Jade Shroud

Eastern Han Dynasty, 160 AD
Henan Provincial Museum, Zhengzhou

This is the burial suit of King Liang. It completely covers the deceased king's body, and is made of 2,008 pieces of jade that are tied together with gold wire. The suit was recovered from a tomb at Xishan, Mangshanzhen, Yongcheng County. Jade was considered a pure and uncorruptable material, and was therefore used for many royal burial garments during the Han dynasty.