Archaeological discoveries in Anhui reveal grandeur of Chu State

The Wuwangdun tomb, discovered in Sanhe town, Huainan city, Anhui province, is a massive Chu State tomb from the late Warring States Period (475-221 BC). Belonging to King Kaolie of Chu (Xiong Yuan), Tomb No 1 features a nine-chamber wooden burial structure, fully preserved and unlike anything seen before.

More than 10,000 artifacts have been unearthed, including complete sets of ceremonial vessels and musical instruments, an intact wooden figurine pit, and large amounts of lacquerware, chariots, weaponry, jade and oracle bones. The richly inked inscriptions on the coffin wood reveal rare insights into Chu culture.

As the largest and most sophisticated Chu burial site of the highest rank ever scientifically excavated, the tomb opens a new window into the funeral traditions and cultural transformation of the Chu State as it migrated eastward in its final centuries.