Day Six - The Terracotta Warriors

Pit One is huge

The Terracotta Warriors do have the 'wow factor'. Like Venice they are exactly as you imagine they would be. Unlike most experiences the reality is in no way diminished by anticipation or by the fact that the images are so widely replicated.

Pit One

The Terracotta Warriors site is properly known as the Emperor Qin Shi Huang's Mausoleum Site Park. Emperor Qin is actually (believed to be) buried nearby but his tomb has not been excavated because of problems preserving the contents.

The Warriors were originally painted in bright colours but the colour disappears almost immediately on contact with the air and it has been decided to leave further excavations of the site including the actual tomb until this problem can be resolved.

Construction of Pit One

Apparently Emperor Qin, the first Chinese emperor, originally wanted his entire army to be buried with him to defend him in the afterlife but was persuaded that a terracotta version would be more durable.  

The corner where the well was dug

The first room we entered is Pit One. This is the largest and first of the three pits excavated and contains most of the complete warriors. Almost all the warriors were broken when they were first discovered and have been painstakingly repaired by archaeologists whose work is ongoing. They were first discovered by fruit farmers digging a well.

Horses in Pit Two

Pit Three information

Pit Two has only been partially excavated and is where archaeological work is currently taking place. 

Pit Three is the smallest and is believed to have been ransacked soon after completion by rebel factions looking for the weapons which accompanied the warriors as these were working weapons rather than replicas.

Standing Archer

Cavalryman

Commander

There is also a museum on site where you can get close to the warriors to examine them in more detail. 

Mid-ranking Officer

Kneeling Archer

Of course there is also the opportunity to have your photograph taken with warriors and should you so wish you can even have a full-size warrior made in the traditional manner with your own features sculpted on it! Or for a smaller budget the gift shop was offering pictures with your features superimposed onto a warrior.

We had a buffet lunch at the museum which was unsurprisingly mediocre apart from the freshly made shaved noodles. These were shaved off a block of dough into boiling water and served with a spicy sauce and were tasty as well as fascinating to watch being made.