Xi'an- Tombs and Warriors

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No longer in the lap of luxury, I have moved up stix to the old home of the 8th cohort in Xi'an, now called the Seven Sages youth hostel. It's clean and very primative, with a laid back attitude. Just my style. Already met two girls here from south of here, Yolanda and Thereese, who speak cantonese and a tiny bit of English and Mandarin. So we stutter a bit but are bonded in our love of a good giggle and Muslim food.

We set off to see the Qin Tomb and the Terracotta warriors, a UNESCO world heritage site. The bus- air conditioned, the roads- bad, the heat- insane, the sights- breathtaking.

The Terracotta Army was buried with the Emperor of Qin in 210 BC. Their purpose was to help rule another empire with Shi Huangdi in the afterlife. Consequently, they are also sometimes referred to as "Qin's Armies". Construction of this mausoleum began in 246 BC and is believed to have taken 700,000 workers and craftsmen 38 years to complete. Qin Shi Huangdi was interred inside the tomb complex upon his death in 210 BC. According to the Grand Historian Sima Qian, the First Emperor was buried alongside great amounts of treasure and objects of craftsmanship, as well as a scale replica of the universe complete with gemmed ceilings representing the cosmos, and flowing mercury representing the great earthly bodies of water.

The Terracotta Army was discovered in March 1974 by local farmers drilling a water well to the east of Mount Lishan. I met one of the men who found it at a booth inside the exibit, and he said it was so surprising to him to find it that he fell over. As you can see by the pictures, I did a bit as well. Each warrior has hsi own distinct featues and details, and many were re constructed by the archaeologists that excavated the three chambers.

This was the highlight of my time in China. There was nothing to compare what I saw- the scale was so vast and the sheer number of figures and the many man hours they represented of work awed me. Until a tiny Chinese lady whacked me with her bag to move it, then the dream was over.

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Photos

Setting out for the day!
Two friends I met at the hostel Yolanda, and Threesa...the only Chinese one I have ever met here!

Qin Tomb Steps up
The Tomb is under the hill where you walk and remains un excavated.

What a view!
The Tomb climb is worth the haul.

Me in a rare photo
The two Ts!!! Man,I am super sweaty.

Entrance to the Qin Warriors
This is the Qin Emperor who had the tomb built for himself.