A group of 18 life-sized Chinese terracotta warriors, accompanied by 232 pieces of other artefacts, will make its debut in Canada this summer, under an exhibition dubbed as “The Warrior Emperor and China’s Terracotta Army.”

Nearly thirty percent of the featured objects never traveled outside China before, Dr. Chen Shen, the senior curator of East Asian archaeology unit in the Royal Museum of Ontario (ROM), told Xinhua.

This national exhibition will start at the ROM and then travel to Montreal, Calgary, and ends in Victoria.

The exhibition showcases one of the most significant archaeological finds in world history: the 1974 discovery of almost 2,000 full-sized terracotta warriors and horses that had been buried in three 2,200-year-old pits. This discovery in China’s Northern Shanxi Province came following extensive excavations.

These sculptures, along with other priceless treasures, were found in the elaborate underground tomb complex built to commemorate China’s first emperor, Qin Shihuang. It’s believed that as many as 8,000 life-sized terracotta soldiers and horses in total may have been originally buried.

“Emperor Qin commissioned an army (of terracotta soldiers) to protect him in the afterlife; however, he could never have imagined that, 2,200 years later, his army will travel around the world, but leave him at home,” said Dr. Chen Shen,, while developing the content of the upcoming exhibition.

“The army is coming to us, and the ROM is ready to be conquered,” quipped Shen.

“Everything in this ROM exhibit is coming from China,” Shen told Xinhua, “This Canadian national tour is a newly developed and contextually different presentation than previous, international displays. Many of the artefacts displayed during the upcoming Canadian tour have never before left China. In fact, some have not yet been displayed in any museum in China.”

Unique storylines

The highlight of the displays will be the 18 lifelike terracotta figures, including two horses and 16 full-sized unique human figures. The terracotta warriors are famous for the fact that no two are exactly alike. Each is exquisitely executed and therefore accorded a distinct personality.

Other highlights of the exhibition will include the earliest prototypes of the Terracotta Warriors, the Qin royal family’s collection of jade, and the earliest war painting ever discovered in China.

The exhibition will be displayed in three sections following a chronological sequence of events – the emergence of a strong Qin State, China’s first emperor and his Terracotta Army, and the rise of the Han Dynasty.

The exhibition’s story starts at the end of the Xizhou Dynasty (the 9th century BC), 600 years before the birth of Emperor Qin, and ends at the beginning of western Han Dynasty (206 BC–AD 221), 200 years after his death.

Shen, the Chinese-born curator, told Xinhua that he is developing the unique storylines based on the stories written in the renowned Chinese chronicle known as “The Records of the Grand Historian.” This book is also known in English by its Chinese name “Shiji”, which is the masterpiece of Si Maqian, a court astrologer during the Han Dynasty.

“Therefore, our storylines will be different from any other terracotta exhibits,” emphasized Shen.

The presentation will also explore the political and social changes that took place with the rise of the Han Dynasty (206 BC–AD 221) following the First Emperor’s sudden death in 210 BC. This topic has not been explored in previous similar exhibits in North America.

“This is a great opportunity for Canadians to explore Chinese history,” said Dr. Mark Engstrom, the ROM’s Deputy Director of Collections & Research. “At a time when the China’s economy is booming, it’s very crucial to understand Chinese culture by learning Chinese history. This includes business people,” he said.

300,000 visitors expected

“We’re expecting 300,000 visitors to participate in this six-month long event,” Dr. Engstrom told Xinhua.

He also pointed out this exhibition will not only benefit the ROM through ticket sales, but will also give a boost to Toronto’s entire tourism industry. Organizers hope that since the exhibition starts in the summertime, it will attract visitors from outside Toronto, including from the United States. “This truly awe-inspiring exhibit will be the must-see attraction of 2010 for visitors to the ROM,” said Engstrom.

Engstrom’s words were echoed by Michael Chan, the newly appointed Ontario Minister of Tourism and Culture. “The Terracotta Army exhibit is yet another example of the current cultural renaissance that is helping re-establish Toronto as an exciting center of creativity and excellence,” Chan told Xinhua.

(Xinhua News Agency January 29, 2010)