Emperor Qin Shihuang’s Mausoleum and the Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses Museum (Xi’an)
Located in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, Emperor Qin Shihuang’s Mausoleum and the Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses Museum is a large-scale burial pit in the Mausoleum of Yingzheng, Emperor Shihuang of Qin, first feudal emperor of China, covering an area of 2,180,000 square kilometers. Based on the Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses Museum, it is a remains-type one built on the original site of the pit of the terra-cotta warriors and horses. Divided into three pits of the terra-cotta warriors and horses—No.1, No.2 and No.3 pits, it is also the largest ancient military museum in China. Discovered between 1974 and 1976, it is honored as the "eighth wonder" in the world and the greatest discovery in archeological history in the 20th century.
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Terracotta Army
The Terracotta Army, aka Terracotta Warriors and Horses, are the most significant archeological excavations of the 20th century. Work is ongoing at this site, which is around 1.5 kilometers east of Emperor Qin Shi Huang's Mausoleum in Lintong, Xian, Shaanxi Province. It is a sight not to be missed by any visitor to China. Upon ascending the throne at the age of 13 (in 246 BC), Qin Shi Huang, later the first Emperor of all China, had begun to work for his mausoleum. It took 11 years to finish. It is speculated that many buried treasures and sacrificial objects had accompanied the emperor in his after life. A group of peasants uncovered some pottery while digging for a well nearby the royal tomb in 1974. It caught the attention of archeologists immediately. They came to Xian in droves to study and to extend the digs. They had established beyond doubt that these artifacts were associated with the Qin Dynasty (211-206 BC). Pictures Video Museum of Qin Terracotta Warriors and Horses The State Council authorized to build a museum on site in 1975. When completed, people from far and near came to visit. The Museum of Qin Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses have become landmarks on all visitors' itinerary. Life size terracotta figures of warriors and horses arranged in battle formations are the star features at the museum. They are replicas of what the imperial guard should look like in those days of pomp and vigor. The museum covers an area of 16,300 square meters, divided into three sections: No. 1 Pit, No. 2 Pit, and No. 3 Pit respectively. They were tagged in the order of their discoveries. No. 1 Pit is the largest, first opened to the public on China's National Day - Oct. 1st, 1979. There are columns of soldiers at the front, followed by war chariots at the back. Warriors standing in battle arrayOur Group Tour to the Museum No. 2 Pit, found in 1976, is 20 meters northeast of No. 1 Pit. It contained over a thousand warriors and 90 chariots of wood. It was unveiled to the public in 1994.Archeologists came upon No. 3 Pit also in 1976, 25 meters northwest of No. 1 Pit. It looked like to be the command center of the armed forces. It went on display in 1989, with 68 warriors, a war chariot and four horses. Altogether over 7,000 pottery soldiers, horses, chariots, and even weapons have been unearthed from these pits. Most of them have been restored to their former grandeur. Since Oct. 1st, 2010 the Museum of Qin Terracotta Warriors and Horses and the Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum have been combined into one large attraction area, Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum, which also includes three other small sites opened in 2011. The Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum and the nearby three unopened sites (namely the Museum of Terracotta Acrobatics, the Museum of Terracotta Civil Officials and the Museum of Stone Armor) constitute the so-called Lishan Garden. Besides, 30 free shuttle buses have been available for visitors' convenience to travel between the Lishan Garden and the Museum of Qin Terracotta Warriors and Horses from then on. The Terra Cotta Army is a sensational archeological find of all times. It has put Xian on the map for visitors. It was listed by UNESCO in 1987 as one of the world cultural heritages.
Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum
In 1974 when a group of peasants was digging a well, they surprisingly unearthed fragments of life-sized terra cotta warriors made in the Qin Dynasty (221BC-206BC), which became the greatest archaeological discovery of the 20th century. The great excavation revealed thousands of warriors and their horses - an entire army buried for safeguarding the eternity of Emperor Qinshihuang. Hence, the Qin Terra Cotta Army is now over 2,200 years old. The site is located 1.5 kilometers (1 mile) east of the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor. The emperor's terra cotta army was found in three underground timber lined vaults. The Pit 1 contained chariots and six thousand figures of soldiers; the Pit 2 had fourteen hundred figures of cavalrymen, horses and infantrymen, along with ninety wooden chariots; whilst the Pit 3 contained about seventy figures of warriors. Excavating them has been a massive undertaking. The Qin Terra Cotta Army Museum, built at the original excavating place, is a hangar-like construction over Pit 1 and was officially opened in 1979. Later in October 1994, Pit 2 opened to the public. Now the museum is a stunning attraction that every visitor to China should see. Bronze Chariots and Horses in the Exhibition Hall Bronze Chariots and Circamara Theater Two bronze chariots housed in the Multi-Exhibition Hall were unearthed twenty meters east of the mausoleum. The chariots, which are half size of real ones, were made of bronze with some golden and silver decorations. The No. 1 Chariot is 225 centimeters (7.38 feet) long and 152 centimeters (4.99 feet) high, with a weight of 1,061 kilogram (2,399.1 pounds). The four horses drawing the square chariot are muscular and vivid. A big umbrella situated in the chariot shelters the lifelike wagoners. The No.2 Chariot is 317 centimeters (10.4 feet) long and 106.2 centimeters (3.48 feet) high. Weighing 1,241 kilogram (2,735.9 pounds), the chariot consists of two parts: the wagoner who sits outside the carriage and a carriage where the master could sit inside. Each of the two chariots is made of more than 3,000 accessories and decorated with geometrical images or clouds. Besides visiting the pits and exhibition hall, visitors can also go to the Circamara Theater, where visitors can 'travel' back to the past. By watching it one can have a better understanding of the history of Emperor Qin Shihuang as well as the discovery, repair and protection of the terra cotta warriors. A shopping center nearby also provides visitors with copies of the warriors, horses and chariots as souvenirs.
Terracotta Warriors to be exhibited in Liverpool museum
China's famous Terracotta Warriors are to be exhibited in Liverpool in 2018, the culture secretary has said. Karen Bradley MP made the announcement while visiting the tomb of China's First Emperor, Qin Shi Huang. She said she was "delighted" that a "selection of warriors" would be coming to Liverpool, home to the UK's oldest Chinese community. It is the first time the warriors have been exhibited in the UK outside London since the 1980s. Terracotta WarriorsImage copyrightGETTY IMAGES Image caption A selection of the warriors will be on view from February to October in 2018 in Liverpool The warriors were last displayed at the British Museum in 2007 and at Edinburgh in 1985. Ms Bradley was touring the burial site and tomb complex as part of the UK-China People to People Dialogue (P2P), which celebrates the links between Britain and China. "I am sure that the exhibition will be very warmly received by the people of Merseyside and beyond as Britain welcomes back the Terracotta Warriors," she said. The Terracotta Army Terracotta ArmyImage copyrightAFP More than 8,000 life-sized Terracotta Warriors have been unearthed in burial pits at the tomb complex of Emperor, Qin Shi Huang, since 1974 near Xi' in North West China Each warrior has individual hair and facial features and archaeologists have located more than 600 pits around the emperor's mausoleum, covering an area of 22 sq miles (35km) New discoveries are continually coming to light, which indicate that Emperor Qin wished to take the entire universe with him into the afterlife. The tradition of burial practice was continued by the emperor's successors in the later Han Dynasty Source: Liverpool World Museum The exhibition will run from February to October 2018 at the World Museum in the city centre giving a glimpse into the story of Qin Shi Huang, who ruled from 221 to 206 BC. The story of the tomb's Terracotta Warriors will be displayed alongside important artefacts and research relating to the formative years of the Chinese nation, from the pre-unification Qin Kings (307 to 221 BC) to the First Emperor's legacy in the Han Dynasty (206 BC to AD 220). David Fleming, Director of National Museums Liverpool, said staff were hugely excited at the "unmissable opportunity to see artefacts of great historical importance in the flesh". The
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1 The Terracotta Army, aka Terracotta Warriors and Horses, are the most significant archeological excavations of the 20th century.
2 The Museum of Qin Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses have become landmarks on all visitors' itinerary.
3 Since Oct. 1st, 2010 the Museum of Qin Terracotta Warriors and Horses and the Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum have been combined into one large attraction area, Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum, which also includes three other small sites opened in 2011.