The woman in the picture above is a photo restored by experts according to the appearance of Mrs. Xin Zhui when she was unearthed. Mrs Xin Zhui, born in 236 BC, was the wife of Li Cang, the prime minister of Changsha, and died at the age of 50.
Xin Zhui's grandmother 1972 unearthed from Mawangdui No.1 tomb in Changsha. It stands to reason that Mrs. Xin Zhui has lived for nearly two thousand years. After such a long time, most of the commonly found bodies are difficult to be well preserved, but Mrs. Xin Zhui is different, because Mrs. Xin Zhui not only keeps the body intact, but also has elastic skin and muscles.
If you look closely, you will find that the lines of Mrs. Xin Zhui's hair and even fingers are still clearly visible after excavation, eyelashes still exist, and some joints of her body can even move freely. These are not like the appearance of a corpse found more than 2000 years ago, which shocked the whole country at once.
It is reported that Mrs Xin Zhui was unearthed with a height of 154 cm and a weight of less than 70 kg. What everyone really cares about is, why didn't Mrs. Xin Zhui's body rot after it was unearthed? This is probably related to a red liquid in her coffin.
According to experts' analysis, the main component of this liquid contains cinnabar, and the most common component is what we often call mercury. Although mercury is harmful to human body, it can sterilize and ensure that the body will not rot.
Later, experts also analyzed that Mrs. Xin Zhui should have the habit of taking elixir before her death. The ancients were obsessed with immortality, and most elixirs also contained a certain amount of mercury. The elixir taken by Mrs. Xin Zhui did not make her realize her dream of immortality, but to some extent, it protected her body from decay after death.