Latest news with #TerracottaWarriors:LegacyoftheFirstEmperor
Perth Now
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Gala event 2000 years in the making
Emmi Masten & Dylan Moore at the Terracotta Warriors Gala. Picture: John Koh / The West Australian To mark the WA Museum Boola Bardip's most significant exhibition to date, guests dressed in their finest and gathered within the striking space to celebrate the opening of Terracotta Warriors: Legacy of the First Emperor. The VIPs — dressed in sequins, velvet and pops of red — were the first to glimpse the Australian-exclusive event which brings together eight original life-size Terracotta Warriors and more than 200 ancient artefacts, half of which have never before been seen outside of China. The exhibition is running at the museum until February 2026.
The Age
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Age
The ‘good omen' that heralded an afterlife army's arrival in Australia
The Shaanxi terracotta warriors guard the tomb of the Qin dynasty emperor who united China 2000 years ago, with 'one law, one coin, one script and one measure'. Described as 'the afterlife army' of Emperor Qin Shihuang, the 8000 clay warriors stand forever to attention in a celestial military camp unearthed accidentally in 1974 by a farmer tilling his fields. Ten of the clay army figures – eight warriors, a seated attendant and a saddled horse – now feature in Terracotta Warriors: Legacy of the First Emperor, a major exhibition of 225 objects loaned from Emperor Qin Shihuang Mausoleum Site Museum and from 17 other museums across China to the Western Australian Museum. 'We're told it's the largest exhibition of its kind outside China,' says museum director Alec Coles, whose team began discussions seven years ago with the Shaanxi Provincial Bureau of Cultural Heritage, the Emperor Qin Shihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum and other sites to collate Terracotta Warriors. While Victoria has previously hosted a terracotta warrior show, Coles says the current objects – spanning a 1000-year period – have never previously been assembled in one place. 'Nearly three quarters of the objects have never been seen in Australia and we're told almost half have never before left China.' All are genuine artefacts, from the terracotta warriors to bronze bells, jade dragon pendants and even pottery bath scrubbers. Only two life-size horse-drawn chariots are replicas because the real ones – painstakingly reassembled from fragments – are too fragile to tour. A few items will have their first ever public showing, like an emperor dowager's gold ornaments that Perth visitors will see ahead of even the Chinese public. Some borrowed items are unlikely to travel again, like a dainty life-like swan loaned to Perth because it mirrors Western Australia's state emblem, the black swan. 'We've had a lot of license to ask for material ... I think the enduring relationship between WA and China has played a part, particularly because of the resources industry.' WA Museum director Alec Coles 'We were desperate to get it because when the Chinese delegation came over, they were intrigued by our black swans,' says Coles. 'We took them to Perth Zoo to get an idea of Australian wildlife, and it was funny to see a black swan following us around the whole time. I think it was a good omen.' The swan is among priceless bronze-cast waterfowl – 20 swans, 20 geese and six cranes – that were unearthed in the early 2000s with their terracotta animal handlers, whose 'serene faces and delicate hands' identify them as bird keepers. Exhibition curator Tonia Eckfeld, a Chinese art history professor from Melbourne University, has witnessed the 'birth' of Shaanxi province's extraordinary archaeological finds. 'I've seen the objects coming out of the earth, including objects that are in this exhibition. I was doing my doctoral work in China in the 1990s when they were excavating pits of stone armour and lifting them out, 80 suits of them,' Eckfeld says. 'They had all been on wooden racks which decayed. You can imagine dealing with 600 stone pieces per suit of armour, once linked by silk thread or metal wire. So the archaeologists put stickers on each piece, with numbers, one, two, three, took them out and reassembled them.' She says the best clues to reassembling the armour – one of which is displayed in Perth – came directly from the warrior figures. 'They bore many different configurations of armour, and so the experts were able to put the 80 suits back together.' A single magnificent suit of armour was for a horse; 'we presume it was for the horse of the emperor himself.' The Terracotta Warriors are only one aspect of the exhibition narrative, often captured in immersive audio-visual screens – how X-rays of the bronze waterfowl revealed that China had learned from Western casting techniques. Clues to ancient global animal trade, a warmer climate and denuded bamboo forests lie in relics of live animals that were buried in grand tombs – like ill-fated Asian tapirs, African ground hornbills and once abundant, over-grazing giant pandas. 'These objects all live in the present day,' says Eckfeld. 'They're not just old things from the past. They're very culturally alive, but they also do have a place in the present. They're part of all of our lives.' The inner core of Emperor Qin Shihuang's tomb has never been excavated. Does Eckfeld look forward to learning its secrets? 'I'm sure that it will be excavated one day. But at the moment, I guess the fact is there's just so much else to do. Inside the core there's likely to be the most precious material – that could mean very delicate silk textiles, brocades and things like that. So you need to be ready to deal with it when it comes out. 'Preservation comes before everything, because a top priority in China is to look after the material heritage. I've watched their conservation and material science develop in the decades that I've been working there – it's cutting edge now.' Coles says Terracotta Warriors will have an unusually long run in Perth, until Chinese New Year in February 2026. 'We've sold more advanced tickets probably by a factor of five or six than any other exhibition we've ever done. We know people are buying tickets from the east coast and from overseas to come here,' he says. 'We've had a lot of license to ask for material, to select material, and the authorities have been very accommodating. I think the enduring relationship between WA and China has played a part, particularly because of the resources industry. We know that China is by far our biggest trading partner, three times the US for instance. 'Soft diplomatic relations are really important in order to work together, and the number of items and long loan time are a reflection of the bond of trust we built up with our Chinese partners.'
