Grand scale

Entering the exhibition hall, visitors view a giant bronze ding caldron on their left.

Weighing 212 kilograms, this is the largest ding caldron ever discovered in the mausoleum area with complicated and exquisite patterns on its body.

"This is regarded as 'the No 1 ding of the Qin mausoleum'. Since a ding caldron symbolizes political power, we put it at the entrance to showcase the strong national strength of the Qin Dynasty," says Zhang Sheng, a researcher at the museum.

Opposite to this ding is the sand table model of the entire mausoleum site and its neighboring environment, symbolizing the region of the mausoleum, which also imitates the layout of Xianyang, the Qin capital. "In this way we show Qin's political power and its corresponding region," he adds.

Over the years, archaeologists have defined the layout of the mausoleum, which covers a stunning area of 56.25 square kilometers.

Archaeologists have discovered more than 10 aboveground building remains, found more than 500 satellite pits and tombs and unearthed more than 50,000 cultural relics, according to Ye.

"Historical literature records that the construction of the mausoleum spanned 38 years and involved the participation of 700,000 people. The grand scale and rich buried artifacts are rare across the world," says Li Gang, director of the museum.

Ye highlights the layout of the mausoleum which is designed with the mound covering the main grave at the center. It can be divided into three levels from the inside out with two city walls. The inner level covers the area within the inner city walls; the middle level lies between the inner and outer city walls; and the outer level is the area outside the outer city walls.

The inner level is the central area, containing the underground palace of the emperor, the carriages used by him and the mausoleum buildings, symbolizing the imperial palaces where the emperor lived.

The middle level includes underground counterparts of government offices, armories, imperial stables, and places for entertainment providers, as well as administrative offices for gardens and temples.

The outer level includes Terracotta Warriors representing the imperial guards, ponds for waterfowl and a city to safeguard the mausoleum.

"The overall layout of the mausoleum embodies the ancient concept of serving the dead as if they were living and the design idea of creating a replica of the capital city. It is a representation of the supreme power of Emperor Qinshihuang," says Ye.

The complete layout and locations of sites excavated within the mausoleum can be seen on the sand table at the exhibition, so that visitors can get a comprehensive understanding of where exactly the sites were discovered and their importance, says Zhang.