China’s Terracotta Army Exhibit at the Franklin Institute
In ancient China the emperor commissioned thousands of warriors to be sculpted and placed around his tomb to protect him. Thousands of years later a farmer uncovered one of the soldiers while working in his farm. Today, the Terracotta warriors stand in an exhibit at the Franklin Institute right here in Philadelphia.
The story goes that the first Emperor of China, named Qin Shi Huang, ruled rom 221 to 207 B.C. During his rule he ordered the first version of the Great Wall to be build over a united China. In addition to his order to build this wall, he also created a mausoleum for him after his death. However, he was not to be buried alone. He and 6,000 warrior statues, known today as the Terracotta Army, were sealed into the tomb near the ancient city of Xi’an.
It is rumored that the mausoleum where Qin Shi Huang was laid to rest was the largest burial complex in the world. It is also said that the complex structure was never completed after his death. The complex contained four chambers. One was filled with over 6,000 solider statutes, the next with an additional 2,000, and the third with chariots, infantry, horses, and high ranking officials. The final chamber was left empty suggesting that there was supposed to be more statues to fill the last space. Others suggest that the fourth room was left empty intentionally for the soul of the emperor.
Each individual soldier was created with distinct facial features, and no two statues look alike. They all have a different emotion or reaction also. depending on the type of warrior they were. Supposedly, only 8 molds were used to create the heads and faces of the soldiers and after molding the men, each face was altered to give different features to the soldiers. Each warrior also has a different weapon that was preserved very well.
Over 40,000 bronze weapons were found in the tomb. Everything from swords, arrows, knives, and various other weapons were found in the hands of the warriors and among other relics.
Although the thousands of sculptures have been uncovered there has still been no excavation of the emperor himself. In fear of damaging relics and artifacts, archeologists have been very careful in their excavation of the emperor's mausoleum. It has been very difficult to explore the tomb because of the soil’s high content of mercury that can be highly dangerous to the people working in the tomb.
“It is best to keep the ancient tomb untouched, because of the complex conditions inside,” Duan Qinbao, a researcher with the Shaanxi Provincial Archaeology Institute, told the China Daily.
On average each soldier stands 5 feet and 8 inches tall. If all 8,000 soldiers stood shoulder to shoulder they would span approximately 18,000 square feet.
In ancient China, it was believed that objects like statues could be brought to life in the afterlife. The emperor wanted to be sure that he was protected in the afterlife in case of any type of war. The warriors were meant to be the emperor’s protection during this time.
There is still more to be unearthed in the ancient burial site, but researchers have reason to believe that there are more clay soldiers still buried below the earth’s surface.
After 30 years the Terracotta Army returns to Philadelphia to be featured at the Franklin Institute. The exhibit is 16,000 square feet and helps visitors to travel back to the world of Ancient China to relive what it was like when the clay army was created.
This is the only stop on the east coast for the Terracotta Army.
“So, 30 years ago, China allowed about three of them to come to Philadelphia,” said Franklin Institute president and CEO Larry Dubinski. “Now they let us exhibit 10 of them, which is pretty amazing.”
Of these thousands of soldiers, ten of them are now in an exhibit at the Franklin Institute. The display titled Terracotta Warriors of the First Emperor walks visitors through a story-like setting to show the journey from the creation to the discovery.
The exhibit also displays over 160 other artifacts. Some of these include weapons, jade, gold ornaments, ceremonial vessels, coins, and other artifacts found at the burial site.
The institute has hundreds of replica statues that are also featured in the exhibit.
“And since we’re the Franklin, there’s a strong science and technology element to the exhibit as well,” Dubinski said.
The institute has an Augmented Reality app that they recommend downloading prior to visiting the exhibit. The app works with both iPhones and Android. It does require being logged into a wifi or internet source which Franklin Institute provides for free. To use the app select the Terracotta Warriors Exhibition Augmented Reality on the home page. This will bring you to a screen about the bronze weapons that are featured.
“The augmented reality gets you right up close so that you can see every piece of the terracotta,” Dubinski said. “We’ve added on and layered what weapons were used at that point in time, how they were made, and we’ll provide some additional information for people who want to go more in depth.”
To step into the world of AR simply tap the “Launch AR” button and begin the image scan of the area. Zoom into artifacts to learn more about what they are, where they came from, and their purpose.
Visitors can also take screen shots of their findings by taping the camera button and sharing to social media platforms.
There is also an option to create your own army through the app. When outside of Franklin Institute, you can use the app’s camera to place the Terracotta Army into the real world wherever you are.
Other programs and experiences will also be available to guests while the warriors are in Philadelphia. The IMAX screen has daily showings of the film Mysteries in China. There is also a walking audio tour that guests can take advantage of. There is an additional fee for these programs.
The exhibit is open to the public, but tickets for the exhibit must be purchased separately from general admission tickets. Tickets for general admission and the warrior exhibit start at $30 for children and $35 for adults. It is open Sunday through Wednesday from 9:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. and on Thursday through Saturday until 9 p.m. The exhibit closes on March 4, 2018.
