Terracotta Army, Xi'an — China, June 2014
During my travels in China in June 2014, I visited the Terracotta Army near Xi’an. At the hostel where I was staying, I tried to find out how to reach the site, but the language barrier made it difficult. A young Chinese woman who overheard our conversation offered to accompany me. Her name was Elsa. She was 21, had studied psychology and was planning to pursue a master’s degree in rehabilitation in the United States. Another young woman, a medical student, joined us the following morning.
We met at eight o’clock and worked out the route using their phones. First we took a city bus to the railway station, then another bus to the museum. Travelling with them gave me the freedom to explore without joining a hurried tour. Once inside, we agreed on a time and place to meet so that I could photograph the figures at my own pace. The first excavation hall was particularly impressive, although the crowds made photography challenging. Work was still continuing in the other pits. Our transport cost only ten yuan in total, and because I was over sixty, I received a reduced admission fee. On our return, I invited my two companions to dinner at a small restaurant near the hostel. Before leaving, they carefully packed the remaining food to take with them.
The Terracotta Army was made for the mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang, the ruler who unified China in 221 BCE. Construction of his burial complex began in 246 BCE, while he was still king of Qin. Thousands of life-sized clay warriors, together with horses and chariots, were placed in underground formations to serve and protect him in the afterlife. The figures came to international attention in 1974, when local farmers digging a well discovered fragments of pottery near the mausoleum.
Seen from above, the ranks of soldiers seem almost endless. Yet closer views reveal differences in faces, hairstyles, armour and posture. Many figures originally held real weapons, and traces of painted colour show that the army was once far more vivid than the earth-toned sculptures we see today. Pit 1 contains the largest military formation; Pit 2 includes different types of troops; and Pit 3 is generally interpreted as a command centre. Beyond these excavation halls lies an extensive imperial funerary landscape. The Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1987.
What stayed with me was the contrast between the immense scale of the army and the individuality of its figures. Through my photographs, I wanted to record both: the astonishing formations seen across the excavation halls and the faces, horses and fragments that bring this ancient undertaking closer to us.
Historical reference: UNESCO World Heritage Centre — Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor