Jade Burial Suits of the Han Dynasty | Princess Dou Wan and Prince Liu Sheng
Speaker: Dr. Cortney Chaffin Kim
Jade body suits for the dead
Explore the jade burial suits found in imperial Western Han dynasty tombs in ancient China. We examine the suit of Princess Dou Wan, crafted from 2,160 jade plaques, and the suit of Prince Liu Sheng, the brother of Emperor Jing. We discuss how the jade suits were made, what their function might have been, and explain why they were reserved for royalty.
Jade body suit of Dou Wan
Video chapters
0:00 The jade burial suits of Princess Dou Wan and Prince Liu Sheng
0:51 Dou Wan and Liu Sheng’s tombs
1:55 Crafting the jade suit
3:21 Function of jade burial suits during the Western Han dynasty
Learn more
Discover more about early imperial China.
Learn more about the ancient world.
See more resources about the Han dynasty.
