China’s First Emperor and the Terracotta Warriors

You may have seen them on TV, but nothing can quite give you the frisson that accompanies your first sight of the Terracotta Warriors.  Standing in the never ending queue, you wonder what can have brought so many people, over weeks and weeks, to this exhibition.  Fully booked all summer until 28th October, the World Museum in Liverpool has tried to accommodate still more people by booking into the early evening.  The atmosphere is charged with anticipation as you are beckoned into the cinema for a brief introduction.  And then, you meet a Horseman, and enter the darkened arena where the story is told.

China’s First Emperor, Qin Shi Huang, was responsible for the most extraordinary feat.  In 246BC, aged just 13, he ascended to the throne, in a period of tumultuous conflict between warring tribes.  As he grew in power and stature he managed to unify the tribes, but along the way he became obsessed with the idea of immortality.  In 1974 a chance discovery by farmers digging a well in the Shaanxi province of China was to reveal an incredible underground army of life-sized Terracotta Warriors, 2000 years after his death.

The belief system of the time included an after life, provision for which the Emperor made in the most excessive indulgence.  A mausoleum was constructed, modelled on the Qin capital Xianyang, with inner and outer cities, beneath an enormous burial mound.  Buried in pits east of this, more than 8000 warriors for the Emperor’s protection.  130 chariots were found with 520 horses.  I was totally mesmerised by the replica bronze chariots with their teams of horses, thought to represent the chariots in which the Emperor travelled across his newly unified lands.  They were buried so that he could carry on touring his Empire in the afterlife.

No luxury was spared, and there were musicians, strongmen and acrobats for entertainment.  The gigantic bronze cauldron above is thought to have been used in acrobatic performances.  The kneeling stable boy below would have cared for the horses in the after life.

Sadly the Emperor may have brought about his own premature death.  He ordered his alchemist to make potions to extend his life, some of which contained mercury.  His unexpected death was most probably from mercury poisoning.

The exhibition defies description and it is amazing to think that these are but a fraction of the total necropolis.  The Terracotta Army have traveled the world, inspiring awe and disbelief.  The enclosed links will help you to understand much better than I can.

106 comments

  1. W O N D E R F U L !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    For you with love!!

    Where I’m From Poem

    I am from China…

    I am from where the yellow grass grows

    And where the Yangtze River flows

    I am from where the Yellow Mountains will forever grow

    I am from where the men work in the rice fields

    Working the days away

    I am from where the first emperor reigns

    Holding his cities with an iron grasp

    I am from Qin Shi Huang’s great empire

    The first ruler to unite us all

    The greatest emperor of them all

    I am from where the scent of fresh flowers

    Flood the crowded streets

    Where artisan use their hands to create works of art

    And where the sweet taste of tea is never far away

    I am from where noodles are slurped

    Where fruits and vegetables line the streets

    I am from where dumplings boil in every tea house

    Where shrimp is prepared with szechaun sauce

    The sweetest glaze in all of China

    I am from Xianyang

    The capital city of the greatest dynasty

    Where the emperor builds his tomb

    Filling the halls with warriors of terracotta

    We pray he will be guarded in the afterlife

    I am from where the Great Wall Stands

    Protecting our Northern Boarders from distant lands

    I am from where a large shadow is cast

    Where our land stands impregnable from the Mongol grasp

    I am from the Qin Dynasty

    The greatest of them all

    Where the men fought bravely in the Warring States

    To where Qin Er Shi was overthrown by the brutal Han

    I am from China

    I am from the Qin Dynasty

    https://andrewsmiththegreatqindynasty.weebly.com/where-im-from-poem.html#

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  3. This is so impressive! I went to a similar exhibition in the Netherlands years ago where they had some of the statues. I was in awe at what I saw and can only imagine what it’s like to see the statues in situ!

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  4. The Terra Cotta army is indeed stunning beautiful , Jo. I went a couple of years ago to an exhibition over here. Ii is mind blowing how real the facial expression of the soldiers looked. Great article, thank you for sharing.

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  7. Great photos, Jo. So glad you were able to attend the exhibition in Liverpool. Seeing the Terracotta Army had been on our Bucket List for years and we made it over to China 20 years ago. I’m so happy we did, as the sight of those figures was absolutely breathtaking. I had not imagined that there were so many of those sculptures or that the facial features of each soldier would all be different. Unfortunately we could only take photos through glass which of course wasn’t ideal. We did buy postcards, but of course it wasn’t the same as having our own clear photos.

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    1. I forget that it’s so long since those discoveries, Ad. It must have been quite surreal to see them in situ. Technology having moved on so much it’s amazing how much of the story can be pieced together now. I was spellbound. 🙂 🙂

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  8. This brought back all the memories of being there. It truly is the most remarkable thing this mausoleum and the Emperor’s story. I will never forget walking into the first hall and seeing hundreds of warriors in formation before me. And now I’d love to see the exhibition for a closer and more detailed look. I bet you were fully as awed by what you saw in the exhibition as I was seeing them in China.
    Alison

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  11. Thank you so much for this photo/essay. Just so rich in detail and you really used your camera well to capture this magnificent statuary. All my best to you.

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  17. I’ve seen the warriors in Xian – a whole pit of them marching towards you is an amazing sight, though I did overhear one Englishman describe them as underwhelming. John was back again this year during one of his business trips and a Chinese colleague also dismissed them as all broken. No pleasing some people!

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  19. Years ago, my elder daughter won a replica of one of these in a Blue Peter competition. Much to the annoyance of her brother, who supplied the answers. We seem to have missed the boat on getting to see these, so thanks for this post.

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