In 1994 peasants digging wells near Xi’an in Shaanxi Province chanced on a buried army, later found to number 7,000 terracotta soldiers, in battle formation. The greatest archaeological find of the 20th century, was not only astounding in its scope: it supplied invaluable information about the founder of the Chinese nation.

According to film portraits, China’s first Emperor Qin Shihuangdi, (r.221-206BC), could have out-tyranted Tamburlaine, Genghis Khan and Peter the Great. Chen Kaige’s ‘The Emperor and the Assassin’(1998) and Zhang Yimou’s ‘Hero’(2002) play down the legendary cruelty to depict a man embittered by betrayal or forced by brutal times to put on a macho front. ‘Ching Sui Tung’s ‘Terracotta Warrior’ (1990), however, portrays a power-crazed brute, chopping off heads, working peasants unmercifully and terrorising his advisors. If that weren’t enough, he condemns a handmaid (Gong Li) to a fiery death for having an affair with his most loyal General, Meng Tian, played by Zhang Yimou.

‘Our portrayal is based on factual evidence only,’ announced Jane Portal, curator and China expert, at the Exhibition preview. Explaining the Emperor's bad press, she says Chinese historian Sima Qian (c. 145-90BC), foremost source of information, would know better than to praise the Emperor of a previous dynasty; his portrait is understandably biased. That said, the man who had conquered six kingdoms would certainly need protection from enemies in the after-life.


The challenges facing the heads of states before unification resembled those for global businesses today: it was a case of expand or be taken over, in a constant jockeying for territory and power. Rulers ignored the teachings of Confucius (c. 551-479BC) who argued for order at home and peaceful negotiation with neighbouring states; they favoured strict rule and harsh punishments. Ying Zheng, who became King of Qin at 13, was a great military leader with several advantages: specially-bred horses, superior design in chariots and weapons and excellent deployment strategies


The entrance to the exhibition, a black-walled curving path under the reading-room dome, recalls images of torch-led explorers invading ancient burial chambers. A map showing the seven kingdoms make clear the King of Qin had another advantage: located in the extreme West, he didn’t have to watch his back but could concentrate on conquering all that lay before him to the East. Notices in English and Chinese script tell the story of the Emperor’s conquests and travels. Before meeting the figures themselves, visitors pass exquisitely -crafted bronze and jade artefacts including a jade drinking cup and a bronze cauldron, originating from Qin and the conquered kingdoms.

The first part of the exhibition focuses on Qin Shihuangdi’s achievements after 221BC, when he declared himself Emperor at the age of 37. He didn’t just declare it; he raised inscriptions on China’s mountains, thus starting a lasting enthusiasm for mountain carving. He travelled the vast regions in a kind of sleeping car of which a half-sized copy is on display and ordered the building of a network of connecting roads and canals. He even ordered cart axles to be standardised so they could travel easily along the same ruts. A standardised script aided communication and a unified the monetary system produced round coins with square holes. They were made from captured melted-down weapons, like the giant metal men that guarded his extensive palaces. He joined and fortified sections of the Great Wall, promoted people on merit rather than family connections and set up a legal system with clearly defined punishments. It was perhaps the latter that got him his bad reputation, although Chairman Mao himself, disparager of dynasties, acknowledged him as a great leader.

In the central space under the great dome, exposed and on the same level as the onlookers, are the soldiers themselves. The bodies were mass produced and it shows: the legs are shapeless as drainpipes and shoes resemble nothing so much as ‘herring boxes without topses’. In physique they are unimpressive, even when padded and armoured with lacquered leather flaps connected by thongs. What is remarkable is the impression of fighting -readiness and the individuality of the precisely hand-crafted faces. They are not thought to represent individuals but that’s hard to believe. Supposedly catalogued into more than thirty types of facial expression, from 'dreamy' to 'fiery’, they all possess a life-like realism, radiating resolution.

The pink and grey figures iconised by films and photographs were originally brightly coloured. Sufficient traces of paint remained for craftsmen to simulate the original appearance and one of them, thought to be an archer, is reproduced for the exhibition. So familiar are the dignified dusty grey and red figures that the kneeling figure restored to painted glory appears garishly unreal.

If the Emperor ensured his protection in the spirit world, he also expected to be well-entertained. He seems to have enjoyed a good circus, represented here by a terracotta acrobat and a fat-bellied strong man. Whole flocks of crane and geese, made up in bronze, were also to be enjoyed, with musicians, poised to play long-perished instruments. Stone coffins containing bones and food dishes suggest the Emperor was an animal-lover. Statues of bureaucrats, one with his arms thrust Mandarin-like into his long-sleeved coat would perpetuate the ruling of ‘all under heaven’ throughout eternity.

Qin Shihuangdi assumed he was ruler of the known universe and that his power would be everlasting. He searched obsessively for an elixir of life, sending search-parties to find the legendary ‘Islands of the Immortals’, believed to be situated off the East Coast. Although work on the tomb was started as soon as he became king, at his sudden death aged 49 in 210 BC, his tomb was still unfinished. He couldn’t have anticipated that his monumental army would become the world’s greatest tourist attraction. .

Wu Yongqi, director of the museum in China, says there are no plans to open the pyramid-shaped burial mound until less invasive technology is developed. Experts speculate that beneath the mound exists a whole recreated empire with rivers of mercury and a sky studded with pearls for stars. There are no plans to disturb the sleeping Emperor; his personality, however, will continue to enliven cinema screens of the future, although his wish for immortality is fulfilled not quite as he anticipated.

I read there are only 8 terracotta warriors in the exhibition. Does that affect the impact of the 'Army' statement it the title? Or does the display layout manage to mitigate the effects of only having a handful of statues to play with?

- NaomiM

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I mean, was it a bit of a let down, compared to the massed ranks of warriors oner can see in the original excavation?

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Personally I would have preferred to have a dozen warriors shipped over and placed in their original positions in a section of reconstructed pit.
But I presume they have chosen a selection of different types and separated them out so people can get a closer look -? So there is no meaninful context to their display positions.

Naomi, there are about a dozen actual warriors of different ranks, placed in rows, with chariots behind them, then another half-dozen figures including bureacrats, a strong man, acrobat and a couple of charioteers.You get to walk around the group as a whole, with a kind of cross-aisle between the soldiers and the rest.

There's a huge photographic wall-display as background which does attempt to recreate the Xi'an sense of a vast horde.I can't say how the impact compares with the original site as I haven't seen it. I spoke to a friend who has seen the warriors in their orignal pit(s) in Xi'an and she said the spectators' walkway was above the figures, and of course you can only look down, which is not how their after-life opponents were supposed to meet them.

If you do visit, I would wait until after Christmas. Going to the preview felt quite different from when I went with my husband last week. We had to queue for about twenty minutes before our entry time, and once in you have to be patient whilst the people in front read the notices and labels below the artefacts. As some are low, and the lighting levels are a bit dim, I'd pay the extra £3.00 for an audio guide.There's nothing to stop you heading straight for the central space where the warriors are. You can stay as long as you like once you are inside.

Sheila