散見簡牘合輯‧湖南長沙馬王堆一號漢墓竹簡、木楬

Sǎn Jiàn Jiǎndú Héjí‧Húnán Chángshā Mǎwángduī Yī Hào Hànmù Zhújiǎn、Mùjiě 散見簡牘合輯‧湖南長沙馬王堆一號漢墓竹簡、木楬

Collected Scattered Documents — Bamboo Slips and Wooden Tags from Han Tomb no. 1 at Mǎwángduī, Chángshā, Hunan

(anonymous; burial food and goods inventory — tomb of the wife of Lì Cāng 利蒼)

About the work

The bamboo-slip burial inventory (suízàng pǐn qīngdān 隨葬品清單) and wooden basket-tags (mùjiě 木楬) from Mǎwángduī 馬王堆 Tomb no. 1, Chángshā 長沙, Hunan Province, excavated in 1972. The tomb is sealed around 168 BCE and belongs to the wife of Lì Cāng 利蒼, the Marquis of Dài 軑侯. The inventory is the most extensive and detailed food-and-goods list from any Han tomb, recording foods, vessels, lacquerware, textiles, musical instruments, ritual objects, grain, seeds, figurines, and miscellaneous items across more than 200 entries grouped by category. Published in KR2p 散見簡牘合輯 (Sǎn Jiàn Jiǎndú Héjí), Institute of History, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, 1990.

Abstract

The Mǎwángduī Tomb 1 inventory is organized in named sections, each closing with a ■ yòu fāng 右方 (“right section” = “the above items”) summary line. The categories are:

Meat soups (𨠱 gēng 𨠱羹, nine types, nine cauldrons). Ox-head marrow-soup (niú shǒu 𨠱 gēng 牛首𨠱羹), mutton marrow-soup, venison marrow-soup, pork marrow-soup, piglet marrow-soup, dog marrow-soup, wild-duck marrow-soup, pheasant marrow-soup, chicken marrow-soup; total nine cauldrons.

White soups (bái gēng 白羹, seven types, seven cauldrons). Ox white-soup, venison-abalone-bamboo-shoot white-soup, venison-taro white-soup, small-pulse-deer-rib white-soup, chicken white-soup with gourd vegetables, carp white-soup, fresh-guì abalone white-soup; total seven cauldrons.

Broth-soups (jīn gēng 巾羹, three types, three cauldrons). Dog broth-soup, wild-goose broth-soup, carp-fish-meat broth-soup; total three cauldrons.

Thick soups (féng gēng 逢羹, three types, three cauldrons). Ox féng-soup, ox sealed-soup (fēng gēng 封羹), pork féng-soup.

Bitter soups (kǔ gēng 苦羹, two types, two cauldrons). Ox bitter-soup, dog bitter-soup.

Dried meats and hǎi 肤-preparations (four baskets). Fish hǎi, ox hǎi, venison hǎi; total four baskets.

Dried meats (pú 脯, three baskets). Ox jerky, venison jerky, [?] jerky.

Roasted meats (zhì 炙, four baskets and four cups). Ox roast, ox-rib roast (niú lèi zhì 牛劦炙), ox riding-cuts (niú chéng zhì 牛乘炙, one vessel); dog rib-roast (quǎn qí lèi zhì 犬其劦炙, one vessel), dog liver roast (quǎn gān zhì 犬肝炙, one vessel); pork roast (one basket), venison roast, roast chicken — four baskets combined, four cups.

Fish preparations (suǒ yú 索魚, seven containers). Carp □-fish (one container), carp □-fish (one container), white-fish five containers; total seven containers.

Poached and rinsed meats (zhuó 濯, four types). Poached ox-tripe (one vessel), poached-ox-moistened-spleen-with-heart-and-lung (one vessel each), poached piglet (one basket), poached chicken (one basket); total four items.

Roasted dry-preserved meats (guì 癐, four vessels). Ox guì, mutton guì, venison guì, fish guì; four cups.

Cuts and portions (jiān shoulder / zài loins, 8 sets, 4 baskets). Ox shoulder, ox loins, dog shoulder (same basket as loins), dog loins, pork shoulder (same basket as loins), pork loins, mutton shoulder and loins (same basket); total eight slices, one flower-arrangement, four baskets, five cups.

