`IMPERIAL TOMBS OF CHINA'

"The sarcophagus was afloat on a mercury sea, lit by lamps burning human fat and dotted with gold wild geese."

-- Sima Qian

1st century B.C.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- When China's first emperor, Qin Shi-huang-di (259-210 B.C.), was entombed, an estimated 8,000 life-size terra-cotta warriors, horses and chariots were arrayed in a military formation over a five-acre area around the burial chamber.

No two of them were alike.

Farmers digging a well accidentally uncovered the first of the buried army in 1974. Since then archaeologists have hailed the Terra-Cotta Warriors as the most important find of the 20th century.

Yang Yang, the curator of "Imperial Tombs of China," calls the exhibit that includes the warriors the most important ever to leave China.

"(The artifacts) belong not only to the Chinese people but are the cultural heritage of mankind," he said through an interpreter at Monday's press conference opening the exhibit.

"Imperial Tombs of China," the latest in Memphis' WONDERS series, consists of 250 objects representing 2,500 years of Chinese history. The exhibit will continue through Sept. 18 at the Memphis Cook Convention Center.

Two 9-foot-tall stone lions weighing 20,000 pounds apiece greet visitors to the exhibit, and actor Leonard Nimoy narrates the audio tour with a special sense of wonder.

He tells us the tomb was not just a burial place but a home for that part of the spirit believed to remain on earth. The artifacts from this first tomb belonged to Marquis Yi of Zeng, who lived early in the Warring States Period (475-221 B.C.)

The tomb, excavated in 1977, yielded more than 10 tons of bronze artifacts. A number are presented in the exhibit, demonstrating Zeng's status as a major center for bronze-making.

The tomb also contained more than 100 musical instruments, and the remains of 21 women -- all strangled so they could accompany Yi in the afterlife.

This was a time of great turmoil in China. We learn that 450,000 warriors from the state of Zhao were killed by the Qin army at the battle of Chang Ping.

Qin eventually united the country (China is the Westernized word for Qin).

He is viewed as both a great man who consolidated the country and the Great Wall, and as a megalomaniac who used slaughter to keep his subjects in line.

It's believed Qin wanted his beloved army to accompany him in the afterlife. Fortunately, in post-Confucius China models could be used instead of people. Each of the warriors is different, as if modeled after a real person.

The lone disappointment of this exhibit might be that only four of the 8,000 figures are displayed. Archaeologists are still uncovering more warriors and horses at the site.

Qin's tomb took 700,000 workers 37 years to complete. The last of them set booby traps against intruders and were sealed inside along with Qin and his riches.

Other highlights of the exhibit:

-- The complete throne room from the last emperors of the Qing Dynasty.

-- Bricks from the Great Wall.

-- A burial suit made of 2,000 pieces of jade.

One of the rooms in the huge exhibit site reminds viewers that certain things made the world go round then and now.

The room contains items inspired by Lady Yang Guifei, a favored concubine of Tang Dynasty (618-907 A.D.) emperor Xuan Zong. Because of Lady Yang, plump female figures became the standard of beauty during the period.

"It's said the emperor simply stopped ruling after falling in love with Lady Yang," Nimoy intones.

Tickets are issued for specific dates and times, and a limited number of entries are allowed each 15 minutes. To order by phone call (901) 576-1290 or 1-(800) 2 MEMPHIS.

Tickets are $10 for adults, $9 for seniors and $5 for children 5 through 16.

The exhibit's hours are from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.