The National Geography Society has its headquarters in Washington DC. The museum is currently hosting the exhibition Terra Cotta Warriors: Guardians of China's First Emperor. Yes, 15 of the life-size terra cotta warriors from Xi'an province, China, are in Washington. And, they are amazing.
From the promo on National Geographic's site.
The exhibition has taken over the entire first floor of the main building, including the space that had been set up for the television studio. It is timed tickets only, so is rather crowded at first, but with a little patience, it is well worth the time.
We spent about 1.5 hours in the exhibit, and even though 15 figures doesn't sound like much, it is. These 15 are among the perfect, intact, complete figures. Accompanying them are a terra cotta horse, other terra cotta figures of animals, a court official, a musician, and an attendant, fragments and partial figures, several models of chariots, and nearly 100 other objects in total. There is plenty of space to move around and explore the figures from all sides, which honestly only enhances the wonder.
But why? Yes, this is a big deal. These are life-size statues, each about 5 feet 8 inches tall. There are an estimated 7,000 sculptures (2,000 soldiers, 100 chariots, 400 horses, etc.) contained in the tomb structure in Xi'an, an entire army, hand built of clay, with realistic detailing and individual facial features, to protect the first emperor of China, Qin Shihuangdi, in the afterlife. The tomb, more than 2,000 years old, was found accidentally by farmers digging a well in 1974. There are archers and soldiers, cavalry and charioteers. They are lined up in formation, ready to march to battle. The complex is not yet entirely explored and excavated. Archaeologists believe that more than 7,000 workers toiled for more than 30 years to build this monument. The site is now protected as a World Heritage Site.
The figures have not toured much, and this is the largest collection ever seen in the U.S. One of my favorite parts was a wall model explaining how they would likely have constructed the figures and the horses, then moved them. Being made of clay, they are both heavy and fragile. The horses weigh, if I remember correctly, about 700 pounds! The site is a wealth of information: Terra Cotta Warriors Exhibit. We don't get to National Geographic as frequently since we moved, but I'm so glad we didn't miss it!
No, this is a replica. There was no photography allowed in the gallery, understandably, or else you would have TONS of photos here.
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