Sydney Morning Herald
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
The ‘good omen' that heralded an afterlife army's arrival in Australia
The Shaanxi terracotta warriors guard the tomb of the Qin dynasty emperor who united China 2000 years ago, with 'one law, one coin, one script and one measure'. Described as 'the afterlife army' of Emperor Qin Shihuang, the 8000 clay warriors stand forever to attention in a celestial military camp unearthed accidentally in 1974 by a farmer tilling his fields. Ten of the clay army figures – eight warriors, a seated attendant and a saddled horse – now feature in Terracotta Warriors: Legacy of the First Emperor, a major exhibition of 225 objects loaned from Emperor Qin Shihuang Mausoleum Site Museum and from 17 other museums across China to the Western Australian Museum. 'We're told it's the largest exhibition of its kind outside China,' says museum director Alec Coles, whose team began discussions seven years ago with the Shaanxi Provincial Bureau of Cultural Heritage, the Emperor Qin Shihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum and other sites to collate Terracotta Warriors. While Victoria has previously hosted a terracotta warrior show, Coles says the current objects – spanning a 1000-year period – have never previously been assembled in one place. 'Nearly three quarters of the objects have never been seen in Australia and we're told almost half have never before left China.' All are genuine artefacts, from the terracotta warriors to bronze bells, jade dragon pendants and even pottery bath scrubbers. Only two life-size horse-drawn chariots are replicas because the real ones – painstakingly reassembled from fragments – are too fragile to tour. A few items will have their first ever public showing, like an emperor dowager's gold ornaments that Perth visitors will see ahead of even the Chinese public. Some borrowed items are unlikely to travel again, like a dainty life-like swan loaned to Perth because it mirrors Western Australia's state emblem, the black swan. 'We've had a lot of license to ask for material ... I think the enduring relationship between WA and China has played a part, particularly because of the resources industry.' WA Museum director Alec Coles 'We were desperate to get it because when the Chinese delegation came over, they were intrigued by our black swans,' says Coles. 'We took them to Perth Zoo to get an idea of Australian wildlife, and it was funny to see a black swan following us around the whole time. I think it was a good omen.' The swan is among priceless bronze-cast waterfowl – 20 swans, 20 geese and six cranes – that were unearthed in the early 2000s with their terracotta animal handlers, whose 'serene faces and delicate hands' identify them as bird keepers. Exhibition curator Tonia Eckfeld, a Chinese art history professor from Melbourne University, has witnessed the 'birth' of Shaanxi province's extraordinary archaeological finds. 'I've seen the objects coming out of the earth, including objects that are in this exhibition. I was doing my doctoral work in China in the 1990s when they were excavating pits of stone armour and lifting them out, 80 suits of them,' Eckfeld says. 'They had all been on wooden racks which decayed. You can imagine dealing with 600 stone pieces per suit of armour, once linked by silk thread or metal wire. So the archaeologists put stickers on each piece, with numbers, one, two, three, took them out and reassembled them.' She says the best clues to reassembling the armour – one of which is displayed in Perth – came directly from the warrior figures. 'They bore many different configurations of armour, and so the experts were able to put the 80 suits back together.' A single magnificent suit of armour was for a horse; 'we presume it was for the horse of the emperor himself.' The Terracotta Warriors are only one aspect of the exhibition narrative, often captured in immersive audio-visual screens – how X-rays of the bronze waterfowl revealed that China had learned from Western casting techniques. Clues to ancient global animal trade, a warmer climate and denuded bamboo forests lie in relics of live animals that were buried in grand tombs – like ill-fated Asian tapirs, African ground hornbills and once abundant, over-grazing giant pandas. 'These objects all live in the present day,' says Eckfeld. 'They're not just old things from the past. They're very culturally alive, but they also do have a place in the present. They're part of all of our lives.' The inner core of Emperor Qin Shihuang's tomb has never been excavated. Does Eckfeld look forward to learning its secrets? 'I'm sure that it will be excavated one day. But at the moment, I guess the fact is there's just so much else to do. Inside the core there's likely to be the most precious material – that could mean very delicate silk textiles, brocades and things like that. So you need to be ready to deal with it when it comes out. 'Preservation comes before everything, because a top priority in China is to look after the material heritage. I've watched their conservation and material science develop in the decades that I've been working there – it's cutting edge now.' Coles says Terracotta Warriors will have an unusually long run in Perth, until Chinese New Year in February 2026. 'We've sold more advanced tickets probably by a factor of five or six than any other exhibition we've ever done. We know people are buying tickets from the east coast and from overseas to come here,' he says. 'We've had a lot of license to ask for material, to select material, and the authorities have been very accommodating. I think the enduring relationship between WA and China has played a part, particularly because of the resources industry. We know that China is by far our biggest trading partner, three times the US for instance. 'Soft diplomatic relations are really important in order to work together, and the number of items and long loan time are a reflection of the bond of trust we built up with our Chinese partners.'
