military might until Emperor Wu of Han dynasty (Han Wudi 漢武帝) put an end to it in 111 BC.
Han Wudi launched a massive invasion, finally integrating the renegade kingdom into the Han dynasty's fold.
The mausoleum is the tomb of Zhao Tuo's grandson Zhao Mo, the second king of Nanyue known as King Wen who reigned from 137 BC till his death in 122 BC.
Zhao Tuo's tomb is still undiscovered and expected to be much grander than his grandson's.
King Wen's (Zhao Mo) jade burial suit is 173 cm in length and made up of 2,291 jade pieces sewn together with silk thread.
The jade artefacts are originals while the silk threads holding the jade pieces together are replicas as the original had all long decayed.
King Wen was a frail man, struggling with illness. He was around 40 to 45 years old when he died.
During the Han dynasty era, jade played a central role in the burial customs of royalty and nobility. Jade was believed to preserve the body from decay and guide the soul to ascend in the afterlife.
At the top of the jade burial suit is a jade cap with a hole. The soul is believed to move through this hole.
Jade burial suits similar to King Wen's have been found elsewhere in China, for example in Jiangsu province.
The culture of jade burial suits faded around 200 AD partly due to cost and also to prevent rampant grave robbing.
Besides the jade burial suit, there are many (hundreds) other fascinating artefacts, such as the emperor's jade cup on display.
Seniors 60 years old and above (including foreigners) enter the museum free of charge (just show your passport). Entrance fees are nominal for all.
Nanyue King Wen's Mausoleum Guangzhou 南越文王墓
Address: 867 Jiefang N Rd, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China, 510040
Tel: +86 20 3618 2920
Hours: 9am - 5:30pm
Written by Tony Boey on 25 Oct 2026
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