Only a few, and not Chinese emperor Qin Shi Huang’s entire terracotta army, traveled to Bangkok, but even these four earthenware statues are enough to draw in history buffs and the archeology-obsessed to this exhibit, which also includes almost a hundred ancient artifacts from China.
In Thailand for the first time at Bangkok National Museum’s Siwamokkhaphiman Throne Hall, Qin Shi Huang: The First Emperor of China and Terracotta Warriors features the life-sized soldiers from Qin Shi Huang’s unearthed mausoleum in Xi’an, China, as well as ancient weapons, a bronze chariot, armor, pottery, jade and gold amulets, and inscriptions. Altogether, these give an insight into the life and work of Qin Shi Huang, who was named the first emperor of a unified China more than two thousand years ago. It also sheds light on his obsession with immortality, and how his rule has had a lasting influence on Chinese culture.
According to Chinese historian Sima Qian, the construction of the massive mausoleum started soon after Qin Shi Huang ascended the throne in 246 BC. The project, which spanned decades, required a workforce of about 700,000 men to build a massive underground necropolis similar to Xianyang, the capital of the Qin Dynasty.
In 1974, archeologists discovered an army of around 7,000 terracotta warriors, each one bearing different facial, hair, and clothing details at the site of the ancient resting place. These rows of statues served as guardians of what’s believed to be the much larger tomb of Qin Shi Huangdi himself, which remains unearthed.
The exhibition encompasses four zones: Before the Qin, Qin Empire: Unification and the Birth of China, Terracotta Armies: Its Discovery and Mystery, and The Prosperous Empire of the Han.
