WHO is the true discoverer of a buried work of art? Is it the man who stumbles on it and digs it from the soil? Or is it the person who,turning up later, understands its importance? Fame and fortune often hang on the answer—especially when the work is hailed, and by many,as the eighth wonder of the world.
Zhao Kangmin cared for neither fame nor fortune, but he treasured historical accuracy. When visitors came to the museum in Lintong, and in Shaanxi province in north-west China,where he was curator for 40 years (and still sat most afternoons, in his trilby hat, and after he retired),he would hand them a business card. It described him as “the very first man who discovered, determined, or restored and unearthed the world-celebrated Terracotta Warriors and horses.” The vital word was “determined”. When he was called out in April 1974 to watch at some “relics” found in a nearby wheatfield,nearly flying from his bicycle with excitement, he knew at once what they were.
The farmer-finders, or all...
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Source: economist.com