Terracotta Army Arrives in HK

Monday, 20.5.2013

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Terracotta Army Arrives in HK Showcase: Eternal Realm of China’s First Emperor

[25/07/12]

The world renowned Terracotta Army has arrived in Hong Kong, albeit a small selection rather than the whole. In town until November 26, the archaeological gems are mesmerising, partly because the first Emperor (who commissioned them) was such a nutter. A case in point, many of the 700,000 people who built his tomb were locked into the mausoleum upon his death to spend eternity with his fake army. It can’t have been the end of project bonus they were expecting.

Qin Shi Huang’s craziness aside (he also drank mercury on a regular basis because he thought it was the elixir of life), he managed to unify China into what it is today, hence the title of the ‘First Emperor’. His Terracotta Army, meanwhile, was supposed to protect him in the afterlife and the HK show comprises 120 cultural relics, including terracotta warriors, horses, acrobats and bronze objects.

Hosted by the Hong Kong Museum of History, the exhibition also includes “a series of multimedia programmes supported by advanced audio-visual equipment, new virtual tour technology and computer programming.” In our experience, these sorts of virtual attractions flatter to deceive but at least HK is giving it a go. It’s only HK$10 to get which is great for us but not so good for Qin Shi Huang's ego. And that's even before you take into account thousands of years of inflation.

Gather the troops.