50th Anniversary of the Completion of the Archaeological Excavation of Mawangdui Han Tomb

2024 marks the 50th anniversary of the completion of the archaeological excavation of the Mawangdui Han Tomb. Mawangdui is located in Wulipai, east of Changsha City, Hunan Province. In 1951, the famous archaeologist Xia Nai led a team to investigate the two mounds of Mawangdui and initially determined that it was a Western Han tomb from the 2nd century BC. At the end of 1971, ignitable gas was accidentally discovered in an air-raid shelter near Mawangdui. Based on experience, archaeologists determined that there was a well-preserved ancient tomb underneath, and thus began the excavation.