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Today was the day I checked one of my big to do's off my list - The Terracotta Warriors! This one is dedicated to JZ, whom which I have spent many a Sunday's roaming Toronto looking at Terracotta replicas. I found Tour Bus #306. This was again an adventure as it involved taking a local public bus to the train station and the locating this tour bus. People were not of great assistance in helping me locate the bus at all! Instead of simply refusing to direct me in the direction of the bus, some people tried to offer me other "discount" buses, or even to drive me themselves in their van or car for money. Needless to say I knew that all I could trust was that the hostel told me #306 went to The Warriors. I found the bus.
I think I had a set image in my mind as to what I would see when we arrived and it turned out to be all that and so much more. I did not know that there was more than one pit, nor did I know that they were still actively uncovering the warriors. The pictures speak for themselves. I
The Ruins
Look closely and you can see the warriors embedded in the dirt.was AMAZED.
I entered Pit #2 first which is the pit that they have not yet fully uncovered. At first I just saw a massive sand box and then upon closer examination I saw heads of warriors, legs of warriors, chariots and hooves of horses peering through the sand. The archeology teams here dig up the warriors very slowly, removing each grain of sand, to expose the crumbled ruins of this mind boggling masterpiece. Then they take the shattered pieces and assemble the warriors further up the pit. Once completed they return the warrior to it's proper place where it was found. It seems simple, but I am sure a warrior takes months if not years. There is no hodge podge filling in of missing pieces with new terracotta. Every piece is located to put it back together again. Look carefully and you will see, that it really is true, no two warriors are alike. Every body, every face unique. Some are thin, some a little hefty, there was even a frail priest who stood behind the front line of warriors. The second pit was great because you get to see the process, as well as the effect that time,
The Terracotta Horses
I fell in love with the horses...... A LONG time had on these buried structures. You get to see half assembled warriors, missing an arm or a leg or even a head, still lost within the ruins.
Pit #1 is the one we have all seen pictures of. Warriors lined up perfectly in a row, one after the other, THOUSANDS! Literally! The magnitude of these ruins are mind boggling. Each soldier in a specific outfit, hairstyle and height according to rank. I will never forget the climate in the pits as well. Tightly controlled temperature, humidity etc. I snapped one photo after another, well over a hundred by the time I was finished.
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James
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Loving your Blog
Hey Monk, Very much enjoying your blog entries. Keep them coming. So jealous you got to see the Terracotta Warriors!! Lots of love JZ