The First Emperor, China’s Terracotta Army and Alexander the Great

After all I have heard, read, and watched on TV, I definitely wanted to see this exceptional army of terracotta soldiers for myself. Since this exhibition was announced many months ago and runs from September 2007 till April 2008, I wanted to plan a trip to London early this year. Nothing was less evident, for it became challenging to acquire a ticket. When I checked the Internet booking site in the first days of January, they appeared sold out for the entire exhibition duration! I just couldn't believe it, being as flexible as I was, yet finding no ticket. I decided to phone the British Museum and hear what they could offer me. It was my lucky day, for I could book for Sunday at 10.10 a.m. This meant that I would have to get up at five in the morning, but no sacrifice is too big when it comes to the arts, right?

As it turned out, the exhibition met my expectation, nothing less but nothing more either. I must admit that the British Museum and the BBC did a good job when making the documentary about the history of the site and the preparations for the exhibition. Well done, as usual – very complete. So, all in all, I am thrilled to have seen the soldiers and the other artifacts with my own eyes, and I warmly recommend this venue!

The First Emperor - BRITISH MUSEUM from newangle on Vimeo.

It is all about Ying Zheng, later called the First Emperor (Qin Shi Huangdi), who was born in 259 BC. When he was 13 years old, he became king of Qin (pronounced Chin), one of the seven greater kingdoms that rivaled each other in Eastern China. Thanks to his military strategy and sophisticated arms, he conquered the other warring states, thus unifying China for the first time in 221 BC. Considering that imperial China lasted until the fall of the Qing or Manchu Dynasty in 1912, we can understand the importance of this unification!

If you ask me, Qin ruled like a despot and a tyrant, for he literally went over dead bodies to achieve his goals. Of course, he had to organize his new empire, but at what cost! 

Among his most impressive accomplishments were the many standardizations. He instated one language and one writing; one currency, a circular copper coin with a square hole in the middle (to the Chinese, the earth was square, and the sky was a circle above it); standard weights and measures; same axle length for all carts to match the ruts in the roads; etc. He built 6,000 km of roads and many irrigation canals and erected a Great Wall on the northern frontier as protection against outside invaders (nothing to do with the Great Wall we talk about today). He forged his people into units of five to ten families, with a group responsible for the wrongdoings of any individual within the unit. In short, the human value was zero, and one dead more or less did not matter. He ruled by what is called a legalist form of government that involved rewards and punishments in keeping order. This was entirely the opposite of Confucius' preaching (551-479 BC), which focused on human morality and good-doings. Qin allowed the burning of academic books and buried hundreds of Confucians alive - not the happiest of worlds to live in, if you ask me!

Qin Shi Huangdi drank from jade cups and ate from golden plates, believing this would ensure his longevity (see the beakers and cups at the exhibition). This reminds me of the chinaware I saw at Topkapi Palace in Istanbul, which has the color of jade; the Ottoman Sultans believed that jade would neutralize the poison in their food – now I know where they got the idea! Qin went as far as drinking solutions containing mercury and other deadly brews to prolong his life; I guess he simply poisoned himself in the end. Ironically and despite his dire precautions, he died in 210 BC at the relatively young age of 49.

I must admit that Qin has led a hectic life, for besides all warfare and reforms, he exploited any manpower and resources he could to build his roads, walls, and palaces. Wishing to find the same luxury in the afterlife, he spent thirty years building a lavish tomb near the capital Xian yang, modern Xi'an. This burial site is vast and covers an area of 56 square kilometers. The actual burial mount is located in the very center, and in the vast space around it, several pits are slowly being found and excavated. The first discovery was made in 1974 when a local farmer dug a new well and found a terracotta head. Since then, three pits have exposed a total of 7,000 terracotta soldiers. It must be a magnificent and imposing view for those who visit the army in situ. In contrast, we have to use our imagination at the exhibition when we are among their selected delegates. They are waiting for me at the far end of the exhibition tour.

The collection shows a variety of objects, ranging from drinking vessels and terracotta roof tiles to copper coins and bronze ceremonial bells. Also, units of weights and fluid containers, the kind of standardization I expected to have come along with our metric system.

Next to a kneeled archer who still shows traces of paint on his armor, there is a reconstruction of a crossbow since all the wood has decayed over the years, a collection of arrowheads that originally were mounted on bamboo sticks that could easily be replaced when they broke, as well as a lance head and a chromed sword – fine examples of craftsmanship.

The huge bronze basins I discover in the spotlights remind me of those I saw at Vergina as part of the tomb belonging to Philip II of Macedon, although a good two hundred years older. Many bronze bells in their typical Asiatic shape are heavily decorated and show the wear and tear where they were hit to make them ring (a different sound according to the spot). Also on display are decorative bronze pole ends that once wrapped around the square wooden beams conceived in such a way that they simply clicked together, a kind of prefab construction. That is amazing, for we like to believe that the prefab has appeared only last century.

The items are well presented and well labeled, especially for those who, like me, want to avoid taking a talking recorder. I always find this gadget distracting; it is like somebody talking in my ear while I try to read the labels anyway. I concentrate better by looking at the objects and registering the facts and figures at my own pace. But again, that is me. Most people prefer just listening rather than reading.

There are maps here and there to locate Qin's early conquests and the expansion of his empire; there is a short slide show presenting the soldiers in full armor while the peasants and convicts are at work building the great wall; and there is a silent black and white projection of soldiers and horses on the inner circle of this library room converted especially for the exhibition.

