In the early 1970s and 1980s, the Mausoleum of the First Emperor of Qin in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, attracted a wave of archaeologists. Due to the special status of the Qin Tombs, the state stipulates that it is not possible to take the initiative to excavate. However, the relevant survey work has never been interrupted. In the mid-1970s, terracotta pits were discovered, an important archaeological achievement known as the "Eighth Wonder of the World". In 1980, archaeologists found a large number of bronze fragments in a funerary pit.
These bronze fragments are obviously not from ordinary vessels, they are of different shapes and have different states. Even people with no archaeological experience can see at a glance the components of a horse's head, horse's legs, and so on. After counting, the degree of fragmentation was shocking, and there were more than 3,000 large and small fragments. It is said that a young archaeologist at that time was so distressed that he even shed tears. Because he knew that this was a rare treasure, after being broken into such a way, it was not necessarily possible to reproduce the human world.
The state organized a large number of various experts, and after 8 years of restoration, it finally made it appear in full front of everyone. When it was exhibited in 1989, it immediately amazed the world and won worldwide praise. It turned out that this was really a relic of the copper carriage horse, and it was not a one-ride, but two-fold copper carriage and horse.
These two bronze carriages and horses are the basic shapes of single-wheeled, two-wheeled, and four-horse, and the difference between them is that one groom is sitting in the carriage and the other is standing in the carriage, so there is a difference between "standing car" and "security car". There is still a lot of exquisiteness in this, "The Book of the Later Han Dynasty?" There is a record in the "Chronicle of Public Opinion" that "the Son of Heaven is driving six, and Yu is driving four." Although this is a record of the Han Dynasty, the Han Dynasty followed the Qin system, and the etiquette system of the Qin Dynasty should be almost the same. This shows that these two bronze cars with four horses should represent the Qin Shi Huang Luan driving team.
Archaeologists have numbered them as the First Copper Carriage Horse and the Second Copper Carriage Horse, and Xiao Jue tries to avoid using ancient terms and introduces them to you in plain language. The first copper car horse is the so-called standing car, also known as the high car. It is characterized by an "open-top" carriage, which is only covered with a huge umbrella to shield the wind and rain, in fact, the more important purpose is to show the royal prestige. Under the umbrella cover stands a bronze figurine, which is the duty of the groom. It wears a crown on its head, a sword on its waist, a solemn expression, and looks ahead.
The length of the first copper carriage is 225 cm and the height is 152 cm, and in the historical records, there is a saying that "the car is erected to conquer", and it can be seen that this kind of vertical car has a broad field of vision and is used to direct wars and hunting.
The length of the No. 2 copper car is 317 cm and the height of the car is 106 cm. The reason why it is longer than the No. 1 copper carriage is because the back is a closed carriage, and it is divided into two rooms. The front room was narrow enough for a groom to sit and maneuver the chariot, while the back was spacious enough for the owner to rest. The reason why it is lower than the No. 1 copper carriage horse is because it does not have a tall umbrella cover. The back room of the carriage not only has windows and doors, but also has exceptionally exquisite carvings, mainly dragons and birds, supplemented by cloud patterns and geometric patterns.
At the end of the rim rope of the second copper carriage horse, the words "Anche First" are engraved, which shows that it is an Anche, also known as a rut car. It is mentioned many times in the "Records of History", and it is the public opinion used by Qin Shi Huang when he went out on a tour.
If we visit the Qin Shi Huang Emperor Mausoleum Museum now, we will find that there are various colors on the top of these two bronze carriages and horses. In fact, it was already a full-body painting at that time, and various techniques were used. The body of the horse should be snow-white throughout, reflecting the nobility of the royal family. Other parts are drawn in different colors according to the actual situation, mostly blue, green and white. Of course, because of the long time, some of these colors have fallen off, or have been affected by the surrounding environment, resulting in certain changes.
In ancient times, daily necessities, especially for royal use, were very particular. Even for every part, there is a professional name. Because of the evolution of the times, many names we can only see from the history books, and there is no physical comparison. The appearance of the bronze carriage and horse obviously fills this gap. They are made of 1/2 the size of the real car and horse, so the parts are completed according to the real copper carriage and horse at that time, so it is of great reference value.
Although this cultural relic is only the tip of the iceberg revealed in the huge and mysterious Qin Tomb, it has undoubtedly stunned the world and is known as the "Crown of Bronze". If you have the opportunity, you must go to see them, they are the wealth of our nation, the crystallization of the wisdom and exquisite craftsmanship of our ancestors.