Monday November 24, 2014
Beijing, