Journazza

The British Museum has done it again, though this is the most striking exhibition I have been to in a long time. It is no wonder the first available tickets for The First Emperor China’s Terracotta Army is in March, though again that is London for you. 500 tickets can be purchased on the day, however it is advisable to be early! I arrived at 940 and got in no earlier than 1210.

First of all the First Emperor exhibition took place in the round library which is at the centre of the museum. The walls are filled with moving images of the Terracotta soldiers and also visualises the beginning of the Chinese empire and the intelligence of the first emperor Qin in the most fabulous way.

Just like the major exhibitions at the Royal Academy of Arts, the visitor has to queue throughout the exhibition. I am not the most patient person, but I found that the displayed items made me in awe of history. Not only did I learn something about Chinese history and how the empire came about, and its strategies, crafts and arms, but also about their everyday life. Some of the items of display were from 200-300 BC, but looked as if they were no more than a couple of 100 years old.

What was perhaps the most striking was the Terracotta soldiers which are on loan from China – the magnificent details and expressions of the soldiers, horses, musicians and birds are nothing but amazingly beautiful! You know you’re onto something good when you forget about time and space.

So now I am waiting for the scientists to find a way to uncover the secret of the tomb as Chinese archeologists have decided not to open it, and is currently uncovering amazing treasures far from the centre of the tomb. It is said that the emperor created a miniature of China under the tomb. Picture that!