Unpacking One Terra-Cotta Warrior at the Field Museum

Watch what it takes to transport the life-sized Chinese statues

Terracotta Warriors (© Shaanxi Cultural Heritage promotion Center and emperor Qin Shihuang's Masoleum Site Museum)Terracotta Warriors (© Shaanxi Cultural Heritage promotion Center and emperor Qin Shihuang's Masoleum Site Museum)

Warriors don't just unpack themselves. At the Field Museum, it takes almost three hours to unpack just one of the terra-cotta "warriors" – the Chinese statues originally buried with China's first emperor Qin Shihuangdi to protect him in the afterlife.

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One of the greatest archeological finds of the 20th century, the terra-cotta army comes to the Field Museum starting Friday with over 170 artifacts including 10 of the nearly 8,000 figures buried with Shihuangdi after his rise to power in 221 B.C.

Terracotta Warriors (© Shaanxi Cultural Heritage promotion Center and emperor Qin Shihuang's Masoleum Site Museum)Terracotta Warriors (© Shaanxi Cultural Heritage promotion Center and emperor Qin Shihuang's Masoleum Site Museum)

In addition to viewing the statues – some of which stand 6 feet 4 inches – museum visitors will also learn about the mysteries surrounding Shihuangdi's tomb, which still remains sealed despite excavation of its outer chambers. 

The Field Museum posted a video on its Facebook page Tuesday detailing exactly what it takes to unwrap just one of the warriors – after traveling almost 7,800 miles from their home in Shanghai, each warrior goes through an almost three-hour process of unpacking, condition reporting and installation. Take a watch below.

Terracotta Warrior Installation

After a 13-hour drive from Xi'an to the airport in Shanghai and a 13-hour flight from Shanghai to Chicago (approximately 7,800 miles), the terracotta warriors finally arrived at The Field Museum. But then what? Follow one warrior, a cavalryman, through a three-hour process of unpacking, condition reporting, and installation. Beginning March 4, see the cavalryman, and other terracotta soldiers in our latest exhibition, China’s First Emperor and His Terracotta Warriors. To learn more about the exhibition, please visit: https://www.fieldmuseum.org/at-the-field/exhibitions/chinas-first-empero...

Posted by The Field Museum on Tuesday, March 1, 2016

  

"China's First Emperor and His Terracotta Warriors" opens Friday at the Field Museum. For more information, visit the museum's website.


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