16. Terra Cotta Warriors, Immortal Guardians of Qin Shi Huang's Tomb


Xi'an - Qin Shi Huang's warriors

Day 13

Again on the bus, we visited a factory where terra cotta warrior statues are made. One can buy an army of these authentic-looking warriors in sizes from six inches to six feet here. Shipping costs will kill you! 

In the back of this factory, girls were weaving magnificent silk rugs. As long as eighteen months might be required to weave one of the more detailed rugs.

In another part of the building, a girl was painting brightly colored raised figures and florals on furniture lacquered in black. In still another section, there were beautiful hand-made vases, bowls, silk garments, jewelry, dolls, etc.

Terra Cotta statues are made here

Not far from this factory, we stopped for lunch. It was very nice ... but still no pizza.

In 246 BC, a 13-year-old prince inherited the throne of the Qin (say ching) Kingdom. His next 25 years were spent in ruthless and savage wars, in which he unified all of China for the first time in history. He proclaimed himself Qin Shi Huang Di, the first Emperor of feudal China. Following him, there would be a long chain of emperors until the fall of Imperial Dynasties in 1912.

Although Qin Shi Huang Di ruled ruthlessly, he had remarkable foresight and talent. He declared a unified code of law, standardized currency, weights and measures and even concerned himself with such incidental details as standard widths of wagon and chariot axles. 

Despite his power and his contributions, he lived in fear, being the target of several assassination attempts. Obsessed with his immortality, Qin Shi Huang Di put to work as many as 720,000 laborers for 39 years to build an underground palace were he could spend eternity.

This imperial mausoleum, the largest in China, covered over 56 square kilometers. The complex was reported to have a river of flowing mercury, jewels and other treasures buried within, guarded by traps including trigger-releasing arrows. Not much remains of the tomb itself, however the most dramatic find was outside its walls.

In 1974 a group of peasants digging a well, made a startling discovery -- a life-sized terra cotta warrior. Subsequent excavations uncovered much more.

After lunch we drove past the site of Qin Shi Huang's Tomb to visit this find - now largely under roof in the Terra Cotta Warrior Museum. This is the largest archeological finding in the world, now called the Eighth Wonder of the World. The tomb of Qin Shi Huang is about one mile from here. 

The Terra Cotta Warrior Museum

The area of the diggings covers 56.25 square kilometers. There is said to have been more than 6,000 soldiers plus horses and chariots buried here. Each life-sized statue is totally unique. The entourage includes infantryman, archers, warriors in full armor, generals, along with teams of horses and chariots. Their wooden weapons have long since deteriorated.

The official word on Qin Shi Huang's Warriors

Xi'an - Qin Shi Huang's warriors

There is just no way to describe this, so we purchased a video and a book. We were in this museum more than two hours and it was worth every minute.

The parking lot was more than 500 feet from the gated entrance to the Museum. Along the road, there were numerous shops. The road was separated from the shops by planting areas and sidewalks. 

As we walked on the road back to the bus, we were met by many peddlers, mostly women. It seemed that each one would select a potential customer, walk up to him or her and offer to sell one item of several available. As they walked, often with the peddlers hand on the shoulder of the customer, they would negotiate the price. It is an 'unwritten law' that a customer does not make an offer to buy at any price unless a purchase is eminent. Bill lied to his peddler, saying that his wife, who remained at the hotel, did not trust him with money.

We had never heard of Xi'an before this tour. Already, we have seen much here that we will never forget. And there's more to come!

We had lunch in this fine restaurant

She was our very excellent waitress


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