He Xiping was bewildered to find himself participating in an imperial ceremony of the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-24 AD), while visiting the newly opened Hanyangling Museum in Xi'an, capital of Northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

The Xi'an resident was at the museum on the first day of its public opening on March 31, when a historical scene was recreated using advanced imaging techniques. "It was very vivid and interesting," he said.

Located some 20 kilometres west from Xi'an, the exhibition hall, believed to be one of the largest underground museums in the country, covers an area of 7,800 square metres. It features a number of advanced technologies used to exhibit cultural relics, according to Wu Xiaocong, curator of the museum.

The illusory image witnessed by He brought together four historical episodes dating back to the Western Han Dynasty, one of the most prosperous periods in Chinese history. They gave visitors the feeling of going back in time, the curator said.

"The technologies used pose no harm to the relics," said Li Juxi, relics protection expert with the Shaanxi Archaeology Research Institute.

Hanyangling, or the Hanyang Tomb is the Mausoleum of Liu Qi (188 -141 BC), the fourth emperor of the Western Han Dynasty, and his queen. It was built in 153 BC. This site is a relics site under State protection and one of the hot tourism destinations in the region.

Since 1990, Chinese archaeologists have been making a survey and a few excavations at the site reveal that the total area of the emperor's cemetery is about 12 square kilometre. It comprises the tombs of the emperor and the queen, burial pits, temples and memorial buildings, said Zhao Rong, deputy director of Shaanxi Provincial Administration of Cultural Heritage.

The 190 burial pits are all of varying sizes. Findings in the 81 pits around the royal tombs reveal the archaeological importance of the site.

In 1998, excavations in 10 of the 81 outside pits began. Archaeologists unearthed various kinds of pottery figures of government officials, warriors, male and female aides, ceramic models and domestic animals, wooden chariots and horses, articles of daily use and weapons," said Wu Xiaocong.

"The figurines found in the pits are only one third the actual sizes different from the life-sized terracotta warriors and horses discovered in the pits of Emperor Qinshihuang tomb," Wu said.

"And the expression of the figurines unearthed from the two places is also different. The expression on Qin warriors is serious, in preparation for war, while the expression on Han's figurines is a smiling one, reflecting a period of abundance," Wu added.

In order to better protect the ancient cemetery and unearthed relics, the provincial government mapped out an area for protection and tourism development on September 30, 1999. The Hanyangling Museum is now complete and open to the public.

The museum comprising 1,400 square metres of exhibition space, lies next to the emperor's tomb and displays 1,770 pieces of relics unearthed from the outside pits, Wu said.

Construction of the museum began in August 2004, with approval by the State Administration of Cultural Heritage and some 100 million yuan (US$12.3 million) in investment.

"As the pits planned to be covered are close to the emperor's mausoleum, which is the most important part in the cemetery, the hall will be built underground to keep the cemetery style unchanged," Wu said.

The roofs of the pits will comprise large span, pre-stressed cross beams. They will be covered with grass and trees. Wu said: "It is the first time that modern pre-stressed technology is being used for big ruins protection in China."

The steel frame structure was found unsuitable as it did not accord with the cemetery's surroundings and was also likely to rust in the moist environment, the curator said.

Glass corridors allow visitors to the museum to enjoy multiple perspectives of the relics. The glass panels are also treated to bear more than three tons of weight.

Source:China Daily