Spit-roasted meats (áo 熬, 11 baskets). Spit-roasted piglet, rabbit, swan, [?], wild duck, [?], pheasant, zhì gū (a bird type), yīn chún quail, chicken, sparrow; total eleven baskets.

Eggs, sliced meats, and preparations (3 baskets). Eggs (one basket), mutton xī (one basket), rabbit xī (one basket).

Miscellaneous preparations (six items). Jǐng sháo (shank spoon, one vessel), ruǎn fú (tender dried meat, one basket), qǔ yǒu (extracted fermented sauce, one vessel).

Condiments, sauces, and relishes (ten items and many containers). Ox-lip-fat-cup-fermented (one vessel), fish fermented-paste (yú mín 魚魫, one container), meat fermented-paste (ròu mín 肉魫, one container), fish-fat (yú zhī 魚脂, one container), meat-paste (ròu jiàng 肉醬, one container), sparrow sauce (jué jiàng 爵醬, one container), □ cooked ([?]-rán, one container), strong □ (jiāng □ 彊□, one container), filial-piety sugar (xiào táng 孝糃, one container); horse sauce (mǎ jiàng 馬醬, one pit), bream (fáng 魴, one pit), jú-fish (jú 鰸, one pit), dried fish preparation (□ 𢻃, one pit). Total: ten dishes/sauces, nine containers, five pits.

Liquids and seasonings (four containers). □ (one container), salt (one container), yì (wine-dregs / vinegar preparation, one container), soy sauce/paste (jiàng 醬, one container).

Wines (nine containers). White wine (two containers), warm wine (two containers), zhù wine (two containers), rice wine (two containers); total nine wine containers.

Grain preparations (lèi 頪, eleven baskets). Jí lèi (gathered grain), shěn lèi (deep-processed grain), táng fú yú lèi (sugar-jujube-yú grain), white grain (two baskets), rice-shěn gèi (dried rice, with two silk pouches), rice grain (with two silk pouches); total eleven baskets, seven silk pouches.

Preserved vegetables and pickles (several items). Jū nǚ (Chinese artichoke), táng (sugar preparation), □ □ (a vegetable pair), egg-□; total: three baskets combined, one cup.

Steamed and fried autumn preparations. Steamed (zhēng) and fried (jiān) autumn-grain preparations.

Cooked rice and food (14 vessels). Yellow millet food (four vessels full), white millet food (four vessels full), rice food (six vessels: two sealed, four full), wheat food (two vessels full); total fourteen vessels sealed and full, two closed.

Fruits (four baskets). Jí (jujube) basket (with one silk pouch), pear basket, □ basket, dried plum basket (pú méi 脯梅); total four, one silk pouch.

Fresh fruits and vegetables (in containers). Ten méi (méi 栂), two containers yuán méi (fresh plum, one of which yáng méi 楊梅), ten bamboo-shoot containers.

Grains in cloth bags. Yellow millet (2 shí, two cloth bags), white millet (2 shí, two cloth bags), white-rice milled (2 shí, two cloth bags), white fresh rice (2 shí, two cloth bags); [a grain] (1 shí, one bag); total milled grain 30 shí, [another] 2 shí, thirteen cloth bags.

Seeds (in cloth bags, five types, fourteen bags). Mallow seed (kuí zhǒng 葵穜, 5 dǒu, one bag), lài seed (3 dǒu, one bag), □ seed (5 dǒu, one bag), hemp seed (má zhǒng 麻穜, 1 shí, one bag), five types total, ten bags, each holding 1.5 shí; total fourteen bags.

Pickled vegetables (jū 苴, five types, five containers). Xiāng hé jū (ginger-lotus-root pickle), sǔn jū (bamboo-shoot pickle), guā jū (gourd pickle); total five items, five containers.

Miscellaneous plants (three baskets). Xī basket and bēn basket; total three baskets.

Yellow pods and a medicinal (containers). Yellow pod (huáng juǎn 黃卷, 1 shí, one silk pouch-basket combined), rú méng (four — a medicinal herb), □ wú (□none, one vessel), hé wú (combined-none, one vessel).

Lacquered wooden vessels (wooden cauldrons, bowls, and platters — seven cauldrons and six plates). □-painted wooden cauldrons (seven, all with lids, containing soups), □-painted plates (six); total seven cauldrons and six plates.