After the rows of showcases with mainly bronze items, I am approaching the piece de resistance, the terracotta soldiers, and horses. I can't wait to get closer, but with the visiting crowd, it is best to stay in line and move along at the pace of the queue.

As a teaser, they have set up a long display with clay figurines showing how the terracotta figures were made in miniature. This is an assembly line, nothing less. The clay arrived in lumps at the workshops where laborers and local craftsmen worked together to press it in their respective molds. The heads, arms, legs, and torsos were created separately and then assembled. Once assembled, the individual features, such as facial expressions and hairdo, were added. As each soldier shows his unique features, a connoisseur can tell, for instance, from which part of the country he is originating. Some have their hair tied in a knot, and others have it braided or wear a bonnet. Their dress also differs according to their role. So the charioteers have the most extensive harness reaching over their hands. Even the cavalry wears sleeveless protection, whereas the infantry and the archers wear short-skirted harnesses. The light infantry, the most mobile part of Qin's army, did not carry any protection to move around faster (I think they were the most likely to be killed too, right?).

Each workshop had to inscribe its name on the produced items to ensure quality control. After completion, the terracotta figures were placed in the pits in precise military formation according to rank and duty. Quite an affair! These burial pits are now part of the Museum of Terracotta Warriors in Xi'an.

The terracotta figures are very much lifelike and rather tall, considering the average Chinese in those days. They vary in height according to their rank, the tallest being the generals measuring approximately 190 cm. These generals also wear a specific headdress in the shape of a bird's tail, and I even notice that the toes of their shoes show an upwards curve. 

A span of four horses is placed in front of a roughly reconstructed chariot with the driver and accompanying soldiers on their spots. Yet I cannot figure out how these soldiers stood on the platform behind the charioteer, two on one side of the yoke and one behind the driver on the other. The chariot does not match reality here.

It is hard to imagine these terracotta figures painted in bright colors. A lacquer finish was applied on their faces and outfits, and the actual weapons they carried must have given them an incredibly realistic look. Most weapons were stolen shortly after the army was set into place, and their lavishly painted features faded. A few good examples on display still show traces of paint and glaze. To make things clear, a copy of the one archer shown near the entrance is reproduced at the end of the room in a full blast of colors. Quite shocking in a way, but very interesting! It is believed that the terracotta warriors were based on actual people – well, they look real enough and even more so when we imagine them in lifelike colors carrying their arches and swords! They speak of a workforce of 700,000 men to create this army for the afterlife alone. How many more must have suffered and died in Qin's other building projects and wars, I wonder.

It should be stressed that the actual Tomb of Qin Shi Huangdi still lies under an earthen pyramid 76 meters tall, covering nearly 350 square meters. It remains unopened as the archaeologists and experts are not sure what they can expect, and they are afraid they may destroy an important part of the treasures inside. Based on their measurements and probes, they believe it contains a scale replica of the universe, complete with gemmed ceilings representing the cosmos and flowing mercury representing the rivers and lakes. Pearls seem to ornate the tomb's ceiling to represent the stars, planets, etc. Recent scientific work has, however, shown high levels of mercury in the soil of Mount Lishan, as it is called today. Future technology may shed more light on this tomb one day.

Facing the terracotta army of soldiers, generals, and charioteers in this exhibition space stands a replica of a bronze travel carriage with four horses, whose original was too fragile to be moved. It is a reduced-size model and an outstanding piece of art. The horses look very alert, and it is strange how only two of them, i.e., the two middle ones, are hooked to the yoke while the horses on the outside are simply attached to the bridles and reins. To avoid any possible collision, the yoked horses have a cone attached to their side to keep the outside one at a safe distance. I've never seen anything like this! As to the carriage itself, it has windows made of perforated bronze plates to let the breeze blow through it. The entrance door in the back stands ajar, and I can see right through these so-called windows! I marvel that such refinement existed already in antiquity!

Today's Chinese are understandably proud of Qin Shi Huangdi's achievements, considering him one of the greatest military leaders in history, but I can't help having my doubts. From the start of the exhibition, I couldn't help but compare him to Alexander the Great, who lived roughly one hundred years earlier. Why do I think Alexander was so great, while I can't find such merit in Emperor Qin's conquests? It was probably the more humane approach of Alexander; although it has been said he could be merciless, at least he did not exploit the people he conquered, often leaving their rulers and religions in place unless they had betrayed his confidence. This cannot be said of Qin, but it remains a fact that the caste system and hierarchy he initiated survived for more than two thousand years. By now, we all know the story told in the movie "The Last Emperor," where the outdated style of government had to make way for 20th-century practices. So yes, this was quite an achievement on the part of Qin.

I just wonder, however, what would have happened if he and Alexander the Great had met. Of course, this is an absurd and most speculative idea, for Qin was not even born at the time of Alexander's death, but just imagine the huge impact this would have had on today's world! Fascinating stuff!

So much for my impressions and my philosophy. For those living on the other side of the Atlantic, the good news is that some parallel exhibitions are running or will be soon:

The Midland Center for the Arts, Midland, Michigan, is organizing an exhibition, "1500 years of Ancient China," running from January 18uary8 to April 133, 2008.   

The Bowers Museum of the Arts, Santa Ana, Ca, is also planning "Terracotta Warriors: Guardians of the First Emperor" from May 188 till October 12ober2, 2008.

After premiering at the Bowers Museum, this exhibition is scheduled to travel to the Houston Museum of Natural Science May 188September 255, 2009) and the National Geographic Society Museum November 199, 2009March 311, 2010).

[Photo Source: The British Museum]

[Pictures from Wikipedia, except map, which is from History of Qi]