Terracotta Warriors - Bronze Chariots and Weapons

Clay figures were not the only thing present in the pits. Encased in large wooden coffins were two bronze chariots of remarkable state of preservation, discovered in 1980. Both bronze chariots, each led by four bronze horses, are now in on display in the Exhibition Hall. 

Chariot #2

About half life-size, the chariots are thought to be for Emperor Qin as he toured around in the afterlife. Each of the chariots had over 3,000 accessories. The one known as Chariot #2 has separate back and front rows, with the empty back row reserved for the emperor. A replica of both chariots can be seen at the Shaanxi History Musuem in Xi'an.

Over 40,000 bronze weapons were recovered from the pits where the Terracotta Warriors were buried. These were not just simulated weapons, but ones that were fully functional. Weapons included over 37,000 arrowheads,  as well as spears, swords, daggers, crossbows, battle axes, bayonets, and more unique ancient types.  

Despite being over 2,200 years old, the weapons were still sharp. These military-grade state-of-the-art weapons were also never used, indicating that they were made just for the Terracotta army. 

Reconstructed crossbow with mechanism from the burial pit

When studying the crossbow triggers, researchers determined that the parts were very uniform, made in molds and in small batches. Assembly of the standardized, five interlocking parts happened in small workshops – not in large assembly lines. The crossbows are capable of piercing modern armor and kill with a single strike. Read more about the weapons in this article.

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Terra Cotta Warriors - Other Pits

Although the building of Pit One is by far the largest one in terms of dimension and number of figures, there were two other pits next to Pit One and a few others at the mausoleum site.

Chariot Drivers and horses

Some figures were in an excellent state of preservation. In other sections, only pieces could be found. Pit Three was small, but the high-ranking figures there were particularly well preserved. Of note, this was the only pit that didn't suffer from burning. I especially liked the imprint of the chariot wheel, still present even though the wood has long since been destroyed by fire and/or decay.

Horse and soldier pieces, chariot wheel imprint

More work needs to be done!

Variety of figures in a pit near Mausoleum

Kneeling Archer

Another highlight for me was seeing some of the figures close up. Placed under glass, these displayed sculptures could be viewed 360°. 

Backside of kneeling soldier (detail)

Some of the paint in the back of the soldier was still visible. I was amazed at how the soles of the soldier's shoes were even imprinted with textured patterns. I looked for the artist's signature on this piece and other sculptures but could not find it. 

Color still showing on a fragment

From my art history class, I knew that the warriors and horses were painted. Prior to watching a video, I wasn't aware of how saturated the colors originally were. The photo above shows a slightly muted version of the original colors. Upon excavation, most of any remaining color faded almost immediately. One website said that the lacquer under the pigments oxidized and curled within 15 seconds of exposure to air and peeled off within four minutes! The purple color, known as Han Purple is of particular interest. Known as one of the earliest synthetic colors, it now is being explored in building quantum computers.

Standing Archer

Detail of mid-ranking archer

Detail of beautifully formed hands of a high-ranking officer

Other posts on the Terra Cotta Warriors:
A Visit to the Terra Cotta Warriors Museum - Part One
Pit One Terra Cotta Warriors (continued)
Pit One Hospital

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Terra Cotta Warriors - Pit One Hospital

Tagged pieces of warriors

As I walked towards the back, the number of intact figures diminished. Some areas were unexcavated. In other areas, tags indicated individual pieces of soldiers.

Amputees with plastic wrap "facials"

In the back was a "hospital" of sorts. Here, one could see figures being restored. Some had plastic wrap over various body parts including the face, which looked like a facial.

Soldiers bound up for reconstruction

Others with more serious reconstruction needs were tightly bound. Virtually all of the standing soldiers had to be reconstructed. Many of the kneeling archers miraculously survived intact, due to their lower to the ground placement and triangular poses.

Horses and figures in reconstruction

Even the horses could be seen in this "hospital" area receiving reconstruction.

Working area

In this area were several rows of desks where workers could so restoration and research. On one desk I saw tiny pieces. What laborious work that must be to make sense of those pieces and recreate accurate figures! I wondered how much it cost to restore an especially damaged figure.

Other Posts on the Terra Cotta Warriors
A Visit to the Terra Cotta Warriors Museum - Part One
Pit One Terra Cotta Warriors (continued)
Terra Cotta Warriors - Other Pits

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Terra Cotta Warriors - Pit One (continued) - Part Two

Middle section with special walkways for restorers. Plenty left to excavate.

Because I was not a VIP, I was not privileged enough to go to special overlooks (these were roped off) or wander amidst the sculptures. Photos were shown of the Clintons, Putin, and Park Geun-Hye (former president of South Korea) standing right next to the warriors. Instead, I had to rely on my camera's zoom to capture views from less-than-ideal vantage points. 