West Australian
21-06-2025
- West Australian
World famous Chinese Terracotta Warriors army set up camp at WA Museum Boola Bardip
Perth is preparing to host the 'eighth wonder of the world'. The world-famous Chinese Terracotta Warriors have marched their way to WA Museum Boola Bardip, where they are taking up residence from June 28 for the next seven months. From next Saturday Terracotta Warriors: Legacy of the First Emperor will transport people back to ancient China and shine a light on emperor Qin Shi Huang thanks to some never-seen-before artefacts along with a virtual tour of his unopened tomb. 'For me, this is the eighth wonder of the world,' WA Museum Boola Bardip executive officer Alec Cole said. 'Warrior figures have been to Australia before, but never like this, never in such a large exhibition and never with this digital content, we have created something special for WA, it really shows what we're capable of.' The Terracotta Army dates back to 246 BCE, when Qin Shi Huang, China's first emperor, had 700,000 people build him a 49sqkm mausoleum along with an army of more than 8000 clay warriors to defend his tomb forever. His tomb remains unopened, but ancient historians have described it as a vast underground kingdom with streams of mercury and deadly booby traps. The Terracotta Warriors were discovered by farmers in Lintong County, China, in 1974 and over recent years have featured in exhibitions at some of the world's greatest museums. Mr Cole told The Sunday Times 70 per cent of the artefacts in Perth have never been to Australia before and 40 per cent have never left China. The 10 life-size clay sculptures — the maximum number permitted to leave China — 225 relics and the virtual tomb tour will remain at Boola Bardip until February. Each warrior — hand-crafted to each have a uniquely modelled face, weighing up to 180kg and standing at 180cm tall — was transported to Perth via a Cathay Pacific flight from Beijing. Rare gold ornaments, bronze vessels, ancient chariots, gilded belt hooks and painted cavalry figures are among some of the newly unearthed relics that have never been on display before. Mr Cole said he expected a bronze swan, cast using the ancient lost-wax method, to be a crowd favourite. 'Walking into the exhibition I hope people will firstly see that the opening section is a very immersive,' he said. 'It will transport them to China, to ancient China, and give them a sense of the context of the exhibition. 'Then as they proceed through they will see some of the most wonderful artefacts, many of which have never been seen outside of China before. 'Visitors will get the chance to engage and interact with replicas ... and then of course they will see the warrior figures themselves in all their glory. 'There will also be an animated wall of the warriors, as to if they came to life ... people will be able to use a digital touchpad to colour the warriors.' And there is also a little surprise in store. 'The digital tomb experience we created, well, who knows what the contents of it might be, only time will tell if we've got it right,' Mr Cole said. The exhibition was developed in collaboration with the Shaanxi Cultural Heritage Promotion Centre and the Emperor Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum Museum. It is estimated to be a money spinner for the State, predicted to bring some $45 million into Perth from overseas visitors. 'We're expecting people from the east coast and from overseas,' Mr Cole said. 'Our main marketing campaign is not even up yet, but we've already sold tickets to people overseas who want to come and see this because it's going to be so unique.' Eight warrior sculptures came to Australia in 2019 for the National Gallery of Victoria's show Terracotta Warriors: Guardians of Immortality. Mr Cole — who has worked at the museum for more than 15 years — and said that 'Western Australia has every right to see the best and the most brilliant international exhibitions as anyone else in the world'. 'We are very committed to making sure that WA gets the chance to see these things as well,' he said. Creative Industries Minister Simone McGurk said the digital immersion and multi-media component of the exhibition 'is like no other'. 'This is a great opportunity for the Western Australian public to come and see this exhibition and be immersed in the history of China's first emperor and be transported back more than 2000 years,' Ms McGurk said. For the first time ever, the museum is offering season passes for $90 allowing visitors to return as often as they like throughout the entire exhibition run. General admission is $30 for adults and $15 for kids aged five to 15. The exhibition closes next year on February 22.
