As in life, so in death. That's the message of a fascinating exhibition on show at the Hong Kong Museum of History, affording a time traveler's view into the rarefied world of Han nobility.
The exhibit's fine selection of funerary relics feature bronze vessels, textiles, silk manuscripts, lacquers and jades, highlighting the inimitable cultural diversity of China's longest imperial dynasty, whose achievements have left an indelible mark on Chinese civilisation.
Presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department and the Hunan Provincial Museum under the guardianship of the Hong Kong Museum of History, 'Legends of Luxury and Elegance: Lifestyles of the Han Nobility', on display until May 3, showcases the Han dynasty's fashion, dietary and wellness trends.
The more than 100 funerary items on display were unearthed from two-millennia-old Han tombs at Mawangdui, from the ancient kingdom of Changsha in Hunan province.
Among the most important archaeological discoveries of the 20th century, three tombs - belonging to a high-ranking Han nobleman, his wife and their son - were excavated in the early 1970s, proving invaluable insight into a seminal period of Chinese history.
'The relics provide a wealth of resources for research into the material civilisation and artistic development of the Han dynasty,' says Chung Ling-hoi, the museum's deputy director of Leisure and Cultural Services.