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Published: September 1st 2016
No, I am not in China at the moment but as I indicated earlier, by writing this I am simply responding to requests to write about this past trip and which follows my earlier blogs "Shanghai, China - redefining modern" and "Yangtze River Cruise - bending water and the mind". So, here it is. We were strongly advised by friends who had previously traveled to China, not to visit without seeing the
Terracotta Army. Taking their advice, we found a tour that included a visit to
Xi'an and to the
mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China. In 1974 farmers in China who were digging a well for water, came across strange objects buried under the ground. What they discovered and which today is a
UNESCO World Heritage site, was the funerary art buried with the Emperor (
to protect him in the afterlife) and which is the focus of this blog.
The figures, dating from approximately the late third century BCE, vary in height according to their roles, with the tallest being the generals. The figures include warriors,
chariots and horses. Their weapons have of course long since disintegrated with time. Estimates from 2007 were that
Our beautiful hotel in Xi'an.
Marble is extensively used in the modern hotels we stayed at. There is Gee at the counter (white pants).the three pits containing the
Terracotta Army held more than 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses and 150 cavalry horses, the majority of which remained buried in the pits nearby
Qin Shi Huang's mausoleum, which in itself was a most impressive site to visit
. Other terracotta non-military figures were found in other pits, including officials, acrobats, strongmen and musicians.
The location is famous for its
jade mines. Its northern side was
rich in gold while its southern side was rich in
beautiful jade. The First Emperor, covetous of its fine reputation, therefore chose to be buried there.
While in
Xi'an we visited a
jade factory and marveled at the stunning array of carvings on display and for sale. We learnt that many customers have pieces shipped to their homes across the world. Many of them were absolutely huge, very heavy and had seemingly stratospheric price tags. We also visited a
fine handmade furniture shop and were intrigued by the craftsmanship and skill of the workers there. Needless to say, we had neither the need nor the resources to purchase and ship any of the products back to Canada. However, I can imagine much of this art decorating several an austere
palace or mansion somewhere in the world.
If anyone is considering a trip to China, I have to agree that a visit to this area is a definite must. Not only in Xi'an but elsewhere in China, as you will see later from our visit to the Forbidden City and other sites,
the obvious power of the ancient rulers of this country were evidently staggering in scope and effect.
Our hotel in Xi'an did not disappoint and compared favorably to the other five star properties that we stayed at - marble everywhere. Our local tour guide was very knowledgeable and surprisingly vociferous with her political views, my having drawn that out from her as I am wont to do wherever I travel so as to learn the local people's perspective.
It is therefore not surprising that my world view oftentimes differs vastly from those promoted on television for mass consumption. Understanding the concept of utilizing these elaborate physical objects in such an enormous setting to protect a spiritual afterlife seemed bizarre at the time, given my Christian background and knowledge, and yet it fits in perfectly with everything that I learnt about ancient China.
I hope
that my pictures, as challenging as it is, provide you with a real sense of the intricacy of design and detail that was so clear to us.
For me, China remains as alluring now as it was when Jeanette and I first visited and is certainly worth another visit. Having only just scratched the surface of this enormous country's wealth of history, culture and its mind-boggling modern opulence (one has to see it first hand to really appreciate it), a future trip will necessarily have to be tailored somewhat differently in terms of length and geography.
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Randolph Evelyn
non-member comment
Army without weapons
Your description of the visit to China is so vivid and captivating that I wish I could visit also.