National Geographic Museum Blog

Not every one is able to get their likeness drawn in chalk here. Can you guess where he is?

Courtesty of Pixeltopia on Flickr

In conjunction with its upcoming exhibition Terra Cotta Warriors: Guardians of China’s First Emperor, National Geographic Museum is running a photo challenge to find your very best terra cotta warrior photographs. Have you visited the First Emperor’s tomb in Xian, China? Do you have fantastic photographs of the warriors, horses, chariots, or any of the remarkable archaeological finds? Submit your photos here.

Please upload photos that match our theme and continue to check back. We will periodically review the images and select photos to feature on our blog and the best photo will featured at the museum during the exhibition!

The biggest display of terra cotta army figures ever allowed to leave China opened at the British Museum last year. This year-old video gives you a glimpse of what to expect when they come to DC.

Do you have facts to share about the warriors? Even more interesting do you have questions about these facts? Comment on this post and we will repost your facts, once we’ve background checked them and/or we will answer all your questions!

1.The warrior’s suits consisted of up to 250 tiles, which were attached to one-another by straps, buttons, and sometimes colored ribbons.
2. There are no terra cotta soldiers with helmets or shields.
3. To date, no pottery kiln large enough to fire full-size soldiers and horses has been found in the vicinity of the army.
4. Originally, the terra cotta warriors were entirely painted with bright and colorful pigments, while horses were painted brown and black.
5. The artisans that created the terra cotta warriors used cinnabar, malachite, and azurite, as well as bone white and ‘Han purple.’

Our amazing Nat Geo intern stumbled across this fortune cookie recipe while preparing for the Fiesta Asia event with Chi Chang. Try out the recipe, they are delicious!

Although most people think fortune cookies came from China, they probably were first made in the United States. No one remembers who the inventive baker was. The cookies appeared in California about 1920 to advertise a Chinese restaurant. Soon they were everywhere.

Before you start, get out the utensils: pencil, paper, scissors, lightweight cotton gloves, large mixing bowl and spoon, measuring cups and spoons, cookie sheet, egg carton or muffin pan, and spatula.

YOU WILL NEED

* 1/2 cup (.12 liters) of melted butter
* 3 egg whites
* 3/4 (.18 liters) cup of sugar
* 1/8 (.62 milliliters) teaspoon of salt
* 1/4 (3.7 milliliters) teaspoon of vanilla extract
* 1 cup of flour (.24 liters)
* 1 teaspoon (4.93 milliliters) of instant tea powder
* 2 tablespoons (29.57 milliliters) of water

HERE’S HOW

1. Cut 48 strips of paper about 1/2 inch (1.27 centimeters) wide and 3 inches (7.62 centimeters) long. Write a fortune on each strip.

2. Melt the butter and separate the eggs.

3. Put the egg whites, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Mix them together.

4. Stir in the vanilla, flour, tea, water, and melted butter, one at a time. Chill this batter at least 30 minutes. While it chills, heat the oven to 350°F (176.67°C) degrees.

5. Grease the cookie sheet. Drop a rounded teaspoon of chilled batter onto the cookie sheet. Spread the batter with the back of the spoon until it makes a thin circle three inches across. Spread another circle of batter on the pan in the same way. Put only two cookies on the sheet. You won’t have time to fold more than that. Put the cookies into the oven and bake them 3-5 minutes, or until the edges turn brown.

Courtesy of Wang da Gang

Spread the word… the warriors are coming. Want to see them before anyone else? Tune in every Thursday!

Courtesy of Kiwi Mikex on Flickr

In conjunction with its upcoming exhibition Terra Cotta Warriors: Guardians of China’s First Emperor, National Geographic Museum is running a photo challenge to find your very best terra cotta warrior photographs. Have you visited the First Emperor’s tomb in Xian, China? Do you have fantastic photographs of the warriors, horses, chariots, or any of the remarkable archaeological finds? Submit your photos here.

Please upload photos that match our theme and continue to check back. We will periodically review the images and select photos to feature on our blog and the best photo will featured at the museum during the exhibition!

This video depicts the modern day creation of a life-sized terra cotta warrior.

Quick here is a test…..
Q: How many face shapes were used in casting the terra cotta warriors?
A: See fast fact #5

1. Pit 2 housed the cavalry with armored cavalrymen standing in front of their horses, war chariots drawn by four horses, and a group of archers and foot soldiers.
2. The ground and wall surfaces of the pits were reinforced with thick layers of rammed earth to make them as hard as concrete.
3. The warriors were mostly built from the bottom up. The base and feet were solidly constructed to provide the necessary support for the body.
4. Scholars have identified ten basic face shapes, which suggests that at least ten face molds were being used.
5. The warrior’s armor covered the torso, the waist, and sometimes the shoulders and arms.

Bored today? Maybe you should spend the afternoon building terra cotta warriors out of playdough. Try our handy recipe below. For inspiration, browse through the past photos featured on the site or through our flickr page.

This is an excellent playdough recipe which is fun to make and never fails to provide amusement on a rainy afternoon!

You will need:

1 cup plain (all-purpose) flour

½ cup salt

2 tablespoons cream of tartar

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 cup water with food coloring added

1 teaspoon vanilla essence (optional but it makes the playdough smell nice!)

Put all the ingredients into a large saucepan, and stir over a medium heat until the dough forms into a ball. Allow to cool, and then knead until smooth.

Store in an airtight container (a Ziploc bag with the air pressed out is good).

Going-away present idea
Small bags of pre-made playdough also make a good “going-away” present for a toddler’s birthday party – make up some large batches in different colors and divide it up. We have bag toppers here!

Playdough mix
You can also make this up as a gift mix. First color the salt with food coloring and leave to dry. Mix the dry ingredients and put into a Ziploc bag with a label explaining how to make up the playdough. We have recipe labels here!

Important – Please Read !

We have been advised that homemade playdough is a potential danger to household pets and must be kept safely out of their reach at all times.

Found here.