The Burial Complex of Qin Shihuang

Qin Shihuang, the first Chinese Emperor (259-210 BC) ordered to build an enormous burial complex for himself. Burial goods were arranged in numerous underground pits, among them the famous terracotta army. The three pits containing the army were discovered between 1974 and 1976; in 1979 a museum opened on the site of the army pits. Excavations and research are still continuing until the present day.

The terracotta army was one of the main focusses of the German-Chinese research project from the beginning of the project. The Bavarian State Department for the Preservation of Historic Monuments succeeded since 2007 by the Technical University Munich co-operated with the Museum of the Terracotta Warriors and Horses of Qin Shihuang in Lintong. The co-operation included examinations on the polychromy and investigations to develop a conservation method for its preservation, studies on the original appearance of the figures including 3D reconstructions, methods for re/assembling and gluing the figures and analyses and consolidation methods for the earthen structures.

The results of these researches until 1999 are published in: Blänsdorf, C. / Emmerling, E. / Petzet, M. (Hrsg.): The Terracotta Army of Qin Shihuang. Arbeitsheft 83 des Bayerischen Landesamts für Denkmalpflege // ICOMOS Monuments & Sites Vol. II (German, English, Chinese), Munich 2001 (part 1) (part 2)

After new pits with burial goods were discovered in 1999, examinations and the conservation of the findings from these pits were included in the German-Chinese co-operation as the stone armours, the terracotta figures of acrobats and the bronze birds.