Story: Dynasties & Discoveries
Episode: 26
Presenter: Christina Morrissy
Air Date: 27 July 2025

Chrissy steps inside WA Museum Boola Bardip for the ultimate cultural blockbuster, Terracotta Warriors: Legacy of the First Emperor. It’s bold, it’s exclusive to Perth, and it’s packed with jaw-dropping artefacts and innovative tech. Miss this, and you miss history.

• The Terracotta Warriors: Legacy of the First Emperor exhibition is a global exclusive, hosted only in Perth at the WA Museum Boola Bardip, displaying artefacts never seen outside of China.
• Discovered in 1974, the Terracotta Army is over 2,000 years old and was created to guard China’s First Emperor, Qin Shi Huang, in the afterlife. Each warrior is life-sized and uniquely detailed; a frozen army built for eternity.
• Despite decades of excavation, the emperor’s tomb remains sealed. Ancient texts speak of booby traps, mercury rivers, and painted constellations, and no one has ever stepped inside.
• Of the 225+ Chinese artefacts on display, many have never left China before, and some are making their global debut in Perth, including a stunning collection of rare gold ornaments from the tomb of Empress Dowager Bo.
• One of the most captivating items is a bronze swan, originally painted white and thought to represent a Whooper Swan. This lifelike sculpture also connects symbolically with WA’s own black swan emblem.
• Visitors are transported back in time through immersive multimedia experiences, innovative projections and reconstructions of Qin Shi Huang’s empire, his tomb, and the sprawling Terracotta Army.
• Pit 1 of the excavation site holds warriors arranged in exact battle formation, flanked by chariots and over 40,000 real bronze arrowheads, yet much of it is still unexcavated, holding secrets yet to be revealed.
• The name of the museum, Boola Bardip, means “many stories” in Noongar language, reflecting its mission to share the rich and diverse histories of WA and the world in one vibrant cultural hub.

For more information, head to:
visit.museum.wa.gov.au