The ancient civilization promotes the ingenuity of the Chinese and foreign, and the ingenuity of the hand glows with brilliance -- The 50th anniversary of the archaeological excavation of the Qin Terra Cotta Warriors 2024 is the 50th anniversary of the archaeological excavation of the Qin Terra Cotta Warriors. In 1974, the discovery of the Terra Cotta Warriors opened a chapter in the systematic archaeological work of the Mausoleum of the First Emperor of Qin. Over the past half century, several generations of archaeologists have continued to explore and pursue, so that the magnificent military formations and lifelike terracotta figures that have slept underground for more than 2000 years can be seen again, so that the audience can appreciate the "eighth wonder of the world" while feeling the great achievements of the Qin Shihuang Mausoleum and the Terra Cotta Warriors Pit in archaeological excavation, protection research, activation and utilization. "The Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses of the Qin Dynasty are a wonder in the history of world cultural relics exhibitions, and also the 'golden card' of China's cultural heritage diplomacy." On September 8, at the 50th anniversary of the archaeological excavation of the Terra Cotta Warriors and the International Conference on the Protection and Research of the Great Site of the the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor, Li Gang, the president of the Qinshihuang Mausoleum Museum, said that up to now, the Qinshihuang Mausoleum Museum has received more than 160 million visitors at home and abroad, and has been successfully selected as a world-famous cultural tourism destination, becoming a model for the protection, research and use of cultural heritage. According to historical records of the development of Chinese civilization, the construction of the Mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shi Huang took 38 years, with a massive number of 700000 people involved. The scale and richness of the burial are rare in this era. In March 1974, the Terra Cotta Warriors pit was discovered, and on July 15 of the same year, the archaeological excavation of the Terra Cotta Warriors officially began. In August 1975, the State Council decided to establish a museum on the site of the Terra Cotta Warriors Pit. On October 1, 1979, the museum was completed and opened to the public. The main attractions include pits 1, 2 and 3 of the Terra Cotta Warriors, the copper chariot and horse exhibition hall and related temporary exhibitions. On December 11, 1987, UNESCO listed the Mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shihuang (including the Terra Cotta Warriors Pit) on the The World Heritage List. With the continuous deepening of archaeological work, the architecture of tombs, the shape of underground palaces, the structure of cemeteries, and the various types of accompanying burial pits and tombs have "surfaced" one by one. Important "strange artifacts" such as bronze chariots and horses, painted kneeling and shooting figurines, stone armor, and hundred drama figurines have emerged one after another. The external collection, worship, walls, gates, roads, engineering, and ancillary remains of the Mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shi Huang have gradually become clear, providing a scientific basis for the comprehensive protection and systematic display of the Mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shi Huang. In the past decade, the continuous excavation of Pit 1 and Pit 2 has constantly updated the understanding of the arrangement rules of the Terra Cotta Warriors; The excavation of the first imperial burial tomb under the regulation of imperial tombs - Tomb No.1 in Lingxi, witnessed the transformation of ancient Chinese central government from "blood politics" to "geopolitics"; The exploration and excavation of the tomb gate site, city wall architecture, palace ruins, and road remains system provide new information for understanding important issues such as the funeral etiquette process of the First Emperor's Mausoleum, the structural system of the ruins, and the spatial layout of the ruins. 50 years of archaeological work have clarified the overall layout characteristics of the Mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, centered around the sealed soil, forming an inner and outer city pattern and distributing burial pits around the sealed soil, as well as the planning and design concepts that simulate the capital pattern, political system, court life, social culture, military system, and other contents of the Qin Empire. The abundant and highly valuable unearthed relics and cultural relics reflect the material culture, technological achievements, and institutional civilization before and after the unification of the Qin Dynasty. They play an important role in verifying the development of Chinese civilization and showcasing the brilliant achievements of Chinese civilization. From simple archeology to national protection On September 8, the reporter saw the "On site Emergency Protection Laboratory" of Pit 1 and the "Archaeological Site Excavation and Protection Platform" of Pit 2 of the Terra Cotta Warriors just officially put into use in the Museum of the Emperor Qin Shihuang's Mausoleum. "The Terra Cotta Warriors have been buried underground for many years, and the lacquer layer has deteriorated. At the moment of excavation, there is a risk that the lacquer layer will fall off." Hui Na, deputy director of the Cultural Relics Protection Department of the Emperor Qin Shihuang Mausoleum Museum, introduced that after the establishment of the on-site emergency protection laboratory and the archaeological site excavation and protection platform, the temperature and humidity environment of the Terra Cotta Warriors will be adjusted in a timely manner, so that the painted pottery figurines, especially the painted bottom of the paint, can be more timely and comprehensively protected, to achieve a smooth transition of cultural relics from the unearthed environment to the preservation environment of the cultural relics warehouse, and to explore the formation of the Terra Cotta Warriors Warriors and Horses of the Qin Dynasty, which is "an on-site emergency protection system+archaeological platform system+special equipment+information support system". Discover new patterns. Over the past 50 years, the Mausoleum Museum of Emperor Qin Shi Huang has achieved a leap in cultural relic protection and archaeological work from simple archaeological excavations to national level cultural relic protection bases through cross disciplinary research, interdisciplinary studies, and multi team