Perth Now
21-06-2025
- Perth Now
Hundreds of Chinese relics and statues hit WA in world first
Perth is preparing to host the 'eighth wonder of the world'. The world-famous Chinese Terracotta Warriors have marched their way to WA Museum Boola Bardip, where they are taking up residence from June 28 for the next seven months. From next Saturday Terracotta Warriors: Legacy of the First Emperor will transport people back to ancient China and shine a light on emperor Qin Shi Huang thanks to some never-seen-before artefacts along with a virtual tour of his unopened tomb. 'For me, this is the eighth wonder of the world,' WA Museum Boola Bardip executive officer Alec Cole said. 'Warrior figures have been to Australia before, but never like this, never in such a large exhibition and never with this digital content, we have created something special for WA, it really shows what we're capable of.' The largest display of Chinese Terracotta Warriors is being staged in Perth alongside a virtual tour of an emperor's unopened tomb in an exclusive exhibition where never-seen-before artefacts will be on show. Credit: Supplied;Robyn Ambrosius The Terracotta Army dates back to 246 BCE, when Qin Shi Huang, China's first emperor, had 700,000 people build him a 49sqkm mausoleum along with an army of more than 8000 clay warriors to defend his tomb forever. His tomb remains unopened, but ancient historians have described it as a vast underground kingdom with streams of mercury and deadly booby traps. The Terracotta Warriors were discovered by farmers in Lintong County, China, in 1974 and over recent years have featured in exhibitions at some of the world's greatest museums. Mr Cole told The Sunday Times 70 per cent of the artefacts in Perth have never been to Australia before and 40 per cent have never left China. The 10 life-size clay sculptures — the maximum number permitted to leave China — 225 relics and the virtual tomb tour will remain at Boola Bardip until February. Each warrior — hand-crafted to each have a uniquely modelled face, weighing up to 180kg and standing at 180cm tall — was transported to Perth via a Cathay Pacific flight from Beijing. The largest display of Chinese Terracotta Warriors is being staged in Perth alongside a virtual tour of an emperor's unopened tomb in an exclusive exhibition where never-seen-before artefacts will be on show. Credit: Supplied / Alamy Stock Photo Rare gold ornaments, bronze vessels, ancient chariots, gilded belt hooks and painted cavalry figures are among some of the newly unearthed relics that have never been on display before. Mr Cole said he expected a bronze swan, cast using the ancient lost-wax method, to be a crowd favourite. 'Walking into the exhibition I hope people will firstly see that the opening section is a very immersive,' he said. 'It will transport them to China, to ancient China, and give them a sense of the context of the exhibition. Credit: Ross Swanborough / The West Australian, WA Museum Director Alec Coles for STM profile story on the man who made the new museum happen in Perth. 'Then as they proceed through they will see some of the most wonderful artefacts, many of which have never been seen outside of China before. 'Visitors will get the chance to engage and interact with replicas ... and then of course they will see the warrior figures themselves in all their glory. 'There will also be an animated wall of the warriors, as to if they came to life ... people will be able to use a digital touchpad to colour the warriors.' And there is also a little surprise in store. 'The digital tomb experience we created, well, who knows what the contents of it might be, only time will tell if we've got it right,' Mr Cole said. The exhibition was developed in collaboration with the Shaanxi Cultural Heritage Promotion Centre and the Emperor Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum Museum. It is estimated to be a money spinner for the State, predicted to bring some $45 million into Perth from overseas visitors. 'We're expecting people from the east coast and from overseas,' Mr Cole said. 'Our main marketing campaign is not even up yet, but we've already sold tickets to people overseas who want to come and see this because it's going to be so unique.' Eight warrior sculptures came to Australia in 2019 for the National Gallery of Victoria's show Terracotta Warriors: Guardians of Immortality. Mr Cole — who has worked at the museum for more than 15 years — and said that 'Western Australia has every right to see the best and the most brilliant international exhibitions as anyone else in the world'. 'We are very committed to making sure that WA gets the chance to see these things as well,' he said. Creative Industries Minister Simone McGurk said the digital immersion and multi-media component of the exhibition 'is like no other'. 'This is a great opportunity for the Western Australian public to come and see this exhibition and be immersed in the history of China's first emperor and be transported back more than 2000 years,' Ms McGurk said. For the first time ever, the museum is offering season passes for $90 allowing visitors to return as often as they like throughout the entire exhibition run. General admission is $30 for adults and $15 for kids aged five to 15. The exhibition closes next year on February 22.
