Recently, a photographer named Zhao Zhen was fortunate enough to get a permit to enter the No. 1 pit of the Terracotta Warriors. His mission was not only to photograph these stunning national treasures, but also to record every detail of these terracotta figurines so that future generations could understand and appreciate them.
Zhao Zhen's filming work was not easy. Before going into the pit every time, he needs to go through approval, and there are several departments to cooperate. He also needs to make a series of preparations, in addition to preparing his camera, checking the battery, bathing and changing clothes, and stopping eating an hour before going down the pit. When going down the pit, Zhao Zhen had to put on the softest shoes and a close-fitting apron, and everything was ready before he could enter the terracotta pit carefully.
When filming in Pit No. 1, due to the small distance between the soldiers and mercenaries, in order to be able to shuttle among many national treasures, Zhao Zhen couldn't even wear a coat during winter shooting, and in order to keep warm, he could only stick a circle of warm babies around his waist. In summer, Zhao Zhen is also not happy, the bottom of the pit has stable requirements for humidity and temperature, and Zhao Zhen can only work in sweat. Despite the hard work, Zhao Zhen enjoyed it. He not only photographed the overall effect of the terracotta warriors, but also recorded every detail of them through multi-camera and multi-angle shooting. Just as he was concentrating on the shooting, he suddenly noticed that there seemed to be something more on the face of a terracotta warrior. After a closer look, he suddenly felt stupid in his head.
It turned out that behind the lips and ears of this terracotta warrior, the fingerprints of the craftsman were found!These craftsmen must have been extremely attentive and meticulous in making these terracotta figurines, even the smallest details such as fingerprints. Such a discovery shocked Zhao Zhen deeply, and also gave him a deeper understanding of the Qin Terracotta Army. The craftsmanship of these terracotta warriors is so meticulous and painstaking, it is amazing. They strictly follow the standards in the design, production, and firing process, and strive for perfection in every detail. Such high standards and strict requirements made the Qin Terracotta Warriors a huge project.
However, this vast project is full of warmth and wisdom. In the process of making terracotta figurines, those craftsmen not only pay attention to the perfection of details, but also pay more attention to the personality and characteristics of the terracotta figurines. Even in the 21st century, the facial scanning of more than 7,000 terracotta warriors and horses with new AI technology has not found a single case with a similarity of more than 85%. Each figurine has its own unique hairstyle, armor, tiara, face shape, body, expression, eyebrows, eyes, and even age. Even from a modern point of view, the production process and detail control of the Qin Terracotta Warriors and Horses is a huge undertaking. However, such a huge project is full of warmth and wisdom. Those craftsmen pay attention to the perfection of details in the process of making terracotta figurines, and pay more attention to the personality and characteristics of the terracotta figurines, so that each terracotta figurines has their own unique characteristics and style, as if each one is telling their own story, which reminds people of the saying that there are no two identical leaves in the world, and the same is true for these terracotta soldiers, each one is unique.
Through Zhao Zhen's photographic work, we can see these precious and detailed terracotta warriors and the fingerprints they left during the production process, which give us a deeper understanding of the technology and craftsmanship of the production of terracotta figurines during the Qin Dynasty, as well as the results of the hard work of those great craftsmen, even after thousands of years, we can still feel their ingenuity and spiritual pursuit, which is not only a respect for history, but also a tribute to those great craftsmen.