collaboration. The talent team has also developed from a dozen excavators to a professional archaeological and cultural relic protection team with hundreds of members today, successfully paving the way for a new path of interdisciplinary and international cooperation in large-scale archaeological engineering. In terms of legal protection, in July 2005, the Standing Committee of the Shaanxi Provincial People's Congress officially promulgated the Regulations on the Protection of the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor in Shaanxi Province, providing a strong legal guarantee for the protection and management of the world heritage site of Qin Shihuang Mausoleum; In July 2010, the Shaanxi Provincial Government issued the Plan for the Protection of the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor, which further defined the long-term development direction and construction blueprint for the protection and utilization of the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor; In 2021, the Regulations on the Protection of the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor in Shaanxi Province was revised in combination with the actual situation, making the protection of Qin Mausoleum sites more targeted and operational. The protection of the Qin Mausoleum archaeological site is steadily moving towards a scientific, standardized, and legal track. In terms of technological protection, since the 1990s, the Mausoleum Museum of Emperor Qin Shi Huang has actively cooperated with research institutions in Germany, Belgium and other countries to carry out cultural relic protection and restoration. It has undertaken multiple national science and technology support programs in the fields of cultural relic protection and archaeology, as well as national "863" and "973" program projects. It has successively built "Microbial Laboratory", "Painted Cultural Relic Restoration and Protection Laboratory" and "Metal Cultural Relic Restoration Laboratory", gradually establishing advantageous scientific research fields such as ceramic painted cultural relic protection and restoration, scientific analysis and research of painted pigments, microbial control and environmental monitoring and control with the protection technology of Qin terracotta figurines as the core. Over the past 50 years, the cultural protection team of the Qinshihuang Emperor Mausoleum Museum has continuously promoted the scientific and technological innovation of cultural relics protection, and used modern science and technology to constantly overcome the problems of archaeological excavation, protection and restoration of precious cultural relics such as the Terra Cotta Warriors unearthed in the Qinshihuang Emperor Mausoleum. "Research on the protection technology of the painted Terracotta Warriors" and "Restoration technology of the No. 1 bronze chariot and horse in the Qinling Mausoleum" have won the second prize of the National Prize for Science and Technology Progress. The immersive digital experience project in the the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor and innovative transformation cases of archaeological achievements in the Baixi Terracotta Warriors Pit released by ancient China and modern China at the 50th anniversary of the archaeological excavation of the Terra Cotta Warriors and the International Conference on the Protection and Research of the Great Site of the the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor won applause from the audience. For a long time, the Mausoleum Museum of Emperor Qin Shi Huang has been committed to planning high-quality original exhibitions, carrying out characteristic educational activities, and developing high-quality cultural and creative products. Since the 1990s, a series of cultural and creative products, represented by the "Terra Cotta Warriors" and "bronze chariots and horses", have been given as national gifts to visiting VIPs. In recent years, thousands of cultural and creative products have been developed through cross-border cooperation, and cultural performance products developed and created by relying on the Terracotta Warriors and Horses are widely welcomed by tourists. The Mausoleum Museum of Emperor Qin Shi Huang relies on archaeological excavations and cultural relic protection achievements such as the Hundred Plays and Officials Pit, the Bronze Chariots and Horses Pit, etc., to promote the development of image digital virtual technology, enhance reality technology and other new technologies combined with traditional methods such as exhibition display and site display, and build a platform for showcasing the "dialogue" between history and the present. So far, it has won the National Museum Top Ten Exhibition Excellence Award three times. As a world-class cultural IP, the Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum Museum has become an important venue for national foreign affairs activities for the past 50 years. As of now, the Qin Mausoleum cultural relics have been exhibited 277 times in nearly 200 cities in 49 countries and regions, with 20 million people visiting and exhibiting. The number of outreach and audience is second to none in the world. In terms of leveraging the influence of the Qin Terracotta Warriors cultural relics, the Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum Museum actively carries out international exchanges and cooperation, and has signed a series of cooperation agreements and memorandums with multiple countries such as Germany, Belgium, and the United Kingdom. It has been more than half a century since the archaeology of the Qin Mausoleum. The Museum of the Qin Shihuang Emperor's Mausoleum has now developed into a comprehensive institution integrating archaeological excavation, cultural relic protection, scientific research, display, exchange and many other functions. It plays an important role in protecting, researching and utilizing the cultural heritage of the Terra Cotta Warriors and horses and building a system of inheritance of China's excellent traditional culture, making unique contributions to the comprehensive, three-dimensional and true presentation of ancient China and modern China. "We will continue to aim at creating a world-class museum, further strengthen the multidisciplinary joint research on the archaeological research of the the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor, effectively protect the world heritage in an integrated and systematic way, try to tell the world the story of the Qin Shihuang Mausoleum and the story of the Terra Cotta Warriors, and actively create a model for the protection, inheritance and dissemination of cultural heritage." Li Gang stated. (New Society)