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The Museum of the Terracotta Army In March 1974, when several farmers were sinking a well about 1.5 kilometers east of the Qing Shihuang Emperor’s Mausoleum, they found many fragments of terracotta figures.The results of archaeological excavation showed that it was an oblong pit with terracotta warriors and horses.Again in 1976, two more pits were discovered 20 and 25 meters north of the former one.They were then named Pit 1, Pit 2 and Pit 3 according to the order of discovery.The three pits cover a total area of more than 22, 000 square meters.In order to provide the historical artifacts with adequate protection, a museum was set up on the site of Pit 1 in 1975 upon the approval of the State Council.Pit 1 covers an area of more than 16, 000 square meters.The museum was officially open to the public on October 1, 1979.The exhibition hall of Pit 3 was open to the public on September 27, 1989.The exhibition hall of Pit 2 was completed and open to the public in 1994.Pit 1 takes an oblong shape.It is 230 meters long, 62 meters wide and five meters deep.It is an earth-and –wood structure in the shape of a tunnel.There are five sloping entrances on the eastern and western sides.Inside the pit are ten earth-rammed partition walls, acro which huge and strong rafters are placed.The rafters are covered with mats and fine earth.The floor is paved with bricks.The terracotta warriors and horses in Pit 1 are arrayed in battle formation.In the long corridor to the east end of the pit stand three rows of terracotta warriors facing east in battle robes, 70 in each row, totaling 210 altogether.Armed with bows and arrows, they constitute the vanguard.There is one row of warriors in the south, north and west of the corridor respectively, facing outward.They are probably the flanks and the rear guard.Holding crobows and arrows and other long distance shooting weapon, they took up the job of defending the whole army.The ten rammed partition walls divided Pit 1 into 11 latitudinal corridors where stand 28 columns of warriors facing east with horse drawn chariots in the center.The warriors, clad in armor and armed with long shaft weapons, are probably the main body of the formation and represent the principal force.There are altogether 27 trail trenches.According to the density of the formation in each trail, it is aumed that more than 6, 000 terracotta warriors and horses could be unearthed from Pit 1, most of which are infantryman.Pit 2 is located 20 meters to the north of the eastern end of Pit 1.This pit is L-shaped and consists of four different mixed military forces in four arrays.It is estimated that there are over 1, 000 terracotta figures, 500 horse drawn chariots and saddled horses.The pit is measured 6, 000 square meters.The first array, the eastern protruding part of the pit, is composed of 334 archers;to the south of the pit is the second array, including the first through eighth paage ways.It is composed of 64 chariots, each of which carries three warriors.The third array, the middle of the pit, including the ninth through the eleventh paage ways, is composed of 19 chariots and 100 infantrymen.The fourth array to the north of the pit, including the 12th through 14th paage ways, is composed of six chariots, 124 saddled horses and cavalrymen.The four arrays are closed connected to constitute a complete battle formation and can be divided up to act independently, capable of attacking and defending.Three of the four arrays in pit 2 have charioteers.The chariots took up most of the battle formation.This proves that charioteers were still the principal fighting forces in the Qin dynasty.Pit 3 is located 25 meters to the north of Pit 1.The plane of the pit is of concave shape, totaling about 520 square meters.One chariot, four terracotta horses and 68 clay armored warriors were unearthed out of the pit.To its east there is a sloping entrance, 11 meters long, 3.7 meters wide, opposite which is a stable.On both sides of the stable, there is a winging room.68 terracotta figures were unearthed from it.The arrangement of the terracotta figures is quite different from that in Pit 1 and Pit 2, in which warriors are placed in battle formation.But those in Pit 3 are arrayed opposite to each other along walls, in two rows.Even the weapons held by the warriors in Pit 3 are different from those in Pit 1 and 2.The latter were armed with long range crobows and bows and short weapons such as spears, barbed spears, swords and axes.Only one kind called “shu” was discovered in Pit 3.This kind of weapon had on blades and is believed to be used by the guards of honor.A remaining of deer horn and animal bones were unearthed in this pit.This probably is the place where sacrificial offerings and war prayer were practiced.Judging by the layout of Pit3, this is most likely the headquarters directing the mighty underground army.Archaeological excavations show that Pit 1 and Pit 2 were destroyed after a fire.It was burnt down and who did it was not recorded in history.There are various opinions about its destruction in academic world.The floors of both Pit 1 and Pit 2 were covered with a layer of silt, 15 to 20 cm thick.The remains of crobeams and logs burnt to ashes can be clearly seen and most of the relics remain fragmented.This illustrates that the pits were destroyed soon after they were completed.According to historical records, fours yeas after the First Qin Emperor’s death, Xiang Yu came, and “burnt the palaces and dug up the grave”.Archaeological discoveries also proved that there are many broken bricks and tiles piled up inside the ruins of the ground structure of the mausoleum, with burnt clay, coal and ash traces.So it was perhaps destroyed