What is the name of the silk burial banner found in the tomb of Xin Zhui at Mawangdui?

The silk burial banner found in the tomb of Xin Zhui at Mawangdui is known as the T-shaped silk banner. It was placed over the coffin of Xin Zhui, also called the Lady of Dai, a Han-dynasty noblewoman.

The banner is painted with a vertical composition showing the realms of heaven, the human world, and the underworld. Its imagery includes celestial symbols, mythic creatures, deities, and ritual scenes. Scholars interpret it as connected with funerary beliefs and the soul’s journey, although precise readings of some images remain debated.

Mawangdui tombs were excavated near Changsha in Hunan Province during the 1970s. Xin Zhui’s exceptionally preserved body, lacquerware, silk textiles, manuscripts, and other objects made the discoveries particularly important for understanding Western Han society.

The banner is sometimes casually called a funeral banner, but its distinctive T shape is the feature used in its standard identification. It is an artwork and a funerary object, not a battlefield flag or a later Buddhist painting.