Latest news with #QinShiHuang
Hypebeast
2 hours ago
- General
- Hypebeast
Tourist Damages 2,000 Year Old Terracotta Warriors
Summary A man damaged two prized terracotta warriors after scaling a fence and jumping into a restricted area of the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang in Xi'an, China last Friday. The 30-year-old domestic tourist 'climbed over the guardrail and the protective net' before diving more than 17 feet into Pit No. 3, according to an official statement issued on Saturday. Once inside, he reportedly 'pushed and pulled' several warriors which were 'damaged to varying degrees.' Footagefrom the incident quickly circled around Weibo, showing the man lying on the ground, surrounded by the toppled statues. Security intervened shortly after, detaining the individual who they believe '[suffers] from mental illness.' The Terracotta Army, discovered in 1974 by local farmers, was created around 210 BCE to accompany China's first emperor, Qin Shi Huang, in the afterlife. The elaborate necropolis includes over 8,000 life-sized clay soldiers, each distinct in appearance, as well as hundreds of horses, chariots and real bronze weaponry. This isn't the first time the clay warriors have seen damage. In 2017, a man in Philadelphia drunkenly snapped a finger off of one of the statues on view at the Franklin Institute. After pleading guilty in a 2023 hearing, the culprit said he was willing tosell his prized sneaker collectionto cover the cost. While the investigation for the recent incident still underway, the museum remains open to visitors, a spokesperson confirmed toAFP.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
This 5-Person Electric Air Taxi Just Completed Its First Piloted Flight
Archer Aviation's flagship air taxi just passed another major milestone on the road to launch. The Midnight eVTOL has completed its first piloted test flight, according to a statement shared by the Silicon Valley firm on Monday. The five-person craft notched more than 400 test flights in 2024 alone, but this is the first time a pilot has been at the controls. More from Robb Report Inside a New Luxury Hotel Nestled in One of Charleston's Charming Historic Neighborhoods A Union Jack Flag That Was Flown at a Historic U.K. Battle Could Fetch Up to $1 Million at Auction A Tourist Damaged Two Terracotta Warriors at China's Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang With Archer's chief test pilot, Jeff Greenwood, at the helm, Midnight cruised at speeds up to 125 mph and reached a maximum altitude of over 1,500 feet. The craft also completed a conventional take-off and landing (CTOL) rather than executing both vertically. Midnight already showcased a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) in the latter half of 2023. 'Flying Midnight felt just like flying the simulator—everything responded exactly as we trained for, which is exactly what you hope for during a test flight,' Greenwood said in a statement. Archer says government regulators and customers have stressed the importance of being able to take off and land both conventionally and vertically in Midnight. Having an aircraft that is capable of both results in greater operational flexibility and also increases safety, according to Archer. 'Midnight's VTOL and CTOL capabilities are a strong differentiator for us as they are critical for delivering an aircraft that can integrate into a wide range of operational scenarios while also providing enhanced safety,' added Archer CEO and founder Adam Goldstein. Equipped with 12 wing-mounted tilting propellers and six battery packs, Midnight will be able to carry a pilot and four passengers at speeds of up to 150 mph. Weighing roughly 6,500 pounds, the aircraft will have a payload capacity of 1,000 pounds and can be charged in minutes. During the next phase of testing, Archer will focus on things like the control responsiveness and stability of Midnight. The firm is also working to get the aircraft certified and into commercial service in both the U.S. and the UAE. The plan is to eventually launch an air-taxi network in New York, providing fliers with the ability to zip from Manhattan to New York's largest airports in five to 10 minutes for about $200. Rival eVTOL builder Joby Aviation is also hoping to get its S4 electric aircraft flying around the Big Apple. The timing of Archer's stateside rollout is still, well, up in the air, but the team expects to start a commercial service in Dubai by the end of this year. Stay tuned. Best of Robb Report The 2024 Chevy C8 Corvette: Everything We Know About the Powerful Mid-Engine Beast The World's Best Superyacht Shipyards The ABCs of Chartering a Yacht Click here to read the full article.
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
A Tourist Damaged Two Terracotta Warriors at China's Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang
A 30-year-old Chinese tourist damaged two ancient clay warriors from China's terracotta army, local officials said on Saturday, according to Agence France Presse. According to the statement, the tourist was visiting the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang in Xi'an, a city in western China that was the capital during several ancient dynasties, when he 'climbed over the guardrail and the protective net and jumped' more than 15 feet into Pit No. 3 on Friday. More from Robb Report Inside a $20 Million L.A. Home Designed by Pritzker Prize-Winning Architect Oscar Niemeyer Mount Gay Just Dropped a Fantastic New Rum Aged Entirely in Cognac Casks Chevy's C8 Corvette ZR1 Supercar Is Even Faster Than It Expected The man then 'pushed and pulled' the clay warriors, leading to 'varying degrees' of damage, before he was restrained by security, according to the statement. Video footage was captured just moments after the incident, with the suspect lying on the ground among the collapsed warriors. Authorities said they believe the man suffers from metal illness, though the case is still currently under investigation. Following the event, the display reportedly reopened on Saturday. This is hardly the first controversy surrounding the famous statues. In 2023, a man accepted a plea deal after stealing a thumb from one of the terracotta warriors, many of which were on display at the Franklin Museum in Philadelphia at the time of the theft in 2017. The Terracotta Army was created to protect Emperor Qin Shi Huang in the afterlife around 209 BCE. It is the only known collection of military sculptures produced en masse in the world. As the country's first emperor, Qin Shi Huang unified China with an army of more than 500,000 men. To construct the Terracotta Army and mausoleum, researchers believe it took 700,000 laborers a span of 30 to 40 years to complete. Since the army was first discovered by local farmers in 1974, achaeologists have found roughly 8,000 statues from the army, all of them constructed using exact measurements per their military ranks, with generals being taller than soldiers, standing at an average height of 5 feet 8 inches. The mausoleum has been an UNESCO World Heritage site since 1987. In 2022, with excavations still ongoing, 20 warriors were newly found near the Chinese emperor's secret tomb and added to the count. Best of Robb Report The 10 Priciest Neighborhoods in America (And How They Got to Be That Way) In Pictures: Most Expensive Properties Click here to read the full article.
