Day 4: Terracotta Warriors
Day 4 started with a lie in as we weren’t meeting until 8.15pm; it was bliss!
After our visit to the centre, we got back on the bus for another 15 minutes before arriving at the Museum of the Terracotta Warriors and Horses. The site was discovered by local farmers but they had no idea what it was; at first they thought it was something evil and covered it back up. They also thought that the authorities may destroy it as this was normal practice during this time. Word spread locally and a journalist published a story about it, the government found out and thankfully wanted to preserve and excavate. The farmer, Mr Yang, who owned the site and dug the well is now considered to be responsible for one of the most significant archaeological discoveries of the 20th Century. Mr Yang is also considered a hero. There are over 7000 soldiers, horses and haricots on the site which are built in life-size form; it was built by around 720,000 workers and designed by Emperor Qin Shi Huang to defend himself in the afterlife. It cost a 1/3rd of the GDP of the country during its construction!
There is now a huge museum complex covering the 3 pits. Pit 1 has the biggest collection and this is the one that is always shown in the media at home. Pit 2 has not been fully excavated yet but there have been many discoveries. Pit 3 is the only fully excavated pit on the land. There are also another 600 satellite pits which hold lots of different bits and pieces (e.g animal bones) also for the afterlife. As I said previously, we bought a general and a kneeling archer but there are also horses, cavalrymen, infantrymen, chariot drivers, standing archers and other lower-ranking officers. Originally the figures were painted but most of the colour has flaked off and faded. Any newly discovered statue is still painted but only last a few days in open air before disappearing. They hope to find a way to preserve it in future. We visited pit 1 before going for lunch on the complex; we then visited pit 2 and pit 3 after lunch. Here are some of the photos that we took which hopefully give you a better idea of the scale of the site. Another interesting fact is that the tombs location was kept secret, but competing warlords shortly after the emperors death each tried to find it. Each terracotta warrior had real weapons in their hands. One army found it and stole them all! The emperors tomb location is also known but analysis show rivers of mercury (and who knows what else) so it has remained sealed until they are sure they can preserve it and it is safe.
After our visit to the warriors, we boarded the bus to go back to the city. It was another hours drive before we got to the “small wild goose pagoda” and Iain got to chime a bell in the gardens 3 times for luck.
Dinner was a traditional Shui Jiao dumpling banquet on the third floor of the theatre we went to on our arrival in the city; after the food we were due to see a performance of Tang Dynasty dancing. We had a huge selection of dumplings and soup in the centre of the table on the lazy Susan, we were all stuffed by the time we were finished.
After the show, we all headed back to the hotel. As we were leaving early the next day, we had to hand over our cases that evening so Tony could send them off to the airport. It was a late night packing and repacking before bed; fingers crossed my jewellery box and the Terracotta Warriors make it!
We had breakfast in the hotel before boarding the bus to go to the sit of the Terracotta Warriors. Breakfast was again a mixture of Chinese and western food but I didn’t eat too much given we were going on the bus for hour; travel sickness is a pain, at least I only get it on buses!
After driving for 1 hour plus, we reached our first destination, the Xi`an Art Ceramics and Lacquer Exhibition Centre. The guide in the centre explained all about the special clay used to build the warriors and how it is now in short supply. We bought a couple of the warriors, the General and a kneeling archer which symbolises luck (he was the only unbroken piece to be unearthed!). We were also shown lacquer furniture and various other bits and pieces; I loved the jewellery boxes so Iain bought me one for my birthday; only problem now is trying to get it home in one piece!
After our visit to the centre, we got back on the bus for another 15 minutes before arriving at the Museum of the Terracotta Warriors and Horses. The site was discovered by local farmers but they had no idea what it was; at first they thought it was something evil and covered it back up. They also thought that the authorities may destroy it as this was normal practice during this time. Word spread locally and a journalist published a story about it, the government found out and thankfully wanted to preserve and excavate. The farmer, Mr Yang, who owned the site and dug the well is now considered to be responsible for one of the most significant archaeological discoveries of the 20th Century. Mr Yang is also considered a hero. There are over 7000 soldiers, horses and haricots on the site which are built in life-size form; it was built by around 720,000 workers and designed by Emperor Qin Shi Huang to defend himself in the afterlife. It cost a 1/3rd of the GDP of the country during its construction!
There is now a huge museum complex covering the 3 pits. Pit 1 has the biggest collection and this is the one that is always shown in the media at home. Pit 2 has not been fully excavated yet but there have been many discoveries. Pit 3 is the only fully excavated pit on the land. There are also another 600 satellite pits which hold lots of different bits and pieces (e.g animal bones) also for the afterlife. As I said previously, we bought a general and a kneeling archer but there are also horses, cavalrymen, infantrymen, chariot drivers, standing archers and other lower-ranking officers. Originally the figures were painted but most of the colour has flaked off and faded. Any newly discovered statue is still painted but only last a few days in open air before disappearing. They hope to find a way to preserve it in future. We visited pit 1 before going for lunch on the complex; we then visited pit 2 and pit 3 after lunch. Here are some of the photos that we took which hopefully give you a better idea of the scale of the site. Another interesting fact is that the tombs location was kept secret, but competing warlords shortly after the emperors death each tried to find it. Each terracotta warrior had real weapons in their hands. One army found it and stole them all! The emperors tomb location is also known but analysis show rivers of mercury (and who knows what else) so it has remained sealed until they are sure they can preserve it and it is safe.
After our visit to the warriors, we boarded the bus to go back to the city. It was another hours drive before we got to the “small wild goose pagoda” and Iain got to chime a bell in the gardens 3 times for luck.
We then went into a studio to learn calligraphy; unfortunately I wasn’t very good at it so we bought a piece with my name on it instead!
After the calligraphy lesson, we visited the Muslim Quarter; it is a vibrant area and the hub of the Muslim community. The streets are lined with food stalls and shops but certainly not for those with a queezy disposition. It was an interesting experience but after seeing chicken feet, goats hooves and carcasses all over the place, even I wasn’t particularly looking forward to dinner.
Dinner was a traditional Shui Jiao dumpling banquet on the third floor of the theatre we went to on our arrival in the city; after the food we were due to see a performance of Tang Dynasty dancing. We had a huge selection of dumplings and soup in the centre of the table on the lazy Susan, we were all stuffed by the time we were finished.
After dinner, we went to the lower level of the theatre to watch the show. We were sitting right at the front which became slightly disconcerting when they were dancing around with spears in front of me. The show was really enjoyable and talked about the Dragon Lady, Empress Dowager Cixi and her ascent to power from the Emperors concubine at age 14 to becoming the first wife of the emperor, eventually ascending the throne when he died.
After the show, we all headed back to the hotel. As we were leaving early the next day, we had to hand over our cases that evening so Tony could send them off to the airport. It was a late night packing and repacking before bed; fingers crossed my jewellery box and the Terracotta Warriors make it!
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