China’s Terracotta Warriors on display in Australian museum

Eight life-size Terracotta Warriors from China are among the works shown in the National Gallery of Victoria, in a rare exhibition launched in Melbourne.

The exhibition, “Terracotta Warriors: Guardians of Immortality | Cai Guo-Qiang: The Transient Landscape”, runs from May 24 to October 13.

It offers a new perspective on Chinese traditional culture with more than 160 works, among which the Qin Emperor’s Terracotta Warriors, discovered in 1974 in China’s northwestern Shaanxi province, was widely described as the eighth wonder of the world.

The exhibition features eight warrior figures and two life-size horses from the Imperial Army, as well as two half-size replica bronze chariots, each drawn by four horses.

Presented in parallel, the artworks by contemporary artist Cai Guoqiang give visitors a glimpse of Chinese art nowadays. Created especially for this exhibition, highlight works include the monumental installation of 10,000 suspended porcelain birds.

Spiraling over visitors’ heads, the birds create a three-dimensional impression of a calligraphic drawing of the sacred Mount Li, the site of the ancient tomb of China’s first emperor, Qin Shihuang, and his warriors.

Cheng Jingye, Chinese Ambassador to Australia, said on the Preview Ceremony that the exhibition represents another highlight in this year’s China-Australia cultural and arts exchange.

“I know that the Terracotta Warriors are very familiar with their way to Australia,” he said. “In 1982, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Australia, Australia was chosen as the destination for the first ever overseas tour of the Terracotta Warriors. At that time, the Terracotta Warriors traveled to six capital cities. In 2010, they were once again on display in the Art Gallery of New South Wales.”

He noted that the Terracotta Warriors come from Xi’an, capital of Shaanxi Province, where the ancient Silk Road started more than 2,000 years ago.

While the ancient Silk Road built up the bridge for exchanges between the East and the West, the Belt and Road Initiative was put forward in 2013 to achieve common development through a global partnership of connectivity.

Last year, Australia’s Victorian Government joined the Belt and Road Initiative. “I really look forward to the early outcomes of collaboration between China and Victoria in this regard,” said the ambassador.

“I strongly believe that the existing exchanges and cooperation in the fields of economy, trade, investment, education and culture between China and Victoria will make even greater progress in the future.”