TA Chariots & Horses

Beez Neez now Chy Whella
Big Bear and Pepe Millard
Tue 15 May 2018 22:27
The Bronze Chariots and Horses of the Emperor Qin Shi Huang
 
 
 
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Our final stop at the Terracotta Museum site was to visit the two chariots, their drivers and horses. Through an equally impressive entrance as Pits 1, 2 and 3, we passed the World and Chinese Heritage symbols and down a wide staircase.
 
 
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Before we stepped into the darkened gallery we stopped to look at the information board. The picture looked impressive enough. It read: The Color-Painted Bronze Chariots and Horses in Qin Shihuang’s Tomb-yard. A huge pit of funerary chariots and horses which takes up an area of 3025 square metres was discovered 20 metres to the west side of Qin Shihuang’s Tomb in the summer of 1978. At the end of 1980, two big sets of color-painted chariots and horses were unearthed 7.8 metres deep underground during a partial excavation.
 
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The two chariots were placed facing the west in a front and behind order in a box-like wood outer coffin and according in their order, they are coded as Chariot No 1 and Chariot No 2. Because the coffin was rotten and the upper part collapsed, the chariots and horses were damaged and many parts of the paintings scaled when they were unearthed. After eight years of restoration, however, the bright colors and grand postures of the chariots and horses were basically represented.
The two sets of bronze chariots and horses were made the size of half of the practically used chariots and horses and they are the symbol of Qin Shihuang’s chariot-horse guard of honor. All the major parts and units of them are made of tin-bronze alloy with another 14 kg of units made of gold and silver, making up a total weight of 2302 kg. The making of the chariots and horses is precise, vivid and complicated, the decoration grand and the relation among the reins for different purposes clear. The craftsmanship is fine and delicate, making them the dear objects for the research on the ancient Chinese chariot system and manufacture.
 
 
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Our first glance was WOW. Nothing can prepare you for this treasure. Sad to say, a bit of a challenge - as in every museum we visit, to get the best image without too much glare from the glass. The detail of the horses was simply incredible. All around the room were light boxes with information, diagrams and pictures. To think these were buried for over two thousand years.
 
 
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The driver of Chariot 1, detail of front right horse and moving back to see the umbrella. No. 1 Chariot: It is the vanguard, a two-wheeled vehicle drawn by a team of four strong horses. There is only one seat for the driver, whose eyes are glued to the road ahead, he is sheltered from the sun by a large umbrella. Measurement: 225 x 126 x 70 centimetres. No. 1 chariot is in the lead, with a four-horse team. It has been painted white by conservation workers.
 
 
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Chariot 2, loved the front right horse as he looks as if he is laughing. This chariot supposed to serve as the vehicle for the emperor's inspection tours in his afterlife. No. 2 Chariot: It is larger than the No. 1. The horses are richly adorned with gold and silver gears. There are three windows, one out front, and one on each side in the compartment, and a door opens at the back. One may open and close the windows and the door and look in at the exquisite interior. The roof is umbrella shaped, said to be symbolic of the round sky.
 
 
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More detail of the Chariots. The units of bronze on 1 and 2. These are half size scale-models of real chariots and horses, faithfully copied down to the last detail, complete with horses and people. They were constructed using bronze and cast bullion. There are 1,720 gold and silver pieces, weighing 7 kilograms. These two bronze chariots and horse are the masterpiece of bronze ware, represented high bronze-casting, mechanic and joining technology during the Qin Dynasty. Take bonnet of the two chariots for example, they are very thin only about 1 mm (.0394 in)– 4 mm (.1575 in), we cannot copy them easily even in today. Two chariots are made up more than 7,000 pieces of spare parts that reappear wisdom of ancient people.
 
 
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Umbrella detail of Chariot 1 and 2. These were manufactured with the technique of combining casting and forging which is an invention during the Qin times.
 
 
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The driver of Chariot 1 when he was unearthed and after restoration.
 
 
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Connection between to hands and sleeves of a figure is done by welding.
 
 
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The driver of Chariot 2 when unearthed and after his clean and polish.
 
 
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The color-painted pattern on the outward face of the arrow box of Chariot 1. How incredible.
 
 
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The axle and the chariot bottom and the shaft and the axle are connected with a technique of wrapping casting, which is another symbol of the development of the Qin casting technique. The connection between the spokes and the hub is made through insert casting, the sophisticated application of which is one of the important features of the manufacture techniques in the Qin Dynasty.
 
 
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Something we both thought was really clever was this side cross-pin to prevent the horses from leaning inwardly to ensure the joined pull of the four horses.
 
 
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Silver double bracket for pulling and loading the crossbow. Bronze crossbow.
 
 
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One of the swords that was unearthed.
 
 
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The information read: 64 bronze arrows were discovered in Chariot 1. Their shapes were identical to those of the practically used ones. One is four-edged with no tip totally 63 pieces, while another is flat-tipped with no edges. The former is used on strong crossbows, making a forceful killing arrow, the latter is used for exercise, making no killing at all.
 
 
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The double-lid arrow box is placed in the chariot and it is overally color-painted. When unearthed it was hanging on the inside of the upper flank of Chariot 1 with 54 bronze arrows in it. This kind of arrow holder is first discovered in archaeological history. Another wow then.
 
 
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Gold and silver reins. Umbrella pole inlaid with gold and silver. Necklaces.
 
 
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The result of the analysis on the composition of the materials of the major parts of bronze of Chariot 2 and its horses. (Lead, tin and copper).
 
 
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We left the chariots amazed by what we had seen and think the Terracotta Army are joint number one or two with the Great Wall of China, to choose one over the other, Bear – just by a whisker the Terracotta Army but it’s a very hard choice. Me – all along I thought the Great Wall for the reason of its length, geographic challenges and the numbers involved in building it. But, I think the laughing horse, the numbers and the things we saw today........the Terracotta Army just sneak ahead. Marvelling at what we saw today, we headed toward the exit, passing a rather splendid fountain, with a dove perched for a rest in the sun. 
 
 
 
ALL IN ALL UTTERLY INCREDIBLE
                     AMAZING AND VERY IMPRESSIVE