2-Day Nanchang: the Pavilion and the Tomb of the Marquis of Haihun

Day one is the city: the pavilion on the river that Wang Bo made famous, the memorial hall of the 1927 rising, and the provincial museum with its bronze and porcelain. Day two is the thing almost nobody schedules and everybody remembers. An hour north of Nanchang is the tomb of Liu He, a grandson of Emperor Wu who was put on the throne in 74 BC, removed after twenty-seven days, and sent to end his life in Jiangxi as the Marquis of Haihun.

It matters because it was not robbed. Han burials of this rank were usually emptied in antiquity, and this one was found in 2011 and excavated over the following years substantially intact. The gold came out in stacks - ingots, and the hoof-shaped and thumb-shaped pieces struck as tribute - alongside bronze, jade, lacquer and several thousand bamboo slips carrying text. The site is now a research park with a museum built over the excavation and the tomb itself a short shuttle ride on. Your guide works it in order, because the sequence - burial, gold, slips, man - is easy to miss on your own.

• The Pavilion of Prince Teng and the Gan from the upper gallery
• The August 1 Memorial Hall, where the 1927 rising was planned
• The Jiangxi Provincial Museum's bronze and porcelain
• Haihun: the tomb of Liu He, emperor for 27 days in 74 BC, excavated almost intact
• The gold: ingots, hoof-shaped and thumb-shaped pieces, from the richest Han burial found so far
• Thousands of bamboo slips of Han text, still being read
• A shuttle through the archaeological park, because the grounds are very large

• Accommodation for 1 night at a 4-star or equivalent hotel, twin share, with daily breakfast
• Meals as listed in the daily itinerary (breakfast at your hotel, plus lunch and dinner as listed in the day-by-day itinerary below)
• Private air-conditioned vehicle with professional driver throughout
• English-speaking local guide (Spanish, French, German, Italian, Russian or Japanese on request)
• All entrance fees for the sites listed, including shuttle buses, eco-buses and cable cars where the site requires them
• Local handling and coordination service throughout the programme
• Bottled water (2 bottles per person per day) and audio headsets where group size requires them
• Travel accident insurance for the duration of the tour

• International air tickets and any domestic flights not listed in the itinerary
• China visa or visa-free entry documentation fees
• Meals not specified in the daily itinerary and all beverages/alcohol
• Tips for guides, drivers and hotel staff (suggested USD 8-12 per person per day)
• Personal expenses: laundry, telephone, minibar, shopping
• Optional activities and any item not listed under Price Includes
• Single-room supplement if a traveller requires a room alone
• The in-park shuttle beyond the standard route, if you extend it
• Hotel in Nanchang on any additional night
• The evening Gan River cruise or the 'Searching for Tengwang Pavilion' show

Published: October 2026 — prices and itinerary reviewed on this date; later updates are shown in the revision note below.

Please read the notes below before you book. Both museums and the Haihun site need timed reservations made against passport numbers, so we need those at least three days ahead.

Q: Why is the Haihun tomb such a big deal?
A: Because it was not looted. Tomb robbing was an industry in China two thousand years ago, and elite Han burials were usually emptied within centuries, so what archaeologists normally recover is what the robbers did not want. This one was found in 2011 and dug over the following years largely intact, which is why it produced gold, jade, bronze and thousands of bamboo slips in a single context. It is the richest Han burial excavated so far.

Q: How far is the site, and does the day feel rushed?
A: About an hour's drive north of the city, and no - the day is comfortable. We leave after breakfast, spend four to five hours at the park including the museum and the tomb, and you are back in Nanchang in the late afternoon. If you are flying out that evening we run the day straight to the airport rather than back into town.

Q: Do I need to reserve the site myself?
A: No. Access is controlled and timed, and the reservation is made against passport details. Send us passport numbers at least three days before the tour; without them we cannot guarantee entry, and on holiday weekends the slots go.

Q: Is there a lot of walking at the site?
A: Less than you would expect, because the shuttle covers the distance between the museum and the tomb. Inside the museum it is a single circuit on flat floors and there is lift access. Expect two to three kilometers of walking across the whole day. If you would rather not walk at all, tell us and we will arrange the shuttle between every stop.

Q: Can I do this as a day trip from Shanghai or Guangzhou?
A: Technically yes and practically no. The high-speed train from Shanghai to Nanchang is around three and a half hours each way, which leaves too little time at the site. It works far better as an overnight: arrive the evening before, do the tomb, and take an afternoon train out. From Guangzhou the rail time is similar.

Q: What should I know about the second day if I am on transit?
A: If you are entering China on 240-hour visa-free transit through Nanchang Changbei, the permitted stay area for Jiangxi is Nanchang and Jingdezhen - both of which this itinerary covers, so you are inside the rules. Keep the paperwork with you; hotels in the city register foreign guests routinely.

Q: Do I need a visa for this trip?
A: Most travellers do not. China's unilateral visa-free scheme now covers 50 countries for stays of up to 30 days, and the 240-hour visa-free transit scheme covers travellers from 57 countries entering through 65 designated ports. If you enter on 240-hour transit at Nanchang Changbei, note the stay area that applies to Jiangxi: you may move within Nanchang and Jingdezhen only, not the whole province. Check your nationality against the National Immigration Administration list before you book flights, because the scheme is reviewed and extended periodically.