The Guardians of Eternity

One of the world's most spectacular archaeological exhibitions traces the centurieslong rise of the Qin Empire between the 8th and 3rd centuries BC, and includes important ceremonial objects and symbols of the period. The exhibition presents the age of the first Chinese emperor, the characteristics of daily life, the structure of his army, his weapons and his individually modelled soldiers. Qin Shi Huangdi's determination to seek the secret of eternity has led to the inclusion in his tomb of his particularly beautiful objects, the chariots that carry him to the afterlife. With the death of the first Chinese emperor, the history of his dynasty and his reign laid the foundations of the Chinese empire. One of the most remarkable archaeological finds of the Western Han period, the Yangling Mausoleum (mid 2nd century BC), which is part of the exhibition's final section, illustrates the development of the Han dynasty and the consolidation of imperial power. The artefacts from the tomb of the sixth Han emperor, Emperor Jing, not only tell the story of the Western conquests and the birth of the Silk Road, but also provide an insight into the daily workings of the empire; money, measurements and the economy.