BANGKOK — Envoys of the first Emperor of China’s ghost army will march into Bangkok next month.
The Ministry of Culture announced on Thursday that the Bangkok National Museum will hold an exhibition “Qin Shi Huang: The First Emperor of China and the Terracotta Warriors” for three months beginning this Sept. 15. The exhibition will feature four life-sized warrior figures and a bronze chariot set, among other artifacts excavated from the tomb in Xi’an.
Anan Chuchotti, Director-General of the Fine Arts Department, said the exhibition is the culmination of three years of negotiations with Chinese counterparts.
The collection of 133 relics will span the period before the unification of China in 221 BC, the Qin dynasty, and the Han dynasty.
Archeologists believe the terracotta army was part of a mausoleum for China’s first emperor, Qin Shi Huang, to guide and protect him in the afterlife. Work on the mausoleum, which contained thousands of life-sized sculptures, is thought to have begun late into 300 BC. The sculptures were buried until they were accidentally discovered in 1974.
A common story has it that Viharnra Sien Temple temple in Chonburi province also displays terracotta warriors from Xi’an. However, the Chinese Embassy in Bangkok recently said the exhibits at Sian Temple are replicas.
“Qin Shi Huang: The First Emperor of China and the Terracotta Warriors” will be held at the Bangkok National Museum on Na Phra That Road. The exhibition is open from 9am to 4pm Wednesday-Friday (except public holidays) from Sept. 15 to Dec. 15.
The venue is reachable by a 15-minute walk from either the Tha Chang or Phra Arthit stops along the Chao Phraya Express boat services. Tickets are available at the ticket office for 30 baht for Thai nationals and 200 baht for foreigners. Explanatory texts are in Thai and English.
This story has been corrected to show that this the terracotta soldiers in Chonburi are replicas.