This site is far less famous than the Terracotta Warriors and much harder to reach (we ended up hiring a private car and driver), but I found it just as interesting as the Warriors.
Jing was a Han Dynasty emperor from 156 to 141 BC. It was amazing to walk around the artifacts and think that they dated from Before Christ. There are over 50,000 terracotta models buried here, with a variety of themes. As well as military, we saw a variety of animals, household artifacts, eunuchs, servants and wagons/carriages.
I like the way Jing operated. During his rule he lowered taxes, cut back on military via diplomacy and amongst the figurines he was buried with are female cavalry riding horseback.
The burial pits are still undergoing excavation. The awesome thing about this museum is that some of the burial pits are covered with a glass floor, so you can walk directly over the top for an excellent view of the figurines.
Here are pictures of a few of the pits......
We watched a movie at the tomb about Emperor Jing's life. A lot of the movie focused on his relationship with his second wife Empress Wang Zhi, which was quite interesting. The short version is Wang Zhi's mother saw a fortune teller who told her that her daughter would be greatly honoured. So the mother forced Wang Zhi (who was already married and had a child) to be divorced. The mother found a way to get Wang Zhi into the palace. Wang Zhi caught the attention of Emperor Jing and became his second wife and empress. The original meddling mother!
Jing was a Han Dynasty emperor from 156 to 141 BC. It was amazing to walk around the artifacts and think that they dated from Before Christ. There are over 50,000 terracotta models buried here, with a variety of themes. As well as military, we saw a variety of animals, household artifacts, eunuchs, servants and wagons/carriages.
I like the way Jing operated. During his rule he lowered taxes, cut back on military via diplomacy and amongst the figurines he was buried with are female cavalry riding horseback.
The burial pits are still undergoing excavation. The awesome thing about this museum is that some of the burial pits are covered with a glass floor, so you can walk directly over the top for an excellent view of the figurines.
Here are pictures of a few of the pits......
Originally the sculptures had movable wooden arms and wore silk robes.
Sporting the latest fashion in museum booties.
We watched a movie at the tomb about Emperor Jing's life. A lot of the movie focused on his relationship with his second wife Empress Wang Zhi, which was quite interesting. The short version is Wang Zhi's mother saw a fortune teller who told her that her daughter would be greatly honoured. So the mother forced Wang Zhi (who was already married and had a child) to be divorced. The mother found a way to get Wang Zhi into the palace. Wang Zhi caught the attention of Emperor Jing and became his second wife and empress. The original meddling mother!
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