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
Tourist Leaps into 18-Foot Pit, Damages 2,000-Year-Old Statues Before Being Apprehended
A male tourist jumped into a pit at the Museum of the Terracotta Army of Emperor Qin Shi Huang in Shaanxi, China, on May 30 The man was described as a 30-year-old "domestic tourist" by local authorities, who said he struggled with "mental illness" The man was later contained by security and the museum was shut down for the rest of the dayMillennia-old artifacts have been damaged after a tourist visiting the Museum of the Terracotta Army of Emperor Qin Shi Huang in Shaanxi, China, leapt over a guardrail and into a pit. On May 30, the tourist fell 18 feet into one of the pits where the figures of the historic Terracotta Army are located. The man was seen falling before getting up and damaging the statues. The man 'pushed and pulled' the clay warriors and two were 'damaged to varying degrees,' local authorities told The Guardian in a statement. In footage obtained by PEOPLE, the man was then videotaped laying down on the ground holding his arms over his head. Authorities told The Guardian that the man was 'controlled' by security at the scene. Eyewitness Xiao Lin told NewsFlare that the tourist jumped into the excavated pit, landing on a middle level before jumping further down to the bottom. Lin said fellow tourists shouted 'What are you doing?' to the man. 'Later, the museum was closed, and we were evacuated by staff,' Lin told NewsFlare. Authorities told The Guardian that the perpetrator was a 'domestic tourist' and identified him as a 30-year-old man. The Guardian said the man is known to 'suffer from mental illness' and the case is currently being investigated. PEOPLE has reached out to local authorities for comment on the situation and has not heard back. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. The Terracotta Army is a collection of terracotta soldiers discovered in 1974 by a group of local farmers. The 'funeral art' of around 8,000 different figures is believed to have been created sometime in the 200s BC and guarded the tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huang. The museum was constructed over top of the discovery to display the impressive find to the public. Despite the damage, the Museum of the Terracotta Army of Emperor Qin Shi Huang is currently still open to the public. Read the original article on People
Daily Mail
a day ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Tourist jumps into Terracotta Army clay warriors and damages statues in China
A tourist in China jumped into a section of the world-famous Terracotta Army - damaging two of the ancient clay statues. The 30-year-old man, identified only by his surname Sun, launched himself over guardrails and a protective netting at the museum housing the clay warriors, in the city of Xi'an, on Friday. He reportedly began pushing and pulling the priceless statues, resulting in visible damage to two of the figures. Museum security quickly intervened and subdued the intruder. Authorities say Sun suffers from a mental illness and confirmed that an investigation is currently underway following the incident. The pit he leapt into is 18ft deep - raising serious concerns about how he managed to breach safety measures. The Terracotta Army is a collection of more than 8,000 life-sized soldiers created 2,000 years ago to guard the tomb of China's first emperor, Qin Shi Huang. It is regarded as one of the country's greatest archaeological treasures. The Terracotta Army site has held UNESCO World Heritage status since 1987 and draws millions of visitors each year. The figures, dating from approximately the late 200s BCE, were discovered on March 29, 1974, by local farmers in Lintong County, outside Xi'an, Shaanxi, China. They vary in height according to their rank, the tallest being the generals. The figures include warriors, chariots, and horses. Estimates from 2007 were that the three pits containing the Terracotta Army hold more than 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses, and 150 cavalry horses, the majority of which remain in the pits near Qin Shi mausoleum. Other, non-military terracotta figures have since been found in other pits, including those of officials, acrobats, strongmen, and musicians. Over the past 50 years, archaeologists have located some 600 pits, a complex of underground vaults, across a 22sq mile area. In one long columns of warriors, reassembled from broken pieces, stand in formation, dressed in tunics or armored vests and wearing their hair in buns. Another pit within the museum demonstrated how they appeared when they were found. Some stand upright, buried shoulder-deep in soil, while others lie toppled on their backs alongside cracked clay horses. The site ranks with the Great Wall and Beijing's forbidden City, as one of China's most popular tourist attractions. A museum staff member revealed that the exhibit remains open to the public as normal, with officials working swiftly to assess and repair the damage caused by the man.
