The accompanying burial pit K9901 is situated in the southeast of the territory within the outer walls of the Qin Shi Huangdi mausoleum garden and occupies an area of 700 sq m. A trial excavation in a part of it was carried out by the Qin Shl Huangdi Mausoleum Archaeological Team in May—June 1999. The pit is a typical earthen-and-wooden gallery-shaped underground structure, the wooden part of which was destroyed by fire shortly after the completion of the building. The astonishing finds from the trial excavation are a huge bronze ding and eleven terra-cotta figures of acrobats. The ding is a double-eared tripod with exquisite designs on the ears, belly and leg-bases, weighs 212kg and must have been an important ritual vessel in the ancestral temple of the royal family. The terra-cotta acrobats are yielded from the third passage pit. Dressed in short skirts and being in various postures, they represent different acrobatic performances and provide valuable material for studying entertainment culture in the Qin palace and the history of Chinese acrobatics.
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