The Nanyue King Museum is a large archaeology museum located in Guangzhou, China. Designated as a national first-grade museum, it was established on September 8, 2021, through the merger of the former Museum of the Mausoleum of the Nanyue King and the former Museum of the Nanyue Palace Site.
The museum primarily exhibits the archaeological discoveries and relics of the Nanyue, an ancient kingdom which ruled Lingnan region between 204 BC and 111 BC during the Western Han Dynasty. It currently comprises two sites: the Site of King's Tomb and the Site of Palace and Garden. The tomb belongs to Zhao Mo, the second king of the Nanyue, while the palace area encompasses the ruins of the royal palace. Both sites are recognized as national priority protected site. With a combined floor area of 40,000 square meters, it stands as a renowned tourist destination in Guangzhou.
History
In June 1983, the Guangdong provincial government lowered Xianggang Hill near Yuexiu Hill by 17 meters to construct apartment buildings, unexpectedly uncovering a tomb buried within the hill. After archaeological excavation and identification, the tomb was confirmed as a Western Han Dynasty burial site belonging to Zhao Mo, the second king of the Nanyue. It was thus named the Mausoleum of the Nanyue King Wen, also known as the "Tomb of Nanyue King."
To preserve and showcase the tomb and its unearthed artifacts, the Guangzhou government decided to establish a museum on the original site. Designed by renowned Lingnan-style architects Mo Bozhi and He Jingtang, the museum opened in 1988 and was fully completed in 1993. Initially named the "Mausoleum Museum of the Nanyue King of the Western Han Dynasty", it was later renamed the "Museum of the Western Han Dynasty Mausoleum of the Nanyue King" in the 2000s.
In 1995, during construction at a site on Zhongshan Fourth Road, a corner of a large stone-built pool was discovered. It was later confirmed as part of the Nanyue period ruins. Subsequent excavations revealed more relics from the Nanyue era, including a meandering stone channel, wells, and palace ruins. Additionally, artifacts spanning 12 dynasties—from the Qin dynasty to the Republic of China—were uncovered, including palace ruins of Nanhan (the Southern Han) from the Five Dynasties period. Since 2006, Nanyue Kingdom Palace Ruins have been partially open to the public. The Guangzhou government later established the "Museum of the Nanyue Palace Site" on the original location, which partially opened in 2010 and fully opened in 2014.
On 8 September 2021, the Museum of the Western Han Dynasty Mausoleum of the Nanyue King and the Museum of the Nanyue Palace Site merged to form the new Nanyue King Museum. The former Museum of the Western Han Dynasty Mausoleum of the Nanyue King was renamed the "Site of King's Tomb, Nanyue King Museum" while the former Museum of the Nanyue Palace Site became the "Site of Palace and Garden, Nanyue King Museum".
Layout
Site of King's Tomb
The Tomb
The Nanyue King's Tomb is buried approximately 20 meters deep within the core of Xianggang Hill. Over 750 red sandstone blocks used in its construction were quarried from Lotus Hill, located dozens of kilometers from Guangzhou city center. The estimated volume of earth and rock excavated for the tomb exceeds 3,000 cubic meters. Initially, archaeologists discovered that one tomb door had collapsed, leading them to suspect the tomb had been robbed. Later investigations revealed that the collapse resulted from a natural landslide, confirming that the tomb remained remarkably intact—a rare treasure given that most other tombs in Guangzhou had been looted.
The tomb's layout forms a cross-shaped plan, combining vertical pit and horizontal tunnel designs: the main structure is a vertical pit, while the eastern and western side chambers were carved horizontally. Oriented north-south, the tomb measures 10.85 meters in length and up to 12.5 meters in width, covering a floor area of about 100 square meters. It follows a symmetrical axis and is divided into front and rear sections replicating the "front court, rear living quarters" palace layout, comprising seven distinct chambers:
Front Chamber: Symbolizing the king's reception hall. Artifacts unearthed here include chariot and horse fittings, along with remains of a human sacrifice—likely a eunuch attendant. Eastern Side Chamber: Reserved for banquet and musical instruments. A sacrificial victim, possibly a court musician, was found here. Western Side Chamber: Functioned as a royal treasury, yielding the highest number of artifacts (295 sets/items), spanning gold, silver, bronze, iron, jade, glass, and textiles. Main Coffin Chamber: Contained the decayed coffin of the king. Key discoveries here include a jade burial suit woven with silk threads, the gold seal "Imperial Seal of Emperor Wen" (文帝行玺), and the jade seal "Zhào Mò" (赵昩)—critical evidence confirming the tomb's occupant. Eastern Annex Chamber: Burial site for the king's four concubines. Western Annex Chamber: Quarters for sacrificial servants. Rear Storage Chamber: Stored cooking utensils and food vessels.
