While President Obama traveled to China this week for his first state visit, the National Geographic Society threw a party to celebrate some special visitors to Washington—15 ancient, life-size terra cotta figures from the famed tomb of Qin Shihuangdi, part of the museum’s new exhibition "Terra Cotta Warriors: Guardians of China’s First Emperor." The 250 guests who attended the UPS and P.F. Chang’s-sponsored opening reception on Tuesday evening got the opportunity to tour the exhibit before it opened to the public on November 19.
To transform the museum’s cafeteria—the gala venue—into something more elegant, National Geographic manager of special events Rita Dooley gathered inspiration by reading books and watching films about Qin Dynasty-era China. “The images in the films were absolutely gorgeous, the fabrics, colors, and textures,” she said.
To recreate the opulent looks, Dooley covered the cafeteria’s five massive pillars with gold and red fabric. She also purchased a tent to add more space to the event’s footprint, dubbed it “The Emperor’s Lounge,” and recruited her son and some volunteers to drape fabric along the ceiling.
Local restaurants Mie N Yu, TenPehn, Hong Kong Palace, and P.F. Chang’s donated the food, dishing up Asian delicacies and terra cotta warrior-inspired drinks, like Asia Nine’s “210 B.C.” cocktail, made with rum and peach puree and named after the last year of Emperor Qin Shihuangdi’s rule. A Teaism tea station offered a variety of hot teas from China.
But it was dessert that really got guests’ attention: The Food Network’s Ace of Cakes baker Duff Goldman of Baltimore’s Charm City Bakery made an appearance to cut a piece out of the shoulder of his three-foot-tall terra cotta warrior replica cake, with camera crew in tow filming for an episode of the show, slated to air in April.
China's minister and deputy chief of mission in Washington, Xie Feng filled in for Chinese ambassador Zhou Wenzhong, who was supposed to co-host the event but had to be in China for Obama’s visit. During his remarks, Feng invited the president to visit the exhibit, since he wasn’t able to see the emperor’s tomb during his trip to China.
