The Terracotta Warriors and Horses of the First Emperor of Qin
The Terracotta Warriors and Horses of the First Emperor of Qin were discovered in 1974. A large-scale museum was subsequently built here and opened on National Day in 1979.
After the opening of the rare Qin Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum, it quickly became a sensation at home and abroad. It is considered an ancient miracle and one of the most important archaeological discoveries in contemporary times.
The Qin Terracotta Warriors and Horses amazed the audience with their huge scale, majestic scenes, and superb scientific and artistic levels. The ancient city of Xi'an has quickly become one of the most important tourist cities in my country thanks to the Qin Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum. Domestic and foreign tourists come here in droves. Most foreign heads of state and other distinguished guests who come to visit our country must include a visit to the Terracotta Warriors and Horses on their agenda.
The Terracotta Warriors and Horses pit is about 1 and a half kilometers east of the Mausoleum of Qin Shihuang. There are three pits No. 1, 2 and 3. Pit No. 1 was discovered by local farmers while digging a well. Later, pits No. 2 and No. 3 were discovered through drilling. Pit No. 1 is the largest, 230 meters long from east to west and 612 meters wide, with a total area of ??14,260 square meters. There are about 6,000 life-size pottery figurines buried in this pit, and more than 1,000 have been cleared so far. It is truly incredible to discover such large, numerous, and lifelike pottery figurines underground.
Walking into the hall of the museum, you can see thousands of life-size warriors in bronze, 1.8 to 1.97 meters high, neatly arranged 5 meters underground. Each one of them is mighty and majestic. It's really a formidable and forbidding atmosphere. There are also 32 pottery horses that are as big as real horses. A group of four pottery horses pull a wooden chariot.
The terracotta warriors and horses are arranged in three horizontal columns facing east. Each column contains 70 warrior warriors and 210 warriors, which seem to be the vanguard of the military formation. Immediately behind are 38 columns of infantry and tanks. Each column is about 180 meters long and seems to be the main body of the military formation. There are two horizontal columns on the left and right sides, one facing south and one facing north. There are approximately 180 warrior figurines in each column, which seems to be the two wings of the military formation. There is a row of warrior figurines facing west at the west end, which seems to be the rear guard of the military formation. The warrior figurines wear battle robes, some wear armor, and the bronze weapons they hold are all real objects. The organization is tight and the team is neat. Dozens of war horses held their heads high and neighed, gathering their hooves to move. The entire army is in a state of readiness.
The mighty and majestic military formation reproduces the military exploits and military power displayed by Qin Shihuang in order to complete the great cause of unifying China.
The art history of these terracotta warriors and horses is of high value. The creation of the terracotta warriors and horses is based on real life, and the artistic techniques are delicate and bright. The costumes and expressions of the pottery figurines are different. There are many different hairstyles, different gestures, and different facial expressions. From their clothing, expressions and gestures, you can tell whether they are officers or soldiers, infantry or cavalry. There are bearded veterans who have been on the battlefield for a long time, as well as young people who are new to the battlefield. The 1.96-meter-tall general statue stands majestically upright, contemplating, and showing a resolute and mighty look. The warrior figurine raised its head slightly and stared straight ahead, looking high-spirited and a bit childish. The posture and movements of the warrior wearing a shovel armor, holding a long sword in his right hand, and pressing the chariot with his left hand indicate that he is a chariot warrior guarding the chariot.
In short, pottery figurines have distinct personalities and strong characteristics of the times. This batch of Ode to Soldiers and Horses is a treasure house of sculpture art, which adds luster to the splendid ancient culture of the Chinese nation and adds a glorious page to the history of world art.
The bronze weapons unearthed in the Terracotta Warriors and Horses pit include swords, spears, halberds, scimitars, as well as a large number of crossbows, arrows, etc. According to laboratory data, these copper-tin alloy weapons have been chromium-treated. Although they have been buried in the soil for more than two thousand years, they are still sharp and gleaming. This shows that high metallurgical technology was already available at that time and can be regarded as the world's metallurgy. A miracle in history.
Before 1991, the Qin Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum opened Pit No. 1. In September 1991, Pit No. 3 was officially opened. The area of ??Pit No. 3 is only one-twenty-seventh of that of Pit No. 1. However, analysis of the chariots, samurai weapons and other items unearthed from this pit suggests that this pit may have served as the headquarters for pits one and two.
Terracotta Warriors and Horses: Qin Shihuang’s Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum is a heritage museum built on the original site of the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Pit. Since its opening on October 1, 1979, it has been bathed in the spring breeze of the country's reform and opening up. After hard work, it has made brilliant achievements and has become a world-famous large-scale heritage museum.
