The structure and formation of corrosion found on the colored bronze birds excavated from the Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum, and the soil associated with birds from the site, were analyzed by scanning electron microscopeenergy dispersive Xray (SEMEDS), Xray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF), metallographic analysis, ion chromatography (IC) and other instruments. The results show that high humidity, fire and the intentional destruction of the burial environment by human beings are very likely to have been the major causes of the high degree of mineralization of the original metals. Some mineralized parts are stable powdered corrosion products, which are different from the traditional harmful rust. In the samples with dendritic microstructures, the α phase tended to be corroded prior to the eutectoid, while the corrosion starts from grain boundaries to heated grains. The formation of lamellar corrosion is considered to arise from dissolution of cuprite followed by formation of malachite in suitable environments.