The Qin bronze chariot or (秦銅車馬) is a two-piece Qin dynasty

Qin Dynasty

The Qin Dynasty was the first imperial dynasty of China, lasting from 221 to 207 BC. The Qin state derived its name from its heartland of Qin, in modern-day Shaanxi. The strength of the Qin state was greatly increased by the legalist reforms of Shang Yang in the 4th century BC, during the Warring...

 bronze

Bronze

Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...

 artifact. The first piece "bronze chariot one" (一號銅車馬) consist of a driver with two seats in the chariot with a bronze umbrella. The second piece "bronze chariot two" (二號銅車馬) is a separate carriage. Both are about 50% the size of a real horse. The chariot was unearthed in 1980 at the Qin Shi Huang

Qin Shi Huang

Qin Shi Huang , personal name Ying Zheng , was king of the Chinese State of Qin from 246 BC to 221 BC during the Warring States Period. He became the first emperor of a unified China in 221 BC...

 mausoleum. It is one of 64 designated historical artifacts that can never leave Chinese soil.

When the artifact was first found, it was in broken pieces. It took five years to restore both the chariots together. Today the chariot is stored at the "Museum of the Terracotta Warriors and Horses of Qin Shi Huang" (秦始皇兵馬俑博物館) in Shaanxi

Shaanxi

' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...

. In 2010 the piece was showcased at the Shanghai Expo as an exhibit inside the China Pavilion building.