Tomb of the Marquis of Haihun: Liu He's Treasure-Filled Grave

The tomb of the Marquis of Haihun is the burial of Liu He, a grandson of Emperor Wu of Han who reigned as emperor for just 27 days in 74 BC before being deposed. He died in 59 BC as Marquis of Haihun, a minor noble in what is now Jiangxi Province, and was buried with extraordinary wealth. Excavated near Nanchang between 2011 and 2015, his tomb is the best-preserved and richest marquis’s tomb of the Western Han dynasty yet found.

Who was Liu He?

Liu He was born around 92 BC, the son of Liu Bo, Prince of Changyi, and grandson of Emperor Wu of Han and his consort Lady Li. When his father died, the young Liu He inherited the kingdom of Changyi, in modern Shandong, as a small child.

In 74 BC Emperor Zhao died at about 20 without an heir. The powerful regent Huo Guang chose Liu He as successor, and he was enthroned in Chang’an.

The 27-day reign

Liu He’s reign was brief. According to the Book of Han, he behaved with disregard for mourning rites, feasted and made unauthorised appointments of his own followers from Changyi. After 27 days Huo Guang and senior ministers accused him before Empress Dowager Shangguan, listing 1,127 improper acts, and she formally deposed him.

Liu He was sent back to Changyi, and around 200 of his followers were executed. Many modern historians read the episode as a power struggle: Liu He was bringing in his own men, threatening Huo Guang’s control, and the charges were the victor’s version of events. Huo Guang then placed Emperor Xuan on the throne.

Marquis of Haihun

Liu He lived quietly under watch in Changyi. In 63 BC Emperor Xuan granted him the title Marquis of Haihun, with a fief of 4,000 households in Yuzhang commandery, south of the Yangtze, far from the capital. Haihun means roughly “sea dusk”, and some later writers saw an insult in the name, though its meaning is debated.

His position remained precarious; he was later punished with a reduction of his fief for remarks seen as disloyal. He died in 59 BC, aged about 33.

Discovery and excavation

The tomb lies within a cemetery of the Haihun marquisate at Guanxi village, in Nanchang’s Xinjian District. In 2011 tomb robbers dug into the mound, and their activity alerted the authorities. The Jiangxi Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology began a systematic excavation of the cemetery, focusing on the main tomb from 2011 to 2015.

The burial chamber had partly collapsed and filled with water over the centuries, which helped preserve wood, lacquer and bamboo. A jade seal bearing the name Liu He, found in the inner coffin, confirmed the identity of the occupant.

What was found

The tomb produced more than 10,000 objects. Among the most important are:

• Gold: several hundred pieces, including round gold “cakes”, hoof-shaped and linzhi ingots, and gold plaques, the largest group of Han gold found in a single tomb.
• Coins: about ten tonnes of bronze wuzhu coins, estimated at around two million coins, many still strung in bundles of a thousand.
• Texts: more than 5,000 bamboo slips and wooden tablets, including versions of the Analects of Confucius, the Book of Songs, medical and divination texts, and official documents.
• A lacquered screen with painted images of Confucius and his disciples, among the earliest known portraits of Confucius.
• Musical instruments and chariots: bronze bell sets and chimes, and a pit with real chariots and horses.

Significance

Rich Han tombs such as the Mancheng tombs of Liu Sheng and Dou Wan show the wealth of kings; the Haihun tomb shows that a disgraced former emperor, reduced to a marquis, could still be buried in great luxury. Some of the goods may date from his years as king of Changyi and emperor.

The bamboo texts are still being studied. Some scholars believe they include parts of the Qi Lun, a lost version of the Analects, which would be an important discovery for the history of Confucian texts.

Myths and facts

• Myth: Liu He was simply a foolish, dissolute ruler. Fact: That picture comes from the official account written for the side that removed him. The scholarly texts, musical instruments and ritual objects in his tomb suggest a man with a conventional elite education, though they cannot settle the question of his conduct.
• Myth: The tomb was found untouched. Fact: It was discovered because robbers had already broken into the mound in 2011, although most of the main burial goods were still in place.

Timeline

• c. 92 BC: Liu He is born.
• 74 BC: Emperor Zhao dies; Liu He is enthroned and deposed after 27 days.
• 63 BC: Emperor Xuan makes him Marquis of Haihun.
• 59 BC: Liu He dies and is buried near modern Nanchang.
• 2011: Looting leads to the discovery of the cemetery.
• 2011–2015: Archaeologists excavate the main tomb.
• 2016: Finds from the tomb go on public display at the Capital Museum in Beijing.

Why it matters

The Haihun tomb gives a detailed picture of elite life, money and learning in the Western Han, and it gives material form to one of the strangest episodes in Chinese imperial history, the emperor who reigned for 27 days.