Terracotta Warriors an Army on Display<< >>
Xian terracotta warriors are famous worldwide. The Terracotta Army Museum lies thirty five kilometers from the city of Xian. And it is only one and a half kilometers east of The Tomb of Qin Shi huang, who was the First Emperor of China. China gets its name from him. He was fascinated with the question as to what happens after death. So he had over seven hundred thousand workers build his tomb and fill it with treasure for the afterlife. It took many years to finish and on his death, at the age of fifty, his three thousand wives and concubines accompanied him to the grave.
He had also commissioned the making of a subterranean eight thousand strong Terracotta Army to defend him in the afterlife. On March the twenty nineth in nineteen seventy four some local farmers were drilling some water wells and by accident came across some pottery fragments and old bronze weapons. From that small discovery has emerged The Museum of The Terracotta Warriors and Horses that exists today. The Terracotta Warriors are one of the archaeological finds of all times and it has put Xian on the international map for tourists. Thousands flock to the site each year and it was listed by UNESCO in 1987 as a world heritage site.
No. 1 Pit is two hundred and ten meters long, sixty-two meters wide and four and a half to six and a half meters high. The dig exhibits long rows of terracotta warriors, horses and chariots in battle formation. At the rear of the vast building you can see how from the existing fragments they are painstakenly rebuilt to what they where.
No. 2 Pit is ninety-six meters long, eighty-four meters wide and five meters high. This pit displays exhibits of archers with crossbows, the cavalry, the infantry and war chariots.
No. 3 Pit is twenty-one and a half meters long, almost eighteen meters wide and just ovet five meters high. The display in pit 3 is of the headquarters of the army.
Altogether over 7,000 pottery soldiers, horses, chariots, plus ancient weapons have been dug from these pits. Most of them have been restored to their former glory but the work is ongoing and will be for many years to come. Every figure is different from the next. As you look closely you will see how the facial features are different as are the hairstyles and beards. The clothing differs according to their position in the army and their role. Also many of the warriors originally held real weapons from the time, such as bronze swords, longbows, crossbows, spears, axes and other weapons. At the time of their assembling they would have been brighly coloured but only remenants of that can be found today.
There is also a wonderful exhibition hall on the site that has many artefacts on display but the pride of place goes to the bronze carriages drawn by four horses. These are said to be the earliest, best preserved and the finest quailty bronze artefact in China and the biggest ancient bronzeware in the world. When you arrive at the museum it is best to do the movie first as this sets the scene for what you will see. The movie is shown on a circular screen on the walls of the theatre. When you leave the Terracotta Warriors displays there is of course a souvenir shop. << >>
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