Terracotta of Qin Dynasty

(One of the world's eight greatest miracles)

      The tomb of Emperor Shi of Qin Dynasty, which is 18miles (30km) east of Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi Province, the central part of China, is the first royal tomb built in the feudal age of China.  In 1974, the first vault of terracottas which located in the east part of the tomb was discovered, and later, the second and the third was found respectively.  Altogether, there are about 8,000 terracottas and 10,000 arms in these three vaults.

      All the terracottas found in the tomb of Emperor Shi are great works of art.  They reflect both the exquisite workmanship of sculpture and the advanced metallurgical  technique of the ancient Chinese people who lived about 2000 years ago.                                        back to the top