At first, I was elated when the Hunan Provincial Museum
invited me to their International Symposium Commemorating the 40th
Anniversary of the Excavation of the Han Tombs at Mawangdui. Elated to be
surrounded by experts and scholars from Asia, Europe, and North America who
research myriad aspects of Mawangdui. To meet people whose work I had studied
in preparing my book, At Home in Her Tomb.
To return to Changsha, where Lady Dai and her family had lived and were buried
in their lavish tombs.
But then reality and intimidation set in. Like the other
symposium participants, I was expected to make a presentation. Oh no. This was
the audience I worried about while writing the book because they would know if
I had made any mistakes. And now, what could I say about writing a children's book
that would possibly be of interest to scholars? Could the book interest them as
a research project on introducing Mawangdui to students and nonspecialists—people
who haven't heard about the tombs and don't know how important they are?
I flew to Changsha in early December where more than one
hundred people from nine countries gathered for the symposium. For two days we
met in general sessions all together and in three smaller groups focusing on
Mawangdui's archaeology, artifacts, and bamboo and silk writings. I reveled in
learning from the many experts about different aspects of the tombs.
I was awed to see people who took part in excavating the
tombs and to meet leaders and staff of the Hunan Provincial Museum. I
recognized many of their names from articles and books I had studied. Meeting
Dr. Peng Long-xiang was especially meaningful because we had corresponded about
the autopsy on Lady Dai's body.
During my presentation (with help from my wonderful
translator, Lee), I recounted how becoming captivated by Lady Dai at a museum
exhibition launched me into learning everything I could about Mawangdui. I
described writing challenges, especially in adapting academic research about
ancient history into a book that modern students and non-academics could find
compelling. I talked about discovering the human story of a family in grief
honoring their lost loved ones. I shared how learning about Mawangdui helped me
understand Chinese traditions for honoring the dead that continue today, including
within my extended family. Lastly, I reported how readers are responding to the
book.
Although I had worried about what the experts would think, they
were excited that people—especially children—in America and other countries are
learning about this archaeological site that reveals so much about life in
early China. Several who worked in major museums said I'd given them ideas for
outreach and education programs for their museum collections.
The ramp and steps of
the son's tomb, which remains open for viewing.
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On the last day, we visited the excavation site of the
Mawangdui tombs. Standing where Lady Dai, the Marquis of Dai, and their son had
been buried brought tears to my eyes, along with gratitude for how learning
about this family has impacted my life.
By Christine
Liu-Perkins
978-1-58089-370-1 HC
$19.95
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