Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Macchu Picchu
Peru • 10 days, 9 nights
Peru: Machu Picchu & the Last Incan Bridges
from
Central Asia yurt night stars
Uzbekistan • 15 days, 14 nights
Central Asia Road Trip: Backroads & Bazaars
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Saquon Barkley Plaque
Kirkkasik Bedesten inside
Kirkkasik Bedesten
Someshwar Temple
Someshwar Temple
Grilled cheese and tomato soup are soulmates.
The Palisades Restaurant
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
A skeleton on display contemplating its own mortality.
Kid Mai Death Awareness Cafe
This classic London pub has a surprising history behind it.
John Snow
The beef, Guinness, and oyster pie sports a rich, flaky crust.
The Guinea
Welcome to one of the only floating pubs in the world.
Tamesis Dock
This may be the oldest pie in the world.
St Helens 'Oldest Pie' at The Turks Head
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Decoy’s wines reflect the terroir of California.
How a Wooden Duck Migrated From the California Wetlands to a Wine Label
12 days ago
There’s more to the French capital than the Eiffel Tower.
Dear Atlas: What Are Some Non-Touristy Things to Do in Paris?
15 days ago
The plants around Liz Dauncey in this photo are not poisonous, but many common garden and houseplants are.
Are Some of Your Favorite Houseplants Poisonous? AO Wants to Know.
22 days ago
“There may be a collective sense of a dark loneliness,” Dahl says, referring to Norway’s natural landscape.
In Norway, Easter Means Tucking Into Crime Stories
22 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All China Wuhan Sword of Goujian

Sword of Goujian

This ancient sword lay in a waterlogged tomb for 2,500 years, but managed to remain relatively untarnished and impressively sharp.

Wuhan, China

Added By
Tony Dunnell
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Sword of Goujian.   Siyuwj/cc by-sa 4.0
Sword of Goujian.   Siyuwj/cc by-sa 4.0
Sword of Goujian.   Siyuwj/cc by-sa 4.0
Sword of Goujian.   Gary Todd/public domain
Hubei Provincial Museum.   Vmenkov/cc by-sa 3.0
Script on the Sword of Goujian.   Siyuwj/cc by-sa 4.0
Sword of Goujian.   Siyuwj/cc by-sa 4.0
Sword of Goujian.   Siyuwj/cc by-sa 4.0
Sword of Goujian.   Siyuwj/cc by-sa 4.0
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

In 1965, an archaeological team discovered a series of ancient tombs along an aqueduct of the Zhang River Reservoir in Jingzhou, China. They discovered more than 2,000 artifacts, but none were more impressive or surprising than the Sword of Goujian.

The archaeologists found the sword lying next to a human skeleton in a water-damaged casket. The whole tomb was sodden, having been soaked in underground water for more than a thousand years. So when the team unsheathed the sword from its wooden scabbard, no one was expecting to see such a pristine artifact.

The scabbard, with its black-lacquer finish, provided an almost airtight fit around the ancient sword. Thanks to this and the chemical composition of the sword, the magnificent blade was almost untarnished and retained an impressively sharp edge (the edge has frequently been described as “razor sharp,” but that could well be an exaggeration; the Hubei Department of Culture described the blade as easily cutting through “20 pieces of hard paper”).

The state of preservation was made all the more impressive when the sword was dated to the Spring and Autumn period of Chinese history, which ran approximately from 771 to 403 BC. That meant that the blade was around 2,500 years old, and placed it in a period of epic Chinese heroes, many of whom have taken on an almost mythical status in Chinese culture.

The sword has a total length of 22 inches (55.6 centimeters), with a 3.3-inch (8.4-centimeter) hilt. The exquisitely forged blade was made primarily of copper, but the edges have a higher tin content, making them harder and able to keep a sharper edge. Both sides of the blade are decorated with a repeating rhombi pattern, their dark lines standing out from the sword’s overall golden hue. The guard, meanwhile, is inlaid with blue crystals and turquoise. 

On one side of the blade are eight characters engraved in what is known as bird-worm seal script. Six of these ancient characters have been deciphered. The script reads: “King of Yue” and “made this sword for [his] personal use.” The other two characters could not be identified, but analysts believe that they state the name of the aforementioned King of Yue.

These intriguing details provoked much debate as to the owner of the sword. Nine kings had ruled Yue during the period attributed to the sword, making identifying one as the true owner no easy task. But after studying both the sword and the tomb for many months, archaeologists, historians and Chinese linguists came to a consensus: The sword belonged to Goujian, who ruled the Kingdom of Yue from 496 to 465 BC.

Goujian was known for his perseverance in times of hardship, and for relinquishing the trappings of his kingly position. He supposedly ate a diet more suitable for a peasant, and sometimes ate bile to remind himself of the humiliation he once suffered as a captive of the State of Wu. So it seems reasonable, really, that a king who chose to eat slop and bile at least deserved a fancy sword.

Related Tags

Weapons Archaeology Ancient Objects Of Intrigue

Know Before You Go

The Sword of Goujian is currently housed in the Hubei Provincial Museum in the Wuchang District of Wuhan, Hubei Province (a landlocked province in Central China). The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Entrance is free.

Community Contributors

Added By

Tony Dunnell

Published

October 9, 2019

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://mymodernmet.com/sword-of-goujian/
  • https://allthatsinteresting.com/sword-of-goujian
  • http://en.hubei.gov.cn/culture/heritage/201305/t20130521_450099.shtml
  • https://www.thevintagenews.com/2019/02/22/goujian/
Sword of Goujian
156号 Donghu Rd
Wuhan
China
30.562913, 114.363982
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Guiyuan Temple

Wuhan, China

miles away

Underground Project 131

Xianning Shi, China

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Wuhan

Wuhan

China

Places 2

Nearby Places

Guiyuan Temple

Wuhan, China

miles away

Underground Project 131

Xianning Shi, China

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Wuhan

Wuhan

China

Places 2

Related Places

  • Lagoa Santa Man.

    Lapinha, Brazil

    Lagoa Santa Man

    The skeletal remains of an ancient human were found with the bones of giant ground sloths.

  • An ancient tumulus in a parking lot.

    Ikaruga, Japan

    Funazuka Burial Mound

    Once a heap of dirt with a shrubbery on it, this unassuming mound in a parking lot turned out to be an ancient tumulus.

  • Hegra, Saudi Arabia

    Jabal Ithlib

    Carved into a towering rock mountain in Al Ula, this once served as a religious and political center in Hegra.

  • Behold an ancient forest at this unique museum.

    Sendai, Japan

    Tomizawa Site (Underground Forest Museum)

    A 20,000-year-old fossilized forest is preserved at this unique museum.

  •  A whale skeleton on display outside of the museum.

    Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

    Museo de Historia Natural

    Fossilized remains tell the story of the region’s past inside this small, unassuming museum.

  • Amesbury Archer in Salisbury Museum

    Salisbury, England

    Amesbury Archer

    Pivotal in the research of early British Bronze Age life, found near Stonehenge.

  • Ciutadella de Menorca, Spain

    Poblat talaiòtic de Torrellafuda

    A remarkable prehistoric site featuring well-preserved Talayotic structures offers a glimpse into the ancient civilizations that once thrived on Menorca.

  • Paisley, Oregon

    Paisley Five Mile Caves

    These wave-cut overhangs on ancient Lake Chewaucan contain some of the oldest evidence of human habitation in North America.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.