The Terracotta Warriors and Horses have been hailed as "the eighth wonder of the world" and "one of the great discoveries in the archaeological history of the twentieth century." In December 1987, UNESCO included the Mausoleum of Qin Shihuang (including the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Pit) in the "World Cultural Heritage List". It is a precious cultural wealth not only for the Chinese people, but also for all mankind.
The establishment and development of Qin Shi Huang’s Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum has gone through ups and downs and hardships, embodying the hard work and sweat of many people. The Terracotta Warriors and Horses were discovered in March 1974. Local farmers accidentally discovered some fragments of the terracotta warriors while digging a well in a wilderness filled with gravel and tombs. After more than a year of careful exploration and test excavation by archaeologists, they discovered that it was a large-scale terracotta warriors and horses pit (i.e. Pit No. 1), which contained about 6,000 pottery figurines and horses that were similar in size to real people and horses. pieces. This huge discovery caused a sensation and shock in China and the world. Due to the grand scale of the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Pit and the huge number of pottery figurines and horses, the excavation work will take several years or even decades. In these long years, how to protect this precious cultural heritage from wind, rain, frost and snow has become a major worrying issue. At that time, our archaeological workers planned to build a temporary protective greenhouse using bamboo poles and reed mats to solve the urgent need. Just when we were anxious about this, on August 26, 1975, Wang Yeqiu, then director of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, flew to Xi'an and conveyed the State Council's decision to establish a Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum here and regard it as a special national project.
The preparatory work for the museum began at the end of 1975. In February 1976, the personnel responsible for the preparatory work entered the construction site one after another, and the ground was officially broken in September. At the beginning of the construction of the museum, the country was in a difficult period plagued by disasters. The national economy was on the verge of collapse. Many large construction projects were canceled one after another. Funds for the construction of the museum were seriously insufficient, and it was difficult to raise building materials. However, with the strong support of the state and the unremitting efforts of those who built the museum, they finally overcame various difficulties. At the end of September 1979, a majestic Terracotta Warriors and Horses Pit No. 1 ruins hall covering an area of ??16,000 square meters was completed. On October 1, the 30th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, it was opened to the public. The initial construction plan for the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum was drawn up in October 1975 and approved by the state. At that time, only Terracotta Warriors and Horses Pit No. 1 was discovered, while Terracotta Warriors and Horses Pit No. 2 and No. 3 were discovered during archaeological exploration in the summer of 1976. This determines that the first phase construction plan of the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum is incomplete. Terracotta Warriors and Horses Pit Nos. 1, 2 and 3 are a group of burial pits in the Mausoleum of Qin Shihuang. There are about 8,000 pottery figurines and horses in the three pits. They are like a huge underground army and a treasure house of ancient sculpture art.
After the opening of the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum, it has had a great impact on society and aroused people's strong interest. Since the opening of the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum of Qin Shihuang, there has been an overwhelming number of visitors, creating a global craze for the Terracotta Warriors and Horses of the Qin Dynasty. As a result, the original building scale and rudimentary facilities of the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum can no longer meet the needs of the times. How to build Qinshihuang's Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum into a world-class museum has become a matter of great concern and an urgent wish of all museum personnel. With the enthusiastic care and support of the Shaanxi Provincial Government and the National Tourism Administration, the second phase expansion project of the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum was officially listed as a key project of Shaanxi Province in 1986. The main expansion project is the construction of the No. 2 and No. 3 Terracotta Warriors and Horses Pit Site Halls, as well as more than 20 supporting facilities such as cultural relics warehouses and comprehensive cultural relics exhibition halls. The total construction area is 45,000 square meters and the total investment is 48.5 million yuan. Since then, the construction of the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum has entered a new stage of rapid development. As one of the key projects of the second phase of expansion, the construction of the No. 3 Terracotta Warriors and Horses Pit Heritage Hall started in May 1987, and the main project was completed at the end of 1988. Archaeological excavations followed, and on September 27, 1989, Pit No. 3 of the Terracotta Warriors and Horses was opened to the public. The infrastructure project of the No. 2 Terracotta Warriors and Horses Pit Site Hall started in 1988. The main project was completed at the end of 1993. Excavation and external exhibition began in 1994. So far, as the core project in the construction of the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum, the No. 1, 2 and 3 Terracotta Warriors and Horses Pit Site Halls have been completed. The total construction area of ??the three ruins halls is 34,730 square meters. All three figurine pits are covered in the ruins hall, and there are good ventilation, lighting, fire prevention, anti-theft and other facilities to ensure the safety of the ruins and relics. The protection of archaeological excavation sites of ancient cultural sites is a very important issue. The relics and relics left by the ancients are non-renewable.
