The idea for “The First Emperor: China’s Terracotta Army” (through April 6) arose two years ago when the then Prime Minister Tony Blair went to China in part to improve cultural ties between the two nations. British Museum curator Jane Portal, who accompanied Blair, had studied in Xian when she was an archeology student in the 1970s, and used many of her connections there to help the museum get permission for the 120 objects on loan.
The exhibition explores the life and reign of Emperor Qin Shi Huang Di, as well as the excavation of the warriors. It features the largest number of terra-cotta figures ever loaned by China at once—including two kneeling archers, two generals and one charioteer—and allows visitors the unusual experience of standing face to face with the warriors. At the excavated site in Xian, visitors look down on a pit holding 7,000 amassed warriors. “It’s a much different experience than you get in China,” Portal says. “Here you can walk among them and really see things like the incredible detail that went into making figures like the cavalry horse.”
The terra-cotta army was discovered in 1974 when local farmers digging a well struck baked clay instead of water. The 56-square-kilometer site, which holds 600 pits, is still being excavated; some of the most recent findings, including birds and terra-cotta musicians, are on display in the London show. Experts predict digging at the site will continue for several more decades. Qin’s burial mound, rumored to be heavily booby-trapped, has yet to be exhumed; officials say they do not have the resources for such a huge endeavor.
But from what they’ve found so far, it’s clear that Qin was not your average emperor. Born in 260 B.C., he was a great martial strategist who unified all the Chinese states into one empire; it’s believed that the Western name “China” derived from Qin (pronounced “chin”). He built roads, palaces and sculptures, and oversaw the development of a unified script, code of law and system of weights and measurements. After surviving several attempts on his life, the first emperor became obsessed with living forever. He tried to achieve immortality by taking pills and potions containing large amounts of mercury, which most likely killed him.
Preparations for Qin’s tomb were begun well before he died. More than 750,000 workers helped sculpt the clay warriors that would protect him in the afterlife. One of the most interesting items in the exhibition is a long model that shows how the terra-cotta figures were constructed. Clay body parts were fired, then assembled, before the fine details were added. Examples of such torso and leg fragments are on display, along with intricate items like measuring cups, seals and weights with Chinese script.
The highlight, of course, is the soldiers. The slight but obvious scent of terra cotta permeates the room where they stand. The generals who greet visitors are dressed in different regimental detail; a replica of the kneeling archer painted in reds, browns and blues demonstrates how colorful and striking the warriors once appeared—and how long and far they’ve come. Their battle may be over, but their journey goes on.