Painted lacquer pots (hú 壺, six). Three varieties of painted lacquer pots (one large, two medium, three small), containing soaked wine, rice wine, and rice wine respectively; total six.

Painted lacquer fāng-vessels (four). Two, one, one; containing white wine and rice wine.

Painted lacquer tóng-flasks (two). Both containing warm wine.

Lacquer zhī-cups (fifteen). Multiple sizes with lids, for warm wine and other uses; total fifteen.

Lacquer dà lí trays and gōng zhōng xìng jiǔ cups (ten trays, thirty cups). □-painted large trays (ten); □-painted gōng zhōng xìng jiǔ cups (thirty); total ten trays and thirty cups.

Lacquer shí pán food-platters (twenty-one, plus two yǐ 杝). Small and large food platters; total twenty-one, plus two yǐ.

Lacquer xìng shí food-cups (100). Two lots of fifty each; total one hundred.

Lacquer small cups, sealed sets, and miscellaneous (20 + 2 sets). Small cups (twenty), two sealed cup-sets.

Lacquer ladles (two).

Lacquer flower-ring trays and basin (ten trays + one basin + six sets). Flower-ring trays (ten, one containing ox-shoulder, left-side nine, foot-side); lacquer wash-basin (5-dǒu capacity); six shèng-containers (holding yellow and white millet-cakes, rice food, wheat food — two each); total: ten flower-rings, one wooden basin, six shèng.

Lacquer flat platters (three) and qí lái trays (four). Flat platters of three sizes (1-chǐ-6-cùn, 2-chǐ, 2-chǐ-5-cùn); qí lái carrying-trays of two sizes (2-chǐ-6-cùn×chǐ-7-cùn, and 2-chǐ×3-chǐ-2-cùn): total three flat platters and four qí lái.

One lacquer food-check sealed set (holding rice food).

Lacquer cups and bǐ cup-sets. □-painted cup pedestals (bēi zhuāng / bǐ 卑㔸), eight chǐ-sized; seven holding dry portions (gān □ 乾㝎); thirty-one pedestal-tops holding guì-and-loins; total pedestal-sets.

Other wooden vessels and furniture. One lacquer-painted wooden writing-table (jī 机); one five-panel painted screen-and-fan combination (bìng fēng 并風, 5 chǐ long, 3 chǐ high); one large lacquer-painted check-sealed case; total eight wooden items.

Ceramic vessels (with tin-coating and lids). Two painted incense-burners; ceramic vessels: six cauldrons with tin-coating containing soups, six fāng-jars with rice-wine and warm wine, one ceramic zàn-cup and one yǎn-steamer with tin-coating, two painted ceramic mào-bowls; total seven categories of tin-coated ceramic.

Woven and lacquered containers (seven fù lóu baskets). Two round lacquered baskets containing seal-duplicates; two round lacquered baskets containing sashes and one [item]; three small lacquered baskets containing ritual fat and powder.

Miscellaneous sealed boxes and items. Cloth-sealed check-case containing four small lacquered baskets; nine-chamber check-case; five-chamber check-case; cloth-zēng sealed check-case; cloth-zēng sealed case containing a mirror; ivory knife with scabbard (xiàng dāo yī yǒu bǐ 象刀一有鞞).

Combs and personal items. Coarse comb (shū bǐ 疎比, one set), defect comb (qiàn bǐ 欠比, two), ivory coarse-and-fine combs (one pair), large torch-stands (two), tufted fans (fú 茀, two — one red), large mirror, small mirror with cover, mirror-cleaning implement.

Textile items. Fēi yī 非衣 (“T-shaped funeral banner,” 1 zhàng 2 chǐ long); embroidered gēng-bordered silk-gauze headscarf (two, woven-and-embroidered-edged); plain-silk headscarf (one, plain-edged); various silks.

