The Exhibition Hall of the Terracotta Army, often referred to as the Museum of
the Terracotta Warriors and Horses, acts as the primary gateway for visitors
to experience the immense historical significance of the Qin Shi Huang burial
complex.
This state-of-the-art facility is designed not only to house the restored
figures but also to provide a narrative context for their creation, burial,
and eventual discovery in 1974. Inside, the hall features high-quality
displays that showcase individual artifacts, including life-sized bronze
chariots, rare weaponry, and intricate pottery shards, all of which provide a
deeper understanding of the craftsmanship and logistics that sustained the
tomb's construction. The architecture itself is balanced to provide a
climate-controlled environment, ensuring the long-term preservation of the
delicate, historically fragile items removed from the active excavation pits.
Beyond the static displays, the Exhibition Hall incorporates sophisticated
multimedia presentations and historical records that bridge the gap between
the archaeological finds and the political history of the Qin Dynasty. It
functions as an essential educational hub where visitors can view the
chronological progression of the excavation, as well as the advanced
scientific techniques used in the ongoing restoration of polychrome paint
pigments. By contextualizing the army within the broader scope of imperial
unification and the life of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, the hall transforms the
viewing experience from a mere observation of ancient sculptures into a
comprehensive study of early Chinese governance, military philosophy, and
cultural legacy.
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Entering the Exhibition Hall
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Chariot Figures
1. Armored Handcuffs
- Terracotta Army Pit 1 of Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum unearthed.
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The charioteer figurine wears a double-layered long crown, a
knee-length robe, and armor over it, without shoulder guards. It wears
long trousers, leg guards, and square-toed, upturned shoes. Its arms
are bent forward, hands half-clenched, as if holding reins, intently
controlling the chariot. The charioteer's duty was to drive the
chariot, ensuring its smooth and safe movement. Charioteers were
rigorously selected and trained, and were highly skilled individuals.
Each wooden chariot unearthed from the Qin Terracotta Army pits was
accompanied by a charioteer figurine.
2. Chariot warrior figurine (replica)
- Terracotta Army Pit 2 of Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum unearthed.
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The three occupants of the chariot were a charioteer who was in charge
of driving the chariot and a warrior who was armed and fought with the
enemy. They used bows and crossbows to shoot at the enemy from a
distance, and halberds, spears, and daggers to fight at close range.
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Weapons and Equipment of the Qin Army
The warrior terracotta
warriors in the Qin Terracotta Army pits display different hand gestures
and wield different weapons.
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Observations of Pit 1 indicate that the vanguard of the army was
primarily equipped with crossbows, along with a small number of
long-handled and short weapons.
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The flanks were also primarily equipped with crossbows, along with a
small number of long-handled weapons and swords.
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The main force was armed with a combination of long-handled weapons
such as halberds, spears, and daggers, along with long-range
crossbows, and some figures also carried swords.
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This weaponry configuration perfectly aligns with the principles of
military strategy, such as "long weapons in front, short weapons
behind," "strong warriors and crossbowmen on either side," and "a
mixture of long and short weapons."
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Manufacturing Technology of Qin Weapons
The bronze weapons
unearthed from the Qin Terracotta Army pits were all cast and then
finely processed through filing, grinding, and polishing.
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The varying tin content in bronze results in different hardnesses,
indicating that the Qin Dynasty had a relatively high level of
expertise in mastering different alloy ratios for various objects,
demonstrating a considerably advanced level of metallurgical
technology.
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Testing revealed a dense chromium oxide layer on the surface of the
bronze swords, providing excellent corrosion and rust resistance.
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The bronze crossbows unearthed from the pits have interchangeable
components, and the three faces and three prisms of the bronze chain
are identical, indicating that weapon production at that time had
reached a level of standardization.
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Bronze Crane
The bronze bird in the image is a bronze crane,
which was discovered in the burial pit of the water birds (Pit K0007)
near the tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huang in Xi'an.