The southern approach features a sloped tomb passage. Outside the first stone door, an outer burial pit contained a sacrificial victim alongside pottery urns and chariot fittings. The second stone door separated the front and rear sections. Unable to open it externally, archaeologists excavated a narrow tunnel beneath the door to access the main coffin chamber, subsequently unlocking the door from within—secured by a stone doorstop.
The Architecture
Designed by renowned Lingnan-style architects Mo Bozhi and He Jingtang, the museum complex centers around the ancient tomb and is built into the hillside, covering a construction area of over 17,400 square meters. It comprises three main sections: the reception building, the tomb protection zone, and the main exhibition building. Red sandstone—similar to that used in the tomb—serves as the primary construction material, while exterior wall carvings were created by the eminent sculptor Pan He.
The reception building is a three-story entrance structure with staircases ascending the hillside toward the tomb protection zone, where the tomb chamber is covered by a funnel-shaped steel-framed glass canopy, symbolizing the truncated pyramidal mound typical of Han imperial mausoleums. Encircling walkways allow visitors to descend into the tomb via its original passageway. The main exhibition nuilding is located north of the tomb protection zone. This windowless structure relies solely on controlled indoor lighting and minimal natural light from a glazed atrium skylight, recreating the tomb's somber ambiance.
For its exceptional design, the museum received six national and international awards, including National Gold Medal for Outstanding Design, Excellent Architectural Design Award (Architectural Society of China), First Prize for Outstanding Design (1991, State Education Commission and Ministry of Construction). It was also honored as a "World Architectural Masterpiece of the 20th Century" and remains an iconic example of Lingnan modern architecture.
Site of Palace and Garden
The Ruins
Also known as the "Nanyue Kingdom Palace Ruins", the Site of Palace and Garden traces its discovery to 1995, when a corner of a large stone-built pool was unearthed. The pool's stone slabs bore inscriptions like "蕃" (Fān), confirming its origin in the Nanyue era. This breakthrough earned it a spot among China's Top Ten Archaeological Discoveries of 1995. Later named "Pan Pond" (Fān Chí) based on unearthed wooden slips, it was preserved in situ through backfilling.
In 1997, the adjacent Crooked Stone Brook from the Nanyue was discovered. Linked to the Pan Pond via a wooden underground trough, these structures formed an imperial garden waterscape—China's earliest and most intact Qin-Han palace landscape—garnering another Top Ten Archaeological Discovery award in 1997.
The discovery of the Pan Pond and Crooked Stone Brook indicated that more significant Nanyue ruins might exist nearby. With approval from the National Cultural Heritage Administration, a joint archaeological team—comprising the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the Guangzhou Municipal Institute of Cultural Heritage and Archaeology, and the Preparatory Office of the Nanyue Palace Museum—conducted trial excavations in 2000 at the adjacent Children's Park. These digs revealed the foundations of Hall One of the Nanyue Kingdom and Hall Two of the Southern Han.
Subsequently, the Guangzhou government decided to relocate the Children's Park. Following state approval, systematic archaeological excavations commenced on the site, covering approximately 12,000 square meters. The project uncovered over 4,800 cultural remains spanning multiple dynasties, including the Palaces of the Nanyue Kingdom and Southern Han Kingdom, the Tang dynasty Jiedushi's (regional military governor's) Office, the Song dynasty Guangzhou Magistrate's Office, the Yuan dynasty Guangzhou Marshal's Residence and the Ming and Qing Guangdong Provincial Administration Office. These remnants—stacked in layers up to 5 meters deep—serve as a tangible witness to Guangzhou's urban evolution across two millennia.
The Crooked Stone Brook from the Nanyue Kingdom period is the centerpiece of the current exhibition. This stone watercourse originally extended 180 meters, with 160 meters preserved today. It winds from the northeast to the southwest, featuring artificial hydraulic structures including a sharp bend, crescent-shaped pond, down slopes, through bridges and over stepping-stones. The water is channeled from the Pan Pond. The flow first reaches the sharp bend, creating turbulent vortices, then diverts southeast into the crescent-shaped pond, where an overhead pavilion was supported by two rows of stone slabs and two octagonal pillars. Turtle habitat is confirmed by abundant fragmented turtle shells on the pond bed. The flow then turns northwest through wave-generating slopes (arched stone slabs that agitate water), stone access ramps for turtles to climb ashore and broad stone bridges crossing the channel.
The landscape artistry embodies sophisticated Qin-Han garden engineering with its meandering, multi-functional design. It's worth noting that the octagonal pillars are neither found elsewhere in contemporaneous China nor rooted in Lingnan traditions. Instead, they bears striking resemblance to Indian architecture of the same era, suggesting maritime exchange via ancient sea routes. The discovery compels scholars to rethink the evolution of Chinese architecture, highlighting early East-West cultural dialogue.