The exposition "Los Guerreros de X'ian" has been extended till the end of the month due to its overwhelming popularity here in Madrid.
For those who aren't familiar with it, it is the same one that was on display in the Forum of Barcelona... and has now traveled to Madrid.
This expo shows some fascinating archaelogical discoveries dating back to the Qin and Han Dynasties in China... approx. 500 years BC!
Back in the 70's Chinese farmers accidently uncovered an underground mausoleum and tomb of the Emperor from the Quin dynasty (which only lasted 14 years)... in the tomb were 1000s of life sized ceramic warriors along with other interesting artefacts of the time.
I have spoken to a several people who have seen the expo. Some, like me, were impressed with the discovery and the history. Others were disappointed that there were so "few" warriors on display (I estimate that there are about 15-20 of the life sized warriors at the exposition).
Anyway, in case you are interested the details:
Fundaci�n Isabel II La Castellana (at Plaza de Castilla metro: 1,9,10) Cost: 3� per person (a bargain!) Open during lunch time
Avoid going on Sundays. The line is horrendously long to get in. I tried one Sunday and had over a 3 hour wait. So, I went back midweek and got right in, no waiting. You can also buy your tickets in advance at El Corte Ingl�s (go online) and go in at a reserved date and time.
This website gives you more information about the exposition (in Spanish). Ignore where it says that the expo only goes until the 9th of January. I went on the 11th.
According to Europa Press the doors open around 10 am. The expo does not close at lunchtime, but the gift shop does (closes at 2:30) in case you were interested in buying something. They have expo catalogs and a 2 DVD set (each 20�), mini statues of the warriors, a chess set with the pieces being the warriors, the ever-present refridgerator magnets, posters, etc.
When you first arrive, you will probably see a long line of people waiting to get into the expo...do not stand in that line. Go up to the ticket windows to buy your tickets, then get in line.
I saw them at the Barcelona2004 exhibition of cultures in September, and I can tell you that it was impressive indeed. We first was taken into the small cinema and shown a 20 odd minute movie all about the history of the warriors, and then lead into the main hall, that was particularly cool, as they had some pretty high power A/C going on, which was extremely refreshing after coming in from the blazing sun and the high 30's degrees "C" and 89% humidity. The only critisism I had was that it was too dark in there for me, and I really felt the need for more light on the exhibits, and it is not possible to get real close to them, as they have put a kind of pitt all around them, so that they cannot be touched etc, and so I found it a little difficult to get a good look at some of the detail, and had to put on my reading glasses, but otherwise, it was an impressive display, with quite a lot to see, quite a few big warriors, and some smaller sculptings and other artefacts.
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I WAS all excited about going until I read that the warriors were deemed too fragile to travel (makes sense as terra cotta clay is soft and fragile). Therefore, a little known fact and that is not given in any brochures is that they are actually REPLICAS!.
Therefore, I called up the exhibit and asked if they could confirm this to me. They told me that some items are real and some are replicas but that this information is ONLY available by reading the small print posted next to each object. The article I read said that some of the accompanying items are real, but the terra cotta pieces (the warriors, horses) are fakes!!
If anyone is going, please read the fine print and let us know the real story on this. I was really mad that they purposely hide this important info. Personally, if they are indeed copies, I would not wait in line, I'd just see a documentary or wait until I can someday see the real thing!
Consumers should be given full info on this sort of thing!
Waiting to get the true scoop from whoever goes,
Val
Posts: 144 | Location: Chicago, USA (living in Madrid, yeah!) | Registered: 05 September 2002
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