A set of Qin Dynasty (221-207 BC) bronze chariots and horses, put on display in a museum in Xi'an City of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, fascinated visitors with the delicate design of its bronze umbrella.
The two Qin Dynasty bronze chariots, crafted over 2,200 years ago by skilled artisans to replicate the original appearance of the imperial carriage used by Qinshihuang, the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty, were discovered in 1978 at the mausoleum site.
The No.1 bronze chariot consists of an open chariot drawn by four bronze horses, with a single standing driver and a bronze umbrella on a stand placed next to him.
The second piece, No.2 bronze chariot, is a closed carriage with two seats and an umbrella-like awning, which is also drawn by four bronze horses.
In addition to providing shade and shelter from rain, the umbrella on the chariot is also meant to demonstrate the emperor's majesty. Craftsmen back in the Qin Dynasty tried their best to display the texture of brocade with bronze.
In order to better show the exquisiteness of this cultural relic on the occasion of the International Museum Day on Sunday, archaeological experts restored Qinshihuang's umbrella by using cloth in real size proportion based on the extracted residual colors with reference to historical documents.
The sophisticated structure of the umbrella is divided into three parts: umbrella base, umbrella pole and umbrella cover. The parts are connected by detachable mortise and tenon structure, outstanding in both flexibility and stability.
In both sets of chariots and horses, there are more than 3,000 bronze parts, involving over 10 kinds of processes such as snap fastening, casting and welding, representing the world's highest level of metallurgical casting and manufacturing technologies back then.
Museum visitors fascinated by techniques for Qin Dynasty bronze chariots
