For the first time in over two thousand years, the mystical tomb of the First Emperor of China, Qin Shihuangdi, reveals its secrets to the island republic of Singapore.
Dubbed "Terracotta Warriors: The First Emperor and His Legacy" the exhibition, which will be held at the Asian Civilisations Museum from June to October, features seven genuine terracotta warriors, along with many artefacts from the period of the Qin dynasty (221-206 BC), earlier, and slightly after it.
It is a smallish, but compact and varied exhibition, containing items not only specifically pertaining to the exhibition, but to the world of ancient China at the time, providing a brief and informative introduction to a mysterious topic in Chinese archaeology
The Terracotta Warriors and their History
What were the terracotta warriors? The contents of an almost dream-like archaological discovery made in 1974, at a mound outside Xi'an. Hailed as the "greatest archaeological discovery of the 20th century", or at least within Chinese archaeology, it was the tomb, long hidden and untouched, of the first emperor of China, the Qin ruler Qin Shihuangdi.
A considerable proportion of this tomb consisted of terracotta warriors, stone guardians of the emperor in the afterlife, representing the face of the ancient Qin army, from its light infantry to full fledged generals, armed and uniformed. The Chinese authorities naturally took custody of this national treasure, and Singapore, in 2011, is the happy host to but a fraction of the 5,000 strong army represented at Xi'an.
Ancient Chinese Art, Ritual, and History Revealed
With its subject the ancient Chinese imperial tomb, the exhibition does well to introduce its visitors to the thought-world, and existing belief systems of the time. The first few pieces are dedicated to the ritual objects and paraphernalia of the Warring States period (4 -221), in the centuries before the emergence of the Qin dynasty. Particularly interesting is a bronze cauldron of a duke. In all, one is left with an impression of the ancient Chinese fascination in the afterlife.
Part of this impression is in no small measure due to the quality and richness of the artifacts, and not least because of the highlight of the exhibition – seven terracotta warriors from the tomb itself. The Chinese already had an adept grasp of the human proclivity for megalomania under the Qin - such is the grandeur and realism of the statues.
A replica of chain mail, and an imperial carriage (which stone original was too fragile to be taken out of China) are to be found, while we learn the legacy and continued, albeit less megalomanical interest in perpetuating life after death under the later Han period.
Bringing the Terracotta Warriors into the 21st Century
Part of the purpose of such exhibitions is to endear them to a 21st century audience, and the curators at this Singaporean showing have incorporated a uniquely modern device, the iPhone.
Using a certain light technology iPhone users need merely download an application to be able to see unique 3D terracotta warriors on their iPhones: archers in action, or an intrepid tomb explorer, all invisible to the naked eye. It is a promising look at the future of popular technology and museum exhibitions.
"Terracotta Warriors: The First Emperor and His Legacy" is only a brief introduction to ancient China for the interested, who would probably do well to follow this up by seeing the real thing, in China. For what it is worth, however, the artefacts and amazing in their quality, the exhibits tell the story of ancient Chinese rituals and beliefs, and the terracotta warriors still, after over two thousand years, have the power to mesmerise.
Marcus Chin - I write about various things, and in the main out of that simple human emotion - interest and, correspondingly, passion. Knowledge stems ...
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