Have you ever been to a Chinese museum? 
 Reading this book will give you a brief taste of what it is like. We visited the exhibit "China's First Emperor and His Terracotta Warriors" at the Field Museum of Chicago. "This exhibition was organized by The Field Museum in partnership with the Shaanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau, Shaanxi Cultural Heritage Promotion Center, and Emperor Qin Shihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum of the People's Republic of China" (from the Field Museum website). In the exhibit book store, we noted this book, and later purchased it at a reduced price from Amazon. 
 Written by a Westerner named William Lindesay and based on "an archaeological text provided by Guo Baofa, Director of Preservation & Conservation Department, Museum of Terracotta Warriors and Horses of Qin Shihaungdi," this work is part of "The Genius of China: A Close-Up Guide" series, an ambitious project which is envisioned to contain "over 100 individual aspects of China and its peoples, past and present," but only currently boasts 6 titles. 
 Beautiful images of the terracotta warriors, horses and chariots abound testifying to the fascinating history involved. A chronology of Chinese history on the back book jacket helps one to put both the army and its discovery into perspective. A helpful map of China details the provincial arrangements and location of Xi'an where the army was discovered. 
 However, pages later, the text refers to cities not articulated on the map. 
 The first 8 pages discuss indisputable history of Qin Shihuangdi's greatness in unifying the powerful Chinese states into one country. Following pages talk about the mysteries of Qin Shihuangdi's mausoleum, which the Chinese government has not attempted to open out of equal parts concern for it's preservation and fear of it's historically professed dangers. On page 12, we arrive at the army whose numbers, organization, and anticipated glories (though not yet excavated) are detailed pit by pit. Page 16 contains a layout error where a photo bleeds over text, forcing the reader to piece together the majority of a paragraph. Page 19 begins the summary of how the pits were constructed and later looted and destroyed. Finally, in page 23, we learn that each warrior is unique and have a short paragraph on the accomplishments of the artisans in fashioning each type of sculpture: soldiers, officers, calvaryman, archers, infantry. 2 paragraphs are devoted to the incredible process of molding and painting the figures. 2 paragraphs on page 27 detail all the weapons uncovered. Page 27 and following discuss bronze chariots and horses. The book closes with "The Mystery of Pit Number Four," an intriguing story that is referenced earlier in the text. 
 After 40 years of excavation this wonder of the ancient world, parts of which are on a world tour, this book, first published in 1998, is on it's fourth printing. Yet, the information has not been updated with any new findings and "excavations [of Pit 2] are at a very early stage." Additionally, the ambitious project of which it is a part (The Genius of China: A Close-Up Guide) has likewise stalled out after only 6 of over 100 titles. 
 Therefore, you have a colorful, dated, and very safe, accounting of Chinese archaeology at the site of Xi'an. The photographic images are superb. The long titles and impressive numbers are all in order, and the immense 20 year time gap indicates they have all been confirmed. Certain omissions and mysteries are discussed in ways that heighten respect for China's culture both past and present. And yet, the information is rather dry, somehow boring in it's lack of intellectual curiosity, a "nothing to see here" experience. The layout is of a high standard, except where it makes the text illegible or fails to give perspective to the text it is intended to illuminate. The translation by a Westerner is adequate, yet almost serves to obscure connection between the English reader and China. And the reader attentive to the subtitles, or trying to gain the wisdom to attend to the illusive peculiarities of Chinese culture, will see the marks of a cautious government approved report from a country that doesn't like to go on the record - even as they highlight their contributions to the world. 
 Just like a Chinese museum.