The bronze chariots uncovered from the west side of the First Emperor’s (259-210 BCE) tomb are believed to be his spirit vehicles. As such, they are expected to ferry his postmortem spirit to heaven. However, mysteries abound about them. Unlike the famous terracotta warriors to the east—life-size and marching in military formation—the chariots are only half as large and face the opposite direction. Were chariots and terracotta army meant to be in sync with each other? How do the bronze chariots and horses differ from life-size chariots and horses buried across the mausoleum complex? Where were they headed for?

Following the lecture, we invite you to a reception and an introduction to our immersive lab space, featuring the CAMLab Cave Fall 2025 installations: Cave Dance, Embodied Architecture, and Shadow Cave.

This lecture inaugurates the Symposium Series “Making and Unmaking Value I — Transformations Through Time,” kicking off a multi-year cross-disciplinary collaborative project, “Metals, Minerals, and the Life Cycle,” which traces the evolving value and significance of materials throughout history.