Our Visit To the Terra Cotta Warriors Near Xi'an China

Note the warrior coat

Note Lulu's coat

The warriors are positioned to go into battle for the Emperor.

Over the weekend we visited the excavation site of the Terra Cotta Warriors. It is about 800 miles southwest of our home in Beijing near the town of Xi'an. When I say town - it is relative to the city of Beijing boasting 25 million people - Xian has near 8 million people - like NYC! Although we stayed right downtown on the town square at a Holiday Inn Express - we did not get to see much of the city. 

Xian is a walled city and the downtown appeared impressive. In the morning after a quick breakfast - we got a cab downtown for the 40 minute ride out to the diggings. The Terra Cotta Warrioers were discovered by farmers digging a well. This was around 1974. It has become a UNESCO site - and several giant domed stadium like buildings have been placed over the area. 

They estimate that there are about 6000 of these statues. They were build by Emperor Qin around 100 BC to protect him in the after life. His tomb is nearby. 

The Warriors were assembled very much like an assembly line. Legs - arms - heads - hands - etc - were made and baked. There were several basics faces- then other details were added to make them all different. They were assembled - then painted - then fired in kilns. Weapons were added. 

Finally trenches were dug and the soldiers were placed. A wooden roof structure covered by fiber mats was put over them - then layers of dirt. This protected them for 2000 years. 

They are presently digging to uncover more. The estimated value of one is $4.5 million. You can buy replicas for much less. 

There are three giant buildings - but the most dramatic is building number 1. You can walk 360 degrees around the inside and take photos until you are happy. We had to deal with a Friday crowd - but this is the least crowded time of the year. 

After we viewed the site for a few hours - we shopped - had supper - and caught a cab back to the train station. Our high speed bullet train took a little longer because it made maybe 12 stops over the 800 miles. It took 5 hours. We all caught some sleep. I went to the dining car to have a soda - in one of those metal bottles. It turned out to be a beer. When we got to the train station after 10 PM - the subways were closed - and the cab line was very long. We walked a little bit - and an uber type car pulled over and offered a ride. We made a deal - he took us home for $21. The way the night was looking - it was cold - safe and warm. The 4 of us piled in. 

Along with the Great Wall - it was JP and Wanda's favorite part of the trip. Today they boarded a plane for Seattle and are over the Pacific as I type. 

Future diggings

The warriors were found in pieces and then assembled.

Bigger than the Super Dome

They held weapons

Packed clay supported the roof above them

That is building 1 in the back

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