Technology offers journey into ancient world

The tomb of Xin Zhui offers a glimpse into the funerary practices and cosmological beliefs of the Han Dynasty. The elaborate burial goods and the design of the tombs reflect the importance of the afterlife and the desire for immortality.

Apart from the painting on the T-shaped funeral banner mapping out an ascending journey to heaven, symbols, patterns and paintings on the four nested coffins also show vivid imagination regarding a safe passage to the afterlife. The painting on the third coffin used bright colors to depict the sun, mountains and auspicious animals, such as the dragon, tiger and deer. It illustrates the journey of a soul traveling through darkness into the eternal realm. The innermost coffin is adorned with feathers, symbolizing the hope that they would aid the deceased in ascending to immortality.

The exhibition used all these elements and turned them into a visual feast, "an artistic and abstract way to tell the stories of the Han Dynasty tombs", says Lyu Chenchen, associate director of Harvard FAS CAMlab.