In 1974 near Xi´an in Shaanxi Province some Chinese farmers stumbled across an astonishing find. Broken into thousands of tiny fragments, they had unearthed the remains of terracotta figures and horses, weapons and ritual artifacts. It was the mausoleum of the legendary Qin Shi Huang, the First Emperor of China.
Born 259 BC, crowned king at the age of 13 he forcibly unified the enormous empire and became ruler of 40 million Chinese in 221 BC. His rule would only last for a few years on earth, but he wanted it to last for an eternity in the afterlife. To this end he ordered an estimated 700,000 workers to build a gigantic necropolis in which he was laid to rest in 210 BC. He had thousands of terracotta soldiers made and deployed them around his mausoleum. They were supposed to accompany him after death, protect him and fight for him.
The Terracotta Warriors fell into oblivion for more than 2000 years. Celebrated as the “eighth wonder of the world”, its reappearance in 1974 was one of the greatest archaeological sensations of the 20th century. EMS Entertainment reconstructed the biggest archaeological discovery of the 20th century in a true to original and fascinating exhibition. The unique exhibition showcases the impressive Terracotta Warriors in an authentic reconstruction of the Chinese excavation site. More than 200 figures, horses, weapons and ritual objects bring the extraordinary story to life on an impressive exhibition space of approximately 800 – 1,000m2 (10,000 – 12,000 sqft).
A section of pit number 1 was reproduced in a 1:1 scale. Around this pit reconstruction a huge diorama of the original excavation site reflects the enormous size of the pit in Xi´an. Accompanied by a mystic sound and light show visitors experience a remarkable journey into the time of the First Emperor of China. Around 70 high-quality replicas are on display, including high-quality, life-size clay figures and horses, weapons, jewelry and ritual objects.
Visitors can furthermore view a fascinating documentary by National Geographic about the discovery of the Terracotta Warriors in the exhibits movie theater. Large scale images and plenty of information panels complete this extraordinary exhibition.
