The exhibition first explores the life of China's feudal lords, ensuing warfare and the rise and fall of the Qin Dynasty. A variety of artifacts greet the visitor — pottery, jewelry, food containers and ornate bridal-horse fittings. Architectural details also get a nod with the likes of decorated pavement and wall-brick panels, an earthenware drainage pipe and a scale model of a wooden palace fit for an emperor.
Zheng, the man of the hour, receives a number of galleries devoted to him. A ruthless warrior, he first rose to power in 246 B.C. in the Chinese state of Qin at the age of 13. By the year 221 B.C., he was declared the first emperor of all of China. A most impressive piece on display that demonstrates the warring factions of the time is the 45-pound stone suit of armor and helmet. The suit is comprised of some 600 finely polished limestone plates that are held together by copper wire.
Afterlife army
While Zheng was known for his tyrannical ways, he is credited for creating a central government in China, establishing a national road and canal system and even building the Great Wall.
Zheng also planned for the afterlife, and for that he built himself an army of 8,000 terracotta life-sized soldiers of all ranks. The soldiers were categorized by a number of traits — rank, hairstyle, clothing and accessories — and two are barely alike. Why life-sized? One clue was that these earthen soldiers protected their emperor in the afterlife with an arsenal of real weapons. On display at the Montreal Museum are the real stars of this show: two high-ranking officers, four soldiers, a civic official, an acrobat, an archer and even two life-sized terra-cotta horses.
Not only did Zheng prepare himself an afterlife army, he also created a water garden, which was found near the main burial complex. On display is one of only 46 known bronze swans that originally graced the garden.
A popular stop midway through the exhibition includes an in-depth video places the burial complex into perspective and offers a behind-the-scenes look at the actual archeological dig. In all, some 180 archeological pits have been discovered near the main burial mound since the mid-1970s. The fall of the first emperor and the rise of the successive Han Dynasty rounds out the exhibit.
"The Warrior Emperor and China's Terracotta Army" continues through June 26. The exhibition has enjoyed quite a successful run — be prepared to be accompanied by a small army of visitors, particularly on weekends.
Author: Steven Howell | Source: Press Republican [May 12, 2011]