Illustration: Peter C. Espina
Thanks to high technology, the terracotta warriors can now speak! According to Chengdu Business Daily, almost 90 terracotta warriors at the No.1 pit of the Museum of Terracotta Warriors and Horses of Emperor Qin Shihuang (259-210 BC) in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province have been installed with intelligent chips. This is the first time that high technology has been implemented in the terracotta warriors. These intelligent chips can inform museum managers of the surroundings and exact location of each warrior. If unauthorized people get close, they can send signals to the museum's monitoring system so that any theft can be prevented. Even when these terracotta warriors are displayed in other museums, the chips can still work. In the future, these intelligent chips are also expected to replace tour guides. With this technology, travelers would be able to learn more information about the excavation process and historical background of a particular terracotta warrior than is currently available on museum placards.