The Civilization of The Qin and Han Dynasties
The First Chinese Emperor’s Terracotta Warriors
Study volumes related to our exhibitions
This is the first time the Museum of Fine Arts has hosted an exhibition of Chinese archaeological findings that is significant even by international standards. The exhibition The Civilization of the Qin and Han Dynasties. The First Chinese Emperor’s Terracotta Warriors incorporates material from three major ancient Chinese dynasties and encompasses a history of almost a thousand years. It allows us to trace the rise of the state of Qin in the Zhou period, which paved the way for the emergence of imperial China; the workings of the Qin dynasty, which established an empire in 221 BC; and, finally, the four hundred years of the Han dynasty, which consolidated the foundations of the Chinese state.
The exhibition connects the history of Chinese civilisation to the presentation of two important archaeological discoveries: the archaeological findings from the tomb of the first Chinese emperor; and artefacts from the mausoleum of the sixth emperor of the Han dynasty. It gives us particular pleasure to be able to display the soldiers of the terracotta army that protected the tomb of the first Chinese emperor, along with artefacts from other tombs in the burial complex, bearing in mind that the fiftieth anniversary of the discovery of these world-famous archaeological findings was celebrated in China in 2024.
The exhibition brings together half a century of scholarly achievements and knowledge, allowing us to provide a more nuanced and detailed picture than ever before of the age of the first Chinese imperial dynasty and the functioning of the ancient empire.
ISBN: 978-615-6982-01-8
Published: 2025
Publisher: Museum of Fine Arts – Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest
Language: English
Pages and Illustartions: 296 pages, illustrated in color
Editor(s): Györgyi Fajcsák, PhD, Judit Bagi