If you do not pay attention to protection, but damage or even destroy one place after excavation, it will cause irreparable losses. Especially for heritage museums, if the heritage site is destroyed, the museum will lose the basis for its existence. There are many methods of protection, and building a heritage hall is one of many protection methods. It is suitable for more special cultural relics that have great scientific value and are well preserved.
The advantage of this protection method is that it combines effective protection with rational utilization, so that not only modern people but also future generations can see the basic features of this cultural relic and receive inspiration and education from it. . The distinctive feature of the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum of Qin Shi Huang is that it integrates the tasks of archaeological excavation, display and protection of cultural relics. Excavating and opening at the same time turns the archaeological excavation site into a place for displaying cultural relics. At present, one-third of the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Pit No. 1 has been excavated, the entire Terracotta Warriors and Horses Pit No. 3 has been excavated, and the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Pit No. 2 is being excavated. More than 2,000 pottery figurines and horses, more than 40,000 various bronze weapons, and a large number of various relics have been unearthed in the three figurine pits. There are many types of terracotta warriors and horses, including chariots, cavalry and infantry. The figurines have different images and poses, making them a shining pearl of ancient oriental art. The entire archaeological excavation site of the Terracotta Warriors and Horses was presented to the audience without reservation, which was very popular among people. Here, the audience can see the original features of the Terracotta Warriors and Horses, such as the original state of the Terracotta Warriors and Horses when they were unearthed, the shape and structure of the pits, and the collapse and damage of the pits. Some signs can only be seen at the archaeological excavation site, such as the footprints left by workers when building the terracotta warriors and horses pit, tool marks left when digging, ruts left when transporting pottery figurines and horses into the pit, ruts left by robbers digging Theft holes, etc. The archaeological excavation site is a comprehensive carrier of various ancient cultural information. It contains a large amount of information and is intuitive and authentic. This enables the audience to gain a multi-level, multi-angle and all-round understanding of the Terracotta Warriors and Horses. In addition, as archaeological excavations progress, new ruins and relics will continue to be discovered. Every time people visit the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum, they will see new content and gain something new, which has an enduring alluring charm.
In the twenty years since its opening, the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum of Qin Shi Huang has received nearly 40 million visitors at home and abroad. In addition, the terracotta warriors and horses have been exhibited in more than 60 cities in more than 20 countries and regions around the world, with a cumulative audience of nearly 10 million. The terracotta warriors and horses give people the enjoyment of knowledge and beauty with their majestic momentum and rich and colorful cultural connotations. Qin Shihuang's Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum is grand in scale, covering an area of ??more than 20 hectares, and the total exhibition area is more than 42,000 square meters. Various supporting facilities are complete, and the environment is elegant and comfortable. Archaeological excavations and scientific research have also achieved gratifying results. But there is still a long way to go in the future. The Terracotta Warriors and Horses Pit is just a group of burial pits in the Mausoleum of Qin Shihuang. After more than 20 years of archaeological exploration, we have discovered more than 500 burial pits and tombs of various sizes in the cemetery, as well as many building foundations. Among the more important ones are the copper chariot and horse pits, stable pits, rare birds and animals pits, stone armor pits, as well as the ruins of large sleeping halls and toilet halls. The entire Mausoleum of Qin Shihuang is like a rich treasure house of underground cultural relics. The relationship between the Terracotta Warriors and Horses and the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang is inseparable. Therefore, the future development of the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum must be integrated with the overall work of the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang. Our preliminary idea is to focus on building the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum of Qin Shihuang first, and then gradually develop into the mausoleum area. In the cemetery, some burial pits and tombs with great scientific value will be selectively excavated and museums will be built to protect them. This will form a number of branch libraries with different properties and contents. These branches and the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum form the Qinling Mausoleum Museum, which is responsible for the protection, archaeological excavation, research and display of the entire cemetery. In the future, this place will not only be an important tourist attraction for people to visit, but also a place for experts and scholars to conduct academic inspections and research, and an experimental base for cultural relic protection experts to carry out scientific protection of cultural heritage. Although the above idea needs further investigation and demonstration to gradually improve it, the general direction is generally correct. Although the tasks ahead are very arduous and complex, with the development of society and through everyone's joint efforts, the future career of the Qin Shi Huang Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum will surely be even more brilliant! wo