Hangings and curtains. Inner-hall embroidered gōng zhōng silk-gauze hanging-curtain (woven-edged; plain-silk width 2 zhàng 2 chǐ, breadth 5 chǐ; blue brocade-lined plain-silk-edged); white-gauze “cloud-pattern-embroidered” inner-court yīn dù (one, red-edged); plain-silk cloud-pattern-embroidered pillow-scarf (one, woven-around-edged, plain-silk zhǐ); embroidered pillow (one); plain-silk cháng shòu embroidered machine-scarf (one, woven-around-edged, plain-silk zhǐ); plain-silk xìn qī embroidered sealed □ (plain-silk-around-edged, zhǐ-ribbon); plain-silk cháng shòu small sealed □ (red-around-edged).

Footwear. Plain-silk shoes (one pair), silk shoes (one pair), blue-silk shoes (one pair, flat-bark-edged), spliced-coarse shoes (one pair); total: two pairs of shoes, one pair of coarse.

Mirror cover, needle case, shoe-covers, and warmers. Plain-silk cháng shòu mirror-cover (red-edged, large), [pattern] brocade needle-case (red-edged), gauze brocade [item] (plain-edged, qiān jīn zhǐ-ribbon), brocade [item] (plain-edged, qiān jīn zhǐ), plain-silk xìn qī embroidered wèi (one pair, red-edged, qiān jīn zhǐ); white-gauze xìn qī embroidered incense-pouch (plain-edged), dark-silk brocade xìn qī embroidered incense-pouch (plain-edged), plain-silk xìn qī embroidered incense-pouch (gauze-plain-edged), red-brocade incense-pouch (plain-edged).

Musical instruments and miscellaneous ritual objects. One sù (knotted rush or textile), one luó (silk gauze), one red zǔ sash; one sè zither (with Yuèguān brocade cover, red-edged); one yǔ mouth-organ (with Yuèguān brocade cover, plain-edged); one yǔ lǜ pitch-instrument incense-cover; large fan (brocade-around-edged, fān bǐng-handled); small fan (brocade-edged); large incense-steamer (xūn dà □ 熏大𨏉, plain-wrapped, red-edged-bottom); small incense-steamer (xūn xiǎo □, plain-wrapped, woven-edged-bottom); total four bamboo items.

Blue baskets (two, containing niè wicker items).

Mats and floor coverings (seven, four of reed). Woven-silk-edged mat (juān dù xí), smooth-textured mat (4 zhàng wide, 1 zhàng long, raw-silk-edged), smooth-textured mat (crimson-edged), guǎn mats (two: blue-edged and brocade-edged), seated guǎn mats (three: two brocade-edged, one blue-edged).

Valuables (one basket each). Wooden inlaid rhinoceros-horn and ivory (one basket); wooden white jade and raw jade (one basket); clay pearls and beads (one, silk pouch); clay gold 2,000 jīn (two baskets); “vegetable gold” like large beans, 1,000 jīn (one basket); clay coins 10 million suàn (one thousand); total clay-pearls, gold and coins.

Figurine animals (five categories). Clay cattle (50), clay sheep (100), clay pigs (20), clay dogs (20), clay [horses?] (50); total right section: clay cattle, horses, and [horses?].

Figurine birds (seven types). Clay birds (17), clay swans (10), clay white [birds] (20), clay [egrets?] (20), clay [birds?] (20), clay [?] (10), clay chickens (50); total clay gold-coins, horses, cattle, sheep and birds: 20 categories.

Wooden basket-tags (mùjiě, listing individual containers). The second component of the Mǎwángduī Tomb 1 materials in the Sǎnjian Jiǎndú Héjí is a set of wooden tags labeling each basket in the tomb. These tags correspond directly to entries in the bamboo-slip inventory and were physically attached to or placed beside the relevant baskets. Tags include:

