Published : 23/07/2025

On July 23, 1968, a jade burial suit with golden thread from China's Han Dynasty  (202 BC-220 AD) was unearthed.

At that time, the People's Liberation Army of China was working on the Ling Mountain in Mancheng County, Hebei Province, and they unexpectedly discovered two well-preserved large tombs from the Han Dynasty.

The tomb owners of the two burials were respectively Liu Sheng (劉勝), son of Emperor Jing of Han (漢景帝) and the elder brother of Emperor Wu of Han (漢武帝), and his wife Dou Wan (竇綰).

The tombs were filled with numerous burial items, among which the most notable were the jade burial suit with golden thread worn by Liu Sheng and his wife Dou Wan.

The jade burial suit with golden thread was the highest-standard burial garment of the Han Dynasty, and it appeared around the reign of Emperors Wen and Jing of the Western Han.

According to the historical documents, Han emperors were buried in these suits, referred to as "pearl-adorned robes and jade cases" (珠襦玉匣). Resembling armour, they were woven together with gold wire.

At that time, people believed that jade could preserve the corpse from decay and considered it a noble ritual vessel and a symbol of status.

The jade burial suit with golden thread consists of six parts: head cover, upper body, sleeves, gloves, trousers, and shoes, each designed to fit the respective parts of the human body.

The jade pieces come in various shapes, including square, rectangular, quadrilateral, polygonal, trapezoidal, triangular, and ring-like shapes.

Taking Liu Sheng's jade suit for an example, it was made from a total of 2,498 jade pieces, and the gold threads weighed about 1,100 grams, showcasing very fine craftsmanship.