Xi'an is full of great archaeological sites, but the main reason people go there is to see the famed Army of Terracotta Warriors. This 2000-year old collection of statues and relics was discovered by farmers in 1974 and is believed to be the guards of an ancient royal cemetery. It took about an hour (by bus) to get there from downtown Xi'an, but was well worth the trip. When we arrived, I was immediately impressed by the site's presentation. I hadn't expected each pit to be covered by its own museum, but the fact that it was made it that much easier (and pleasant) to view.
Pit 1 is the main site and is housed in a well-lit building that seems about the length of three (or more) NFL football fields. Upon entering, you're immediately impressed with the enormity of it all.
There are a lot of impressive things about these statues including the fact that each one has unique facial expression and that most of them survived despite being buried for over twenty centuries. Also, each one carried its own weapon, but those were not on display for us to see.
Towards the back of Pit 1 stands another whole army of statues that have been reconstructed.
Pit 2 was too dark to take any decent photos, but it is unique because there is still some digging going on there. Most of what you can see are remains of a distant past, but it did have a few statues on display (behind glass - sorry for the glare) so one can see what the guys look like up close. These included this calvary man and his horse...
A pair of officers...
And two archers.
Over at Pit 3, you'll find still more warriors and remains (but only about 60 or so). While not as impressive as the first Pit, the last two are still fascinating to see and makes one wonder what other treasure remain buried at the site.
Towards the end, there are a few places to get a cheesy picture taken with replicas of some of the warriors. I am including it here to illustrate just how difficult it is to get five people to pose nicely for the same photo.
The Army of Terracotta Warriors is not just one of the must-see sites in all of China, but perhaps in all of the world, especially if you have an interest in archeology and ancient history. I for one am glad we made it the final trip on our world tour.
Pit 1 is the main site and is housed in a well-lit building that seems about the length of three (or more) NFL football fields. Upon entering, you're immediately impressed with the enormity of it all.
There are a lot of impressive things about these statues including the fact that each one has unique facial expression and that most of them survived despite being buried for over twenty centuries. Also, each one carried its own weapon, but those were not on display for us to see.
Towards the back of Pit 1 stands another whole army of statues that have been reconstructed.
Pit 2 was too dark to take any decent photos, but it is unique because there is still some digging going on there. Most of what you can see are remains of a distant past, but it did have a few statues on display (behind glass - sorry for the glare) so one can see what the guys look like up close. These included this calvary man and his horse...
A pair of officers...
And two archers.
Over at Pit 3, you'll find still more warriors and remains (but only about 60 or so). While not as impressive as the first Pit, the last two are still fascinating to see and makes one wonder what other treasure remain buried at the site.
Towards the end, there are a few places to get a cheesy picture taken with replicas of some of the warriors. I am including it here to illustrate just how difficult it is to get five people to pose nicely for the same photo.
The Army of Terracotta Warriors is not just one of the must-see sites in all of China, but perhaps in all of the world, especially if you have an interest in archeology and ancient history. I for one am glad we made it the final trip on our world tour.
1 comment:
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