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Xi'an - Terra Cotta Warriors |  |
In March 1974, when local farmers were drilling a well near Xian (pronounced she-on), they found some pottery fragments and ancient bronze weapons. It turned out to be one of the greatest archaeological finds ever, the tomb of Emperor Qin. Qin's reign began in 221 BC, and you might call him the great-grandfather of China, since he created it by unifying many small kingdoms.
And what a tomb it is - it took thirty-six years and seven hundred thousand workers to complete. So far three pits have been excavated, bringing to light a vast army of terra cotta warriors, complete with weapons and horses.
Highlights
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No one knows how many warriors there are, but Pit 1 contains about six thousand, over a thousand of which have been restored. |
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Each of the warriors has a unique face and appearance, suggesting that they were each modeled after an actual warrior. |
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In 1980, archaeologists discovered a large pit containing two sets of painted bronze chariots and horses, broken into thousands of pieces. Their restoration took eight years. |
We finally got to Xian late the following day and ended up spending an extra night there when our departing flight was canceled due to more fog. At least we had a comfortable hotel this time.