The Boshan-style Bronze Incense Burner from the Han Dynasty is a national treasure on display at the Hebei Museum. 

The area of present-day Hebei Province in northern China, known as a major birthplace of Chinese civilization, has borne witness to the course of human development for millennia. During the Spring and Autumn, and Warring States periods (710-221 B.C.), Hebei was home to the powerful vassal states of Yan and Zhao, and thus became known as the “Land of Yan and Zhao.”

The Hebei Museum highlights some of the most brilliant chapters in the province’s history with a collection of around 5,000 artifacts through ten permanent exhibitions. Among its many treasures, Liu Sheng’s Jade Burial Suit Sewn with Gold Thread, Changxin Palace Lamp, and the Bronze Square Table Base Featuring Dragons and Phoenixes are iconic items.

A Changxin Palace Lamp from the Western Han Dynasty on view at the Hebei Museum. 

Jade Burial Suit Sewn with Gold Thread

On May 22, 1968, two large ancient tombs were discovered during construction in Mancheng County, Hebei Province. The tombs were later identified as belonging to Liu Sheng, King Jing of Zhongshan from the Western Han Dynasty (206 B.C.- A.D. 25), and his wife Dou Wan.

The most noted artifacts unearthed from the tombs are two jade burial suits sewn with gold thread, worn by Liu Sheng and Dou Wan. They are the earliest, highest in status, and best preserved examples of jade burial suits discovered in China to date. Liu Sheng’s suit is currently on display in the Hebei Museum.

In the Han Dynasty (206B.C.- A.D.220), jade suits were specially designed burial garments for emperors and high-ranking nobles – you may wonder why these deceased were wrapped in jade. It actually reflects the ancient Chinese people’s reverence for jade. In Han society, Confucian ideals promoted jade as a symbol of virtues and good morals. It was also believed that jade possessed the mystical ability to preserve the body from decay. The custom of using jade artifacts as funerary objects dates back to the Western Zhou (c. 1100 - c. 771 B.C.) period and reached its peak during the Han Dynasty characterized by exquisite jade suits.

The production process of a jade suit was complex: simply put, cutting jade into small pieces – each about just 0.2 to 0.35 centimeters thick – which were later polished, perforated, and then meticulously sewn together using gold wire.

Liu Sheng’s jade suit, measuring 1.88 meters long, is composed of 2,498 jade plaques held together by 1.1 kilograms of gold wire, while Dou Wan’s garment measures 1.72 meters in length and uses 2,160 jade plaques and 700 grams of gold wire.

These jade suits vividly reflect the Han Dynasty’s opulent burial customs, particularly the belief in “treating the dead as the living.” Although the jade suits did not deliver immortality, their timeless craftsmanship continues to astound generations more than two millennia later.

Two children are captivated by a pair of doll-shaped ceramic pillows exhibited at the Hebei Museum. 

Changxin Palace Lamp

Changxin Palace Lamp, crafted over 2,200 years ago, is a gilt bronze artifact from the Western Han Dynasty. It was unearthed in 1968 from the tomb of Dou Wan and named after the inscription engraved on its surface.

Standing 48 centimeters tall, it was designed to be at the eye level of a seated person, perfectly suiting the traditional Han-era custom of sitting on floor mats instead of chairs. This artifact takes the form of a kneeling maid gracefully holding the lamp with her hands.

Changxin Palace Lamp is not only aesthetically pleasing but also functional. The body of the maid is hollow, and her right arm and sleeve form the adjustable lampshade, allowing users to adjust the angle and brightness of the light. The lamp consists of six separate parts – the head, right arm, torso, lampshade, oil tray, and base – all created individually, making it easy to assemble, disassemble, and clean.

Ingeniously designed, it is an early example of an eco-friendly lamp. The smoke produced during burning travels through the hollow sleeve into the inner chamber of the lamp, where it cools and settles, preventing it from polluting the surrounding environment. This environmental concept reflects the wisdom of ancient Chinese.

This age-old elaborately designed item continues to inspire the designs of future generations, such as the safety lantern carrying the Olympic flame of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.

An Exquisite Table Base

Another notable item on view at the museum is the Bronze Square Table Base Featuring Dragons and Phoenixes Inlaid with Gold and Silver. It is an exquisite artifact from the vassal state of Zhongshan during the Warring States period. It was unearthed in 1977 from the royal tombs of Zhongshan in Pingshan County, Hebei Province. Alongside national treasures like the Liu Sheng’s Jade Burial Suit and the Changxin Palace Lamp, it was among the first group of Chinese cultural relics prohibited from being exhibited abroad.

Though the wooden top had already decayed when it was discovered, the craftsmanship of the base is impressive, using casting, inlaying, and soldering techniques. It represents the highest level of skill in gold and silver inlay at the time and is thus regarded as one of the finest tables from ancient China.

The base structure features four spotted deer. On each deer’s back stands a dragon which oddly has one head, two tails, and two wings. Where the tails of two neighboring dragons meet, a phoenix flies past.

The middle section of the table base is hemispherical, a shape that is unstable. To strengthen stability, the designer added dougong (an arch system of interlocking wooden brackets traditionally used in Chinese architecture) between the hemispherical section and the top frame. It is noteworthy that this is the only known example of dougong applied in the Warring States period found to date.

A group of students from Iowa, United States, examine Liu Sheng’s Jade Burial Suit Sewn with Gold Thread at the Hebei Museum on January 5, 2025. 

Keeping Traditional Culture Alive

The museum hosts public lectures every week to impart knowledge about cultural relics and increase cultural literacy among the public. For example, every Saturday, the venue runs free educational sessions for children aged 8 to 12, where they also engage in handicraft workshops. In addition, expert lectures are held weekly, open to the public free of charge, with online reservations required in advance.

The museum also organizes special themed events around traditional Chinese festivals. In celebration of the Year of the Snake this January, a series of Snake-themed events were launched during the Spring Festival. Through cultural relics, historical stories, and folklore, children learned concepts about snakes in Chinese culture. Workshops were also held where participants made lanterns, and snake-themed red envelopes, lucky pouches and snake-shaped hairbands, ushering in the New Year with good wishes.

During this year’s Dragon Boat Festival, a group of Chinese and international students from Italy and Denmark, and from Shijiazhuang No. 42 Middle School, took part in a ceramic workshop to experience blue-and-white porcelain making techniques firsthand. This event not only deepened international students’ understanding of Chinese culture but also enhanced Chinese students’ cultural confidence.

A visitor admires the Bronze Square Table Base Featuring Dragons and Phoenixes Inlaid with Gold and Silver at the Hebei Museum.