■ Clothing basket (衣笥) / ■ Silk basket (繒笥) × 2 / ■ Silk wicker-goods basket (繒聶幣笥) / ■ Hemp-cloth wicker-goods basket (麻布聶幣笥) / ■ Ox hǎi basket / ■ Venison hǎi basket / ■ Ox jerky basket / ■ Venison jerky basket / ■ [?] jerky basket / ■ Ox roast basket / ■ Pork roast basket / ■ Venison roast basket / ■ Poached piglet basket / ■ Ox shoulder basket / ■ Ox loins basket / ■ Mutton shoulder-and-loins basket / ■ Roasted rabbit basket / ■ Roasted swan basket / ■ Roasted [?] basket / ■ Roasted lǜ (sparrow) basket / ■ Roasted [?] basket / ■ Roasted pheasant basket / ■ Roasted zhì gū basket / ■ Roasted yīn chún (quail) basket / ■ Roasted chicken basket / ■ Roasted sparrow basket / ■ Egg basket / ■ Mutton xī basket / ■ Tender-dried-meat basket / ■ Jujube-grain basket / ■ White grain (one pouch, one basket) / ■ Dense grain (one pouch, one basket) / ■ Jujube-fú yú grain basket / ■ White grain basket / ■ Yellow grain basket / ■ Chinese artichoke basket / ■ Sugar basket / ■ Pú □ basket / ■ 棛 basket / ■ Pear basket / ■ Dried-plum basket / ■ Xī grass basket / ■ □ bēn basket / ■ Yellow pod basket / ■ Gold (2,001) basket / ■ Pearls-and-beads basket / ■ Inlaid rhinoceros-horn-and-ivory basket.

Historical significance. The Mǎwángduī Tomb 1 inventory is the single most detailed record of elite Han burial goods. Mawangdui Tomb 1 belongs to the wife of Lì Cāng 利蒼, Marquis of Dài 軑侯, premier of Chángshā 長沙, who died around 186 BCE; his wife (the famous “Lady Dài” 辛追夫人, whose well-preserved mummy was recovered in the excavation) died around 168 BCE. The inventory documents the full range of Han aristocratic material culture: food and drink (soups, roasts, wines, condiments, grains, fruits, seeds, pickles), lacquerware of great variety, textiles (silks, gauze, embroideries), musical instruments (sè zither, yǔ mouth-organ), mirrors, combs, a fēi yī T-shaped silk funeral banner, figurines (cattle, sheep, pigs, dogs, horses, birds), and substantial quantities of clay money and valuables. This inventory is a primary source for the study of Han gastronomy, material culture, and beliefs about the afterlife.

Translations and research

• 中國社會科學院歷史研究所, 《散見簡牘合輯》, 文物出版社, 1990 — editio princeps for the CHANT transcription.
• 湖南省博物館、中國科學院考古研究所, 《長沙馬王堆一號漢墓》, 2 vols., 文物出版社, 1973 — comprehensive excavation report.
• Loewe, Michael. Ways to Paradise: The Chinese Quest for Immortality. London: Allen & Unwin, 1979 — discussion of the fēi yī banner and funerary beliefs, pp. 17–59.
• Wu Hung. “Art in a Ritual Context: Rethinking Mawangdui.” Early China 17 (1992): 111–144.
• Wu Hung. The Art of the Yellow Springs: Understanding Chinese Tombs. University of Hawai’i Press, 2010.
• Pirazzoli-t’Serstevens, Michèle. The Han Dynasty. Rizzoli, 1982 — extensive treatment of Mawangdui grave goods.
• Harper, Donald. “Warring States, Qin, and Han Manuscripts Related to Natural Philosophy and the Occult.” In New Sources of Early Chinese History, ed. Edward L. Shaughnessy. Berkeley: Society for the Study of Early China, 1997.
• Brashier, K.E. Ancestral Memory in Early China. Harvard-Yenching Institute, 2011 — context for Han beliefs about ancestral provisioning in the afterlife.

Other points of interest

The Mǎwángduī Tomb 1 inventory documents an extraordinary range of Han culinary preparations that have been the subject of intensive study by food historians. The nine types of 𨠱 gēng 𨠱羹 (marrow-based soups), seven bái gēng 白羹 (white soups), and the various roasts, áo 熬 preparations, and fermented condiments represent the most complete record of Han aristocratic cuisine. The bamboo-slip inventory and the wooden tags together form a cross-referencing system: the slips provide the complete enumeration; the tags provide the physical labels attached to actual baskets. Many foods named in the inventory can be cross-referenced against the Shǐjì 史記 food chapters and Han medical texts.

The fēi yī 非衣 (T-shaped silk banner, 1 zhàng 2 chǐ long) listed in this inventory corresponds to the famous painted silk banner (T-shaped silk painting) recovered from the tomb, one of the masterpieces of early Chinese art.

Links

• Wikipedia (Mawangdui): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mawangdui
• Wikipedia (Lady Dai): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Dai
• Wikipedia (Mawangdui silk texts): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mawangdui_silk_texts