together with other structures within the tomb by Xiang Yu.Pottery figures first appeared in the Warring State Period in China, but they were small in size and roughly made with low temperature.The Qin terracotta warriors and horses were not only big in size, but also exquisite in craftsmanship.The height of the terracotta warriors varies from 1.78 to 1.97 meters.Their weights are also different.The lightest is le than 110 kilograms and the heaviest 300 kilograms.In order to keep the balance of the terracotta warriors, the workmen in the Qin dynasty added a pedal to each warrior under his feet, so that the warriors would stand more firmly.The foot pedals were made in molds.The feet, shoes, legs and armors of the warriors were made by hand.Some legs are hollow, and some are solid.The solid ones were made separately, but the hollow ones are made through a method called “coiling clay rope”.The bodies of the warriors are hollow.They were made separately and then joined together to complete the work.There are also two kinds of arms: hollow and solid.There are two ways of making the hands: molding and hand shaping.The most sophisticated technique of proceing is the heads.Two molds are used to made faces and most parts of the heads, and the two parts are joined together.Ears and noses which are made separately are added later on.The roughly made models are carved exquisitely in detail according to their personal strata and characters.Finally, moustache and hair in various styles were made.After careful and detailed engraving, the terracotta warriors look vivid, different in appearance and expreions.After the terracotta warriors were readily made, they were put into kilns to be fired.In order to prevent the warriors from deforming or exploding, one, two or even three small holes were made in the body of the warriors and horses.After the horses were fired, the small holes in the body were covered with terracotta cakes of the same size.Most of the terracotta heads were fit in the body after being fired, so the necks of the terracotta heads were natural ventilation holes.Thus, the air stream produced in the firing proce of the terracotta warriors and horses could escapes, and the figures would not explode.The clay figures were carefully painted with colors after they were baked.As the terracotta figures have been burnt and gone through a natural proce of decay, we can not see their original colors.The pits are located to the east of the First Qin Emperor’s Mausoleum, symbolizing the main defending force that guarded the Qin capital, Xianyang.All the terracotta figures in the pits face east with practical weapons.This shows that the First Qin Emperor would never forget his great ambition to conquer the six states and to unify the whole nation.Thousands of real weapons were unearthed from the pits, including broad knives, swords, spears, dagger-axes, crobows, arrows, and arrow heads.The weapons can be claified into four categories: long shafted weapons, short weapons, long range weapons and weapons for guards of honor.The most arresting among the weapons is a bronze sword, which still glitters, through buried underground for over 2, 000 years.Being very sharp, the sword can cut through 20 pieces of paper put together.Technical examination reveals that the sword is composed of an alloy of copper and tin, and more than ten other rare metals.It was plated with a thin layer of oxidated chromium.In December 1980, two sets of large painted bronze chariots and horses were unearthed 20 meters west of the First Qin emperor’s Mausoleum.They were labeled as Chariots 1 and Chariots 2 according to the order of discovery.They had been enclosed in a wooden coffin and buried in a pit seven meters deep.When excavated, the chariots and horses were serious damaged due to the decayed wooden coffin and the collapse of earthen layers.Chariot 2 was found broken into 1555 pieces when excavated.After two and a half years of careful and painstaking restoration by archaeologists and other experts, they were finally open to the public on October 1, 1983.Chariot 1 was also open to the public in 1988.The bronze chariots drawn by four horses, with a single shaft, were placed one before the other vertically.The front chariot, chariot 1, was named “High chariots”.The back chariot, chariot 2, was named “security chariot”.It has a front and back room, between which there is a partition.The front is supposed to be for the charioteer and the rear one for the master.There is a window on either side with a door at the back.The windows and doors could close and open easily.The small holes in the window were used for ventilation.On top of the chariot, there was an elliptical umbrella-like canopy.The chariot was color painted against a white background.Chariot 2 was fitted with more than 1, 500 pieces of silver and gold and other ornaments.Probably it was used for the First Qin Emperor soul to go our on inspection.Chariot 1 was equipped with crobows, arrowheads and shields.The charioteers wore a hat.This shows that it was employed to protect the chariot 2.The chariots and horses are exactly the imitation of actual chariots and horses in half life size.Each chariot with horses is composed of 3, 400 components.The bronze chariot is 3.17 meters long and 1.06 meters high.The bronze horse is 65-67 cm high, 1.2 meters long.Their weights vary from 177 kilograms, the lightest, to 213 kilograms, the heaviest.The total weight of the chariot, the horses and the driver is 1, 243 kilograms.The main body is cast in bronze.There are altogether 1, 720 pieces of gold and silver ornaments on the chariots and horses.The umbrella-like canopy on the top is only four mm thick, and the window is one mm thick, with many ventilation holes.