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These figures are part of a remarkable collection of bronze waterfowl,
including cranes, swans, and geese, that were intentionally placed in
this specific pit to symbolize an idealized, peaceful imperial park or
garden. The discovery of these birds, which also include figures of
musicians and stable hands, provided archaeologists with unique
insights into the artistic mastery of the Qin Dynasty and the
emperor's desire to replicate his terrestrial life and surroundings in
the afterlife.
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The crane is crafted with incredible naturalism, capturing the bird in
a lifelike, graceful posture that contrasts sharply with the rigid,
martial nature of the nearby Terracotta Army. The bronze has acquired
a distinctive patina over the centuries, with remnants of its original
surface treatment still visible. In the museum, these figures are
displayed behind protective glass to ensure their delicate structures
remain intact, and they are often accompanied by descriptive panels
that explain their cultural significance as representations of
longevity and grace within ancient Chinese tradition.
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Overhead view of the stable pit
The kneeling figurines
unearthed from the stable pits of Qin Shi Huang's mausoleum are mostly
found in the same pit as the horses, located in front of or to the sides
of the horses' heads.
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Pottery basins and jars were placed in front of the horses' heads,
some containing straw.
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Iron axes or sickles and pottery lamps were also present in front of
the figurines, indicating that they were horse handlers.
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The presence of one figurine and one horse in the same pit suggests
that each person was responsible for feeding one horse, which aligns
with the records in the Zhou Li (Rites of Zhou).
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Graceful Birds
A bronze waterfowl pit was found 900 meters
northeast of the mausoleum.
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The pit is in the shape of "F" and covers an area of 978 square
meters.
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There is a small river to the north of the pit, where 46 bronze
waterfowl such as swans, cranes, and geese, 15 pottery figures, and
some small silver, bronze, and bone artifacts were unearthed.
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These waterfowl are distributed on both sides of the simulated small
river, either raising their heads and chirping, lying still and
resting, or bending their necks to forage, which presents a scene full
of fun.
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According to the layout of the pit and the analysis of the unearthed
artifacts, these terracotta figures seem to be playing musical
instruments.
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They are using music to tame waterfowl, and the waterfowl pit may
symbolize the bird garden in the palace.
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The bronze bird pit, symbolizing the bird garden, was discovered for
the first time in the history of Chinese archaeology.
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This batch of bronze birds pioneered the development of omamental and
independent bird and poultry forms, and has epoch-making significance
in the history of bird and poultry art.
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Stone Dice (Boqiong)
Each of the fourteen slightly
concave surfaces is engraved with characters (numbers and words
indicating winning or losing).
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Twelve of these surfaces are engraved with numbers from 1 to 12.
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While the other two surfaces contain the characters "骄" (pride) and
"愧" (shame) respectively.
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Mysterious Underground Palace
"When Emperor Qin Shihuang
first ascended the throne, he began to build his own mausoleum on Mount
Lishan. When the mausoleum was built at its peak, the number of people
requisitioned reached over 700,000. The underground palace was dug so
deep for the mausoleum, and various rare treasures filled the entire
underground palace. On the top of the underground palace, there were
stars inlaid with gemstones, simulating the sun, moon, and stars in the
sky. On the ground, there was a river filled with mercury, simulating
the rivers, lakes, and seas of the country. In the underground palace,
there were also candles made of whale oil that never went out,
illuminating the entire underground palace for a long time."
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From these words in
Records of the Grand Historian - Chronicle of Emperor of Qin
Shihuang, we can imagine the majesty of the underground palace of the
Mausoleum, in which the sun, the moon, and the stars were simulated to
symbolize the vast sky, and mercury was used to simulate the river and
sea, symbolizing the vast land.
- That was undoubtedly a territorial model of the Qin Dynasty.
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Although the underground palace of the Mausoleum is yet to be
excavated, a large amount of mercury exists in the tomb, which has
been verified by modern science.
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Based on remote sensing detection, obvious higher mercury content than
usual were found in the middle of the Mausoleum Mound, which indicates
that the record that mercury was used as a symbol of rivers in the
underground palace of the mausoleum is credible.
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See Also
Source
Location
