LapLap

OK, it would be nice to see these guys at Xi'an, but I'm pretty thrilled that London has received 4 plane loads of Emperor Qin's playthings.

A friend is going to haul my very excited arse over to the British Museum on Wednesday 26th September and wheel me around.

Anyone else planning on going?

BBC - Terracotta Army invades London

British Museum Website

ETManning

I'll be visiting London in early February and this exhibit is definitely on my list of possibles. I'll be very interested in your review as to whether it's a "must see" or not.

Raffles

They have sold a lot of advance tickets for this show, and it runs for a long time. If you can hold off from going for a couple of months you should have a quieter day.

free101girl

Wow, looks great. I've always wanted to see the warriors. We will definitely be doing this when we visit London in March!

MDSD

I noticed the write-up in the FT a couple of days ago, stated there would be a dozen warriors, plus a selection of associated finds.

I saw the army - largely unexcavated - in Xian back in the 80s, and there is nothing like the sheer size of it. Still, I'm looking forward to seeing this in London next month, easier to get to than China.

JAP

I would definitely be interested in attending, so am looking forward to your views on how good this exhibition actually is ....

Swanhunter

No and Yes

I visited Xi'an in '97 and was left a bit underwhelmed by he experience. You couldn't get close enough to appreciate the detail, and the aircraft hanger style building didn't really help bring the scale of things to life. Keen to get a little more up close and personal.

LapLap

Whilst I'm in no way either a scholar or expert in matters related to Emperor Qin, I'm not completely unfamiliar with this historical figure either. Yet I've emerged from this exhibition feeling somehow more 'connected' to the China of 2,000 years ago and my awe over what was achieved in this time has increased considerably.

Even though production of the clay soldiers was standardised in a peculiarly modern manner (think of Ford making giant Cabbage Patch Kids) there's an artistry involved in the assembly line process I just didn't expect. In short, despite my having seen tons of pictures, read a few books, seen a few documentaries, I was surprised to feel so 'moved' by the statues and exhibits.

I was struck by what I saw in the same way I was (and am) by the Elgin Marbles from the Parthenon.

I've come out with many more but very different questions to those I went in with. I don't understand how a 'war machine' empire with such a drive to impose standardisation and increase efficiency and implement mass production techniques could have encouraged such nuancies. I would have thought it enough for the statues to merely 'look human', but it's more than that. Much more. It's not just their history or context that make them compelling to look at - it's far more satisfying than that.

To explain what I mean, there's a replica horse there amongst the originals. It's well made, seems identical to the others, but....

A little of the sense of scale is achieved by the walls of half of the reading room having projections from Xi'an screened on them.

--------
Anyway, I could ramble on for pages and pages.

It took us two hours to complete the exhibition. That's how long it takes to read everything and take it all in - there is a lot there. For us, the time flew by.

I am now even more keen than before to visit Xi'an and believe that this has been an excellent introduction and fantastic complement. I feels a little like I've been to China and had an amazing guide take me on a private tour, tutoring me on some of the highlights.

For anyone who wants to make the most out of their visit, I would recommend purchasing the catalogue in advance (25GBP) and pouring through it so that you can concentrate more on the exhibits than on the descriptions.

I suppose the best way to recommend this exhibition is by stating that this won't be my only visit. I'll be going again. And I'm already looking forward to it.

LapLap

I should also add - if you haven't see it already, I'd recommend watching Hero where Emperor Qin is a central character.

It's easy to see where the inspiration for the costumes and story came from.

djca

I'll be in London for Thanksgiving weekend. It'll be my first time there and I'll just be travelling by myself. When I was trying to book a ticket for this exhibit last week, only Sundays in November were available. I immediately decided on an 11/25 slot.

Yesterday I checked the site again, and all of November is sold out. December's also gone. So if you are planning to visit, snap up those tickets as soon as possible, not unless you want to fall in line for the 500 tickets they promise to release each day.

LapLap

Also, if you're concerned about crowds try and get the first time slot available in the morning. Once people are in they can stay as long as they want, if you're amongst the first group the galleries will be clear for your arrival and will only fill up afterwards.

Swanhunter

and large chunks of the following months have also gone - especially over holidays and weekends. Late evening on Thursdays and Friday and early mornings are still possible though.

free101girl

Yes, I'm glad I saw the post about it booking up so heavily already. I was able to grab two tickets for our late February visit, but it took quite a lot of effort. I had to make many attempts, because even dates and times showing as available became "unavailable" while I tried to book! The entire run of the exhibit is nearly sold out. Soon the only option will be waiting to grab one of the 500 tickets made available each morning.

uk1

We saw the exhibition in Malta a few months back. Entirely by accident. No fanfare or anything - but it was really worthwhile. Luckilly in Malta we were virtually by ourselves - and it won't be the same in London. As previously indicated I'd try and be first in.

mpc1

I just had an unexpected layover in LHR and was lucky enough to get to the British Museum in time to que up for the 500 daily ticket allotment. People start lining up on Great Russel Street before 0830 for the 0915 start of ticket sales (actually started at 0900). I was able to get a 1010 time window and quite enjoyed the exhibit. I also recommend the 3.50 GBP audio tour too. I noticed staff telling people in the line at about 0950 that all of that days tickets had be sold.

mpc1
on layover in LHR enroute SIN