Western Han Nanyue King's Tomb is the oldest Han Dynasty mausoleum with colored mural paintings in Lingnan areas. Discovred in 1983, it is located in Jiefang Beilu of Guangzhou city. A large museumn with 10 exhibition halls was built on the original site of the tomb to exhibite the items unearthed.
The owner of the tomb is the second ruler of Southern Yue kingdom called Zhao Mo during Han Dynasty dating back to 100 B.C. It was hidden about 20 meters below the surface of the mountain and is built out of 750 big stones. Wooden boards were laid at the bottom of the tomb and the sides of which were covered by stone slabs. The whole tomb was magnificent and complicated and specific in its layout with two stone doors dividing it into small compartments.
More than 1000 burial objects were excavated, among which are a chariot, gold and silver vessels, musical instruments, and sacrificial human remains. Visitors can find rare materials from both Qin and Han periods and throughout Nanyue history. The museum also provides invaluable insights into the history of early development of Guangzhou city and Hanyue.