The Qin Dynasty Terra-Cotta Army of Dreams [antikvár]

Emperor Qin's Terra-cotta Museum- The Biggest On-site Museum in ChinaThe well-known Terra-cotta Museum is located on the east side of the Mausoleum of Emperor QinShihuang, the first emperor in Chinese history. The Museum covers a total area of 20 hectares. It is decorated with verdant trees, blooming flowers and green grass. It is a delightful scene. Three main buildings of the museum named Pit I, Pit 2 and Pit 3 were constructed on the original site of the pits at different times.On March 29,1974, local farmers of XiYang village, LingTong County, were drilling a series of wells in search of water. They discovered some pottery fragments and ancient bronze weapons. The head of the village reported the news to the local government at once. The news aroused much attention from both local Government and National Historical &Cultural Relics Administration. With government approval, an archaeological team from Shaanxi Province arrived at the site on July 17, 1974 and began their explorations and excavations. On October 1st, 1979 Emperor QinShihuang's Terra-cotta Museum was opened to the public. Bythe time of the opening ceremony, archaeologists had excavated an area of 2,000 square meters in Pit No.l and some 1,087 terra-cotta warriors and horses were displayed there after restoration. The village, formerly unknown to the outside world, has become world famous.The archaeological wonders discovered here came as a shock to China and the world. Following the discovery of Pit No.l, Pit No.2 and Pit No.3 were unearthed in April and May of 1976. Pit No.3 was opened to the public in 1989. Excavation of Pit 2 began in March 1994 and it was opened in October of the same year while still being excavated. In addition to the three pits, two sets of bronze chariots and horses were discovered on the west side of Emperor Qin's mausoleum in December 1980. These were displayed in the museum after restoration.In the last 20 years, the terra-cotta museum has become the largest on-site museum in China. The staff of the museum has increased. More and more valuable cultural relics have been unearthed.