Museum of Luoyang Eastern Zhou Royal Horse and Chariot Pits

The Museum of Luoyang Eastern Zhou Royal Horse and Chariot Pits is seated under the Eastern Zhou Imperial City Square, on the original site of the ancient capital of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty (770 – 256 B.C.). The museum has two exhibition halls. One houses a one-of-a-kind chariot with the skeletons of six horses lying in front of it, which was exclusive to emperors according to historical materials. The other one presents the profiles of the imperial city and other cultural relics of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty.     

Museum of Luoyang Eastern Zhou Royal Horse and Chariot Pits

The Pit Buried with Eastern Zhou Royal Horse and Chariot

The first exhibition is divided into four parts. The first part is a huge picture showing the locations of the five ancient capitals in Luoyang; visitors can have an overall knowledge of the imperial city by viewing the second part; the process and results of the excavation of the imperial mausoleum can be witnessed in the third part; and the fourth part exhibits numerous historical relics of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, such as potteries and bronze wares.
 The second exhibition is the most distinctive place in the Museum of Luoyang Eastern Zhou Royal Horse and Chariot Pits with two pits on display, among which the northern one is worth careful admiration. This one is the largest pit among all pits discovered in Luoyang, with a length of 42.6 meters (46.6 yards) and a width of 7.4 meters (8.1 yards). The remnants of chariots form into two rows, while the remains of a number of dogs are scattered in the pit. Among them, the relic of the emperor’s carriage drawn by six horses is regarded as the most important highlight. It is said that only emperors could enjoy such a luxurious treatment. It is the world’s only site to demonstrate the carriage fleet of the emperor over 2,200 years ago. This pit presents the furious scene of animal sacrifices.

If you want to know more about the chariot pits of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, there is a branch museum 500 meters (550 yards) away from the Museum of Luoyang Eastern Zhou Royal Horse and Chariot Pits. You can see three carriages and ten horses in the two adjoining chariot pits. There is a six-horse chariot in the southern pit that is different from the one in the main site, with two horses lying in front of another four. This kind of arrangement is rarely seen in other sacrificial pits in China.Take bus line 4, K5, 36, K40, 48, K50, 52, K56, 77, 81, 98, and 103, and get off at Wangcheng Guangchang Station to find the main site. Walk westwards along West Tanggong Road for 500 meters (550 yards) to the branch site. 
 

Admission Fee	The main site: CNY 30; Free for children under 1.4 meters (4.6 feet) The branch site: CNY 10 Join ticket : CNY 35
Opening Hours	8:30 – 18:30