Even from a distance, the detail on the figures who stood about 1.8 meters (5.9 feet) was quite impressive. Variations included size (up to 1.97 meters - 6.4 feet), girth (slender to those with a paunch), type (10 types of soldiers), pose (standing and kneeling), hairstyle, clothing, and unique faces. A video I had watched earlier had described how when using facial recognition software, no two faces were alike.

In some areas, gaps were seen behind horses. Wooden chariots were victims of burning and have long since disappeared.

Individual warriors, one with face painting

Although most of the figures have long since lost their color, remnants of color could be seen on some. Both the people and horses were once painted in bright colors.

Other posts on the Terra Cotta Warriors:
A Visit to the Terra Cotta Warriors Museum - Part One
Pit One Hospital
Terra Cotta Warriors - Other Pits

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A Visit to the Terra Cotta Warrior Museum - Part One

On the first day of my Chinese New Year break, I decided to go to the famed Terra Cotta Warriors Museum. I had waited to visit this UNESCO World Heritage site in winter, hoping that fewer people would be visiting. Having lived in various Asian countries for nine years, I knew that getting there early would be advantageous. Due to the southerly location of my apartment, I decided to take a DiDi (China's version of Über) directly to the museum. My pre-arranged DiDi driver arrived about 15 minutes early to pick me up, but I didn't complain; it was much better than being late. Daylight had just broken by the time we arrived at the museum, located 53 km from my apartment. Although the ride cost me around $25, it was worth the hassle-free experience and time saved.

Ticket entrance to the Museum

The place was virtually deserted. After about 20 minutes, the ticket lines opened up. I was one of the first in line to pay my 120 RMB ($17.86) ticket. I was ready to see what is considered the Eighth Wonder of the World and the greatest archaeological find of the 20th century.

Pit One ahead. No crowds!

Knowing that the crowds would come, I headed directly to Pit One. By far the largest building at over 14,260 sq meters, Pit One housed over 8,000 warriors, infantry, horses, cavalry, and officers and over 50 chariots.

Overview of Pit One

Arriving early had paid off. I was the first one inside and had it to myself for over five minutes. Standing in front of me were over 2,000 excavated figures to protect the emperor in death. Over 700,000 workers contributed to the building project that took 38 years to complete. (Side note: many of the workers' bodies were found in mass graves within the massive complex).

Emperor Qin Shi Huang

Even though the Qin dynasty was rather short (221-206 BC), it was quite amazing that so much of his legacy lives on. Emperor Qin Shi Huang succeeded in unifying a series of warring states to form the precursor to modern China. Other accomplishments: initiating the Great Wall, standardizing weights and currency, and evolving the written language into contemporary Chinese script. 

Three-line vanguard

Standing at the front was a three-line vanguard of 204 troop members. Imagine how imposing they would have looked with weapons in-hand! 

Stay tuned for more posts.

Pit One Terra Cotta Warriors (continued)
Pit One Hospital
Terra Cotta Warriors - Other Pits

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Di Shu, Water Calligraphy in the Park

In several spots within Xingqing Park, I spotted some people, mostly elderly gentlemen, doing a curious form of painting. At the end of a metal rod was a flexible piece of foam shaped to a point, just like a paintbrush. With a dip of the foam brush into water from a cutoff bottle, the man begins his temporary art form. Known as Di Shu, which means writing on the ground/Earth, this art form has gained in popularity since the 1990's, spreading to parks all over China.

The process seemed to be several things at once –meditation, exercise, art, literature, and conversation.  For some, it is a way to celebrate brush calligraphy in an era where most writing occurs on a keyboard. At times, the man was in his own little world. At other times, he engaged with onlookers. After a short discussion, he went back to adding more characters. After a short while, the once glistening characters would have faded, evaporating to invisibility. This reminds me of another beautiful temporary art form of south India - the kolam. Interestingly enough, I didn't see any of the Di Shu calligraphy artists photographing their writing. This further contrasts it with ink calligraphy, which prides itself with long-life. 

Would you expend energy making such impermanent art?

For more information on Di Shu water calligraphy, check out this and this article.

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Xingqing Park - with a swoop of a brush

A plethora of activities occurred in all parts of Xingqing park. Two of my favorites included the use of a brush.

In one part of the park, people gathered around a man doing traditional Chinese brush painting. The man worked with confidence as he laid down broad brushstrokes without the aid of an initial drawing. It was quite obvious that he had painted many such horses before.

After his energetic horse was painted, he wrote vertical columns of calligraphy in the space above, also with black ink. Folowing that, he pressed several signature chops into red ink pads.

The artist with his completed horse ink brush painting. Notice the ink, brushes, and stamp pads in the lower portion of the photo. 

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Dancing with the Uyghurs

While strolling through Xingqing Park in Xi'an, I came across these Uyghur ladies. The Uyghurs are a Muslim minority ethnic group found mostly in northern China and the Hunan province. Attracted to their colorful costume, I inquired (by gesture) a request to photograph them. Immediately they grabbed me, signaling that I was to be in the photo with them. Soon a bunch of photos were being taken from multiple cell phones. 

After my photo session was over, I managed to snap a few photos of the dancers before they went off to practice. 

I stayed for a few minutes, enjoying their dancing amidst the autumnal setting.

Nearby, a few couples were also dancing. The sheer joy on this man's face made me smile. Have fun dancing!

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A Stroll along Xingqing Lake

This weekend, I went to Xingqingong Park in Xi'an to see the autumn colors there. This park, the largest public park in Xi'an, is built on the site of the Xingqing Palace of the Tang Dynasty (616-907 AD). Walking through a traditional-style gate, we took a path leading to the main lake. Although it was overcast and hazy, the autumnal colors reflected nicely on the water's surface. Several traditional-style buildings peeked in between tall willow trees.

Traditional-style buildings along Xingqing Lake

Although it was fairly early in the morning, the park was already alive with people. Many others chose to take the path circumnavigating the lake.

Colorful boats, some styled with childhood characters, were parked along the shore. I can imagine that the lake would be dotted with them in the warmer weather.

In the distance, skyscrapers from a modern Xi'an contrasted sharply with the elegant traditional park structures.

Now that I've found this park, I am eager to return to it in the different seasons. It reminds me of my walks around the beautiful pond at Changgyeonggung Palace in Seoul.

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Hanyangling Terracotta Figures

This past Friday, I and a few other teachers were invited to attend an event at the Hanyangling Museum. A van picked us up directly from our school (which is located a fair distance south of Xi'an and took us to the museum which is located about 20 km north of the city and quite close to the airport.  Upon entering the complex, I immediately saw two large grass-covered mounds which were royal burial sites. The larger tomb belonged to Emperor Jin, who ruled the Western Han Dynasty from 180 BC-141 BC, and Empress Wang. Construction of the tomb began in 153 BC and ended in 146 BC.
Covering an area of 10 square km, the site also includes 86 burial pits, a ceremonial site, human sacrifice graveyard, and a cemetery for criminals. To reach the exhibition space of the museum, we descended in an underground tunnel; this is the first underground museum in China.

In general, the museum was rather dark. I wasn't sure whether this was due to its after-hours status or if it was typically this dark, perhaps to minimize the effects of light on the artifacts. Through the glass, visitors could see the burial pits which were still being excavated. In addition, some of the walkways had glass sections, enabling visitors to see items directly below.

Items just below the walkway, including horses, chariots, and figures

Some pits contained more pottery items and fragments of textiles. Others were full of naked ceramic figurines. Although they were about 1/10 life-size, their bodies included anatomical details and the faces were expressive. A few even had some remnants of paint, but most of the coloration had vanished years ago or when exposed to air. The wooden arms had long since rotted and the exquisite costumes deteriorated. In total, over 50,000 figurines were made to depict the royal court, a number that even exceeds that of the more famous Terracotta Warriors. Both male and female figures are represented, including female warriors, servants, eunuchs, singers, and dancers.

Figures with genitalia

In some pits, the figurines were vertical, as if ready to march. In others, the present arrangement reminded me of the parting of the sea or perhaps violent bowling. Broken fragments indicated visitors of the fragile nature of the sculptures and the amount of work needed to restore the artifacts. 

Entire herds of domesticated animals were also formed out of clay. Bones from animals were also seen. 

Further on in the museum were restored displays that attempted to give visitors an idea of how things originally looked. 

Restored display

Bells, weapons, articles of everyday use, and jade were also on display. Of interest, tea was also discovered, showing that tea was consumed even at this early date.

Life-size horses and chariots

Clothes similar to what the figures would have worn

Figures with and without clothing

Figures with expressive arms and one still encrusted

We had to move rather quickly through the museum in order to return in time for the cultural performance and speeches being held outdoors for the event. I think it would be fascinating to return during the day when actual excavation is occurring and to also see more of the expansive site. Although it receives far fewer visitors than its famous big brother, the Hanyangling Museum is quite remarkable. In fact, it is considered the most intact royal mausoleum of the Western Han Dynasty, giving excellent research data for the burial customs of the day. It is a testament to the remarkable lengths the emperors took to ensure they were ready to rule in the parallel world of the afterlife.

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