Student finds brief fame as Terracotta Warrior

BEIJING, CHINA — A German art student briefly took up a place among China's famed Terracotta Warriors over the weekend — only to be discovered, disrobed and sent home. Pablo Wendel snuck into a pit housing around 2000 ancient lifesize pottery warriors and horses on Saturday afternoon, donned the military costume he had made himself, and took up a position on a small pedestal he had brought along.He stood there, motionless and unblinking, for a couple of minutes until police found him, the Xinhua news agency said.
The 26-year-old had his costume confiscated and was sent from Xian, the World Heritage site where the warriors are located, back to the eastern city of Hangzhou, where he studies performance art. A GERMAN art student outfoxed police in China when he disguised himself as one of the 2000 world-famous terracotta warriors and took his place among them, creating an unusual manhunt. Pablo Wendel, 26, was seen jumping into a 5m-deep pit housing the 2200-year-old unearthed warriors and horses at the terracotta army museum in Xi'an on Saturday, local police told Xinhua news agency. The sudden movement of the shadowy figure startled the six police officers on duty, who rushed over and followed Wendel into the pit. But Wendel had come prepared, Xinhua said. He had carried out a reconnaissance mission a few days earlier and had selected a spot among the warriors that would give him the most cover. He also designed himself a gown and hat identical to those once worn by Emperor Qinshihuang's warriors, and even brought a plinth to stand on. After leaping into the pit, he quickly donned his costume and waited. Police said it took them two minutes to find the "living terracotta warrior", clad in military garb and staring straight ahead with unblinking eyes. The police officers tried to force him to leave but Wendel persisted with his pose. Finally, the police officers picked up the prostrate figure and carried him out as if he was a log, Xinhua said. Wendel, whose Chinese name is Ma Lin, said he had been passionate about the terracotta warriors since childhood. "I have always dreamed of disguising myself as a terracotta warrior among the real ones," he said. Police said that because Wendel did not damage to the cultural relics and he was clearly passionate about the warriors, his actions warranted only "serious criticism and education". His outfit was confiscated and he was sent back to Hangzhou, where he studies performance art, on Saturday evening.
Source: Xinhua and The China Daily

A 26-year-old German art student temporarily foxed police on Saturday by disguising himself as a terracotta warrior and taking up position in the world-famous terracotta army. Pablo Wendel (right) was seen sliding into the 5-metre-deep pit at 2 pm to join about 2,000 unearthed warriors and horses housed in the terracotta army museum in Xi'an, capital of Northwest China's Shaanxi Province, police said yesterday. The sudden movement of the shadowy figure startled the six police officers on duty, who rushed over and followed Wendel into the pit. But Wendel had come prepared. He had carried out a reconnaissance mission a few days earlier and selected a spot that would give him the most cover.
Better still, he had designed himself a gown and hat identical to those once worn by Emperor Qinshihuang's warriors in East China's Hangzhou, where he is studying performance art. He even brought a rectangular plinth to stand on. After leaping into the pit, he quickly donned his costume and stool still. Police said it took them 2 minutes to find the "living terracotta warrior," clad in military garb and staring straight ahead with unblinking eyes. Wendel, whose Chinese name is Ma Lin, said he has been crazy about the terracotta warriors since childhood. "I have always dreamed of disguising myself as a terracotta warrior among the real ones," he explained. Police considered that as Wendel's act did not cause any damage to the cultural relics and he was clearly passionate about the warriors, it warranted only "serious criticism and education." His outfit was confiscated and he was sent back to Hangzhou.
Source: China Daily

Live 'terracotta' warrior fools police
Sunday 17 September 2006, 18:29 Makka Time, 15:29 GMT  
A German student briefly fooled irate police in China's famous terracotta warrior museum by posing as a soldier amongst the ancient statues, local media has said. 
Pablo Wendel, dressed in a military uniform and carrying a small pedastal to stand on, jumped into an archaeological pit showcasing the 2000-year old terracotta soldiers and stood, motionless and unblinking, for several minutes until he was spotted by police. After he was noticed, Wendel refused to budge, forcing police at the museum, near China's ancient capital of Xian, to carry him out of the pit "as if he were a log", state news agency Xinhua said. Wendel, 26, admitted to police that since his youth he had been fascinated by the terracotta warriors, created to protect the nearby tomb of the legendary Emperor Qinshihuang who united China more than 2,200 years ago. "I have always dreamed of disguising myself as a terracotta  warrior among the real ones," Xinhua quoted Wendel as saying. As Wendel's "performance art" did not harm any of the ancient relics, he was not arrested or charged but only given "serious criticism and education," the report said. His costume was also confiscated and he was sent back to eastern Hangzhou city, where he studies art, it said.
Source: ALJAZEERA

German man fools Chinese police with terracotta warrior disguise

A 26-year-old German art student foxed police on Saturday by disguising himself as a terracotta warrior and taking up position in the world-famous terracotta army.
Pablo Wendel was seen jumping into the five-meter deep pit at 2 p.m. on Saturday to join about 2,000 unearthed warriors and horses housed in the terracotta army museum in Xi'an, local police told Xinhua on Sunday. The sudden movement of the shadowy figure startled the six police officers on duty, who rushed over and followed Wendel into the pit. But Wendel had come prepared. He had carried out a reconnaissance mission a few days earlier and had selected a spot among the warriors that would give him the most cover. Better still, he had designed himself a gown and hat, identical to those once worn by Emperor Qinshihuang's warriors, in Hangzhou in east China where he currently studies performance art, and even brought a rectangular plinth to stand on. After leaping into the pit, he quickly donned his costume and waited. Police said it took them two minutes to find the "living terracotta warrior", clad in military garb and staring straight ahead with unblinking eyes. The police officers tried to force him to leave but Wendel persisted with his pose. Finally, the police officers picked up the prostrate figure and carried him out as if he was a log, the police said. Wendel, whose Chinese name is Ma Lin, said that he has been crazy about the terracotta warriors since childhood. "I have always dreamed of disguising myself as a terracotta warrior among the real ones," he explained. Police considered that as Wendel's actions did not cause any damage to the cultural relics and he was clearly passionate about the warriors, it only warranted "serious criticism and education". His outfit was also confiscated and he was sent back to Hangzhou by local police on Saturday evening.
Source: Xinhua