A Jade Burial Suit Unearthed from the Chu King’s Tomb 楚王陵出土：金缕玉衣

楚王陵出土了国内最精美的金缕玉衣，它所用玉片多达4000多片，而通常的玉衣用玉片约在2100片左右。这件玉衣所用玉片均为质量上乘的和田白玉，晶莹剔透，温和润泽，堪称绝品。
China’s most exquisite jade burial suit was unearthed from the Chu king’s tomb. It consists of more than 4000 pieces of jade, while a common jade burial suit is comprised of about 2100 pieces of jade. The jade used for this suit was premium jade from Khotan, which was glittering, translucent and crystal clear.
历史上该墓曾被盗过，玉衣被挖出时，金缕大多被抽走，玉衣片散落一地。后来徐州博物馆组织专家，历时1年9个月，经编号、清洗、拼对等工序，终于复原。在目前国内已经修复的3套金缕玉衣中，这件金缕玉衣堪称国之重宝。
The tomb wher this suit was found had been robbed. Most gold threads were taken away, leaving the jade pieces scattered about. Later, Xuzhou Museum organized experts to restore the suit. After a year and 9 months’ numbering, washing, fitting-together and other procedures, the suit was finally recovered. Among China’s three restored jade burial suits, this one is the most precious.
这件金缕玉衣长1.74米，共使用了4248片玉片，金缕1576克。它有很多全国之最：一、年代最早。入土年代不晚于公元前154年，距今超过2000多年。二、玉片最多。在国内已发现的玉衣中，一般所用玉片少于3000片，而此件玉衣玉片达4248片。三、玉质最好。玉衣全部用新疆和阗白玉、青玉组成，温润晶莹。四、工艺最精，保存最好。这些玉片最大的10平方厘米，最小的不到1平方厘米，而且非常薄，有的仅厚0.1厘米。
The suit is 1.74 meters long. It was made of 4248 pieces of jade, sewn together with 1576 grams of gold thread. It is hitherto China’s best jade burial suit in many aspects. First, it is the oldest. It was buried no later than in 154 BC and is over 2000 years old. Second, it consists of the most pieces of jade. It was made of 4248 pieces of jade, while other jade burial suits found in China were commonly comprised of no more than 3000 pieces of jade. Third, its jade was of the best quality. It was made of translucent white and gray jade from Khotan. Fourth, it was produced with the best craftsmanship and is the best-preserved of all the existing suits. The pieces of jade were no larger than 10 square centimeters, and some were less than 1 square centimeter. They were very thin, and some were as thin as just 0.1 centimeter thick.