Museum of bronze chariots and horses opens in China's Xi'an

XI'AN, May 18 (Xinhua) -- A new museum displaying two bronze chariots and horses opened in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, on Tuesday.

The two bronze chariots and horses have attracted global attention since they were unearthed in 1980 at the mausoleum of Emperor Qinshihuang.

Multimedia technologies have been used to better present the chariots and horses system and etiquette culture during the Qin Dynasty (221 B.C.-206 B.C.).

More exhibits consist of photos of the excavation site at the mausoleum of Emperor Qinshihuang, bronze relics related to chariots and horses, and those concerning the manufacturing technology at the time.

When the two bronze masterpieces were discovered, they were broken into more than 3,000 pieces due to the collapse of the upper soil, said Wu Yongqi, a researcher at Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum.

It took cultural relics experts eight years to restore the bronze chariots and horses and bring them to life, according to Wu.

The bronze chariots and horses are highly valuable in terms of history, technology and art, as they reflect the ancient metallurgical casting process, and provide detailed information about the shape and structure of wagons in the Qin Dynasty, Wu added.