preserved, he said.
Using his experience, Lan can
tell whether the Terracotta War-
riors were made by artisans from
the Qin Court or by local artisans,
as their work is quite diff erent.
As a researcher with the Emper-
or Qinshihuang’s Mausoleum Site
Museum, Lan, who has worked
there for more than 25 years,
mostly lives a routine life. The mu-
seum is on the eastern outskirts
of Xi’an, about 50 kilometers (31
miles) from the downtown area,
and Lan lives on the southern side
of the ancient city.
At 7 a.m. every workday he
takes a shuttle bus from his
home to the museum, leaving the
No. 1 pit at about 5 p.m. for the
return journey.
He was anxious when he fi rst
started work, even though it was
his ideal job, he said.
In 1993 he graduated from
Northwest University in Xi’an with
a major in cultural heritage, and
three years later started work on
restoring Terracotta Warriors.
The conservator-restorers
face a strict training program. In
the fi rst two years Lan was not
allowed to touch the relics and
was told to “observe, remember
and read”.
His fi rst task after training
ended was to locate fragments
and search for missing parts of the
fi gures among the piled shards.
Sometimes he was unable tofi nd a single missing piece, and of-
ten asked his instructor when he
could start to repair a complete
Terracotta Warrior. He did not
have to wait long.
Now, walking along the No.
2 pit, which contains fi gures of
warriors and their horses, Lan
proudly points to them and states,
“I repaired two of these pieces.”
The technology used to restore
the fi gures has changed over
the years, but the fundamental
methods remain the same.
After fragments of the warriors
and horses are collected, the
restorers attempt to piece them
together before using glue to bind
them.
Over the decades the restorers
have become
accustomed to
delays and the
fact that hardly
anything can be
done immedi-
ately. Patience is
essential.
Lan, who
approaches his
work with passion
and excitement,
set up a special
operations table
at the No. 1 pit.
Sets of repair
tools, includ-
ing magnifying
glasses, brushes
and surgical
knives, are placed
on the table.
Lan also has
traditional tools,
which he uses
frequently. About
10 years ago he
asked a carpenter
in a nearby village
to make him a
wooden stake.
Two sticks at
the top of the
stake can be removed, allowing
restorers to put the upper part of
a warrior’s body on it. The lower
part of the body is later rejoined
with the upper.
“Some industrial design re-
searchers off ered me a new steel
stake, but for now I prefer to use
this one because it’s simple and
convenient,” Lan said.
He often imagines himself as
a doctor diagnosing diseases
during the Qin Dynasty (221-206
B.C.).
“There are many diff erent types
of doctors in the world, but fewcould have diagnosed and treated
those Qin warriors who lived more
than 2,000 years ago.”
Over the years the Terracotta
Warrior pits have experienced
fi res, collapses and fl ooding.
Sometimes, the conservator-
restorers have been unable to
restore the warriors’ original
appearance.
In the No. 1 pit work area are
many half-completed fi gures,
some with missing arms and
others with smashed legs bound
with rope.
“We sometimes have to stop
halfway through the restoration
work and wait for up to two, three
or four years to fi nd the remaining
parts. However, there is always
the possibility
that they won’t
be located.”
Ma Yu, 48, a
conservator-
restorer who has
worked in this
fi eld for 28 years,
is a pioneer in
restoring diff er-
ent types of ter-
racotta fi gures
during each
excavation.
He gained
expertise
working near
the Emperor
Qinshihuang’s
Mausoleum Site
Museum.
He uses mod-
ern equipment,
including an
ultra-depth-of-
fi eld microscope,
to minutely
examine each
piece of pottery
in the studio. He
also documents
the terracotta
fi gures being
assembled, recording their size,
weight, preservation status,
surface painting, patterns and
excavation location carefully on
spreadsheets.
New discoveries always give Ma
a buzz. During restoration work he
came across high-resolution and
complete fi ngerprints that could
provide vital clues to the fi gures’
age, gender and athletic prowess.
“My aim is to do everything
conscientiously. It’s vital to restore
the relics.”Jian Min contributed to this story.THESE ARE
PIECES OF
HISTORY THAT
HAVE BEEN
VIVIDLY
PRESERVED.
MORE THAN
2,000 YEARS
HAVE SLIPPED
BY, AND YOU
CAN STILL
SENSE THE
HUGE AMOUNT
OF TALENT
THAT WENT
INTO MAKING
THESE
FIGURES.”
LAN DESHENG,
CONSERVATOR-RESTORER
‘‘
TOP LEFT
The Terracotta
Army No. 1 pit
at Emperor
Qinshihuang’s
Mausoleum Site
Museum in Xi’an,
Shaanxi province.
RIGHT
The hands of a
headless warrior
have been
restored.
BOTTOM LEFT
Lan Desheng
(right) and his
colleague Wang
Dongfeng restore a
Terracotta Warrior.
BOTTOM RIGHT
Ma Yu repairs
a bronze swan
unearthed in Xi’an.
PHOTOS BY ZHANG
TIANZHU / FOR
CHINA DAILYAdditional information is on fi le with the Department of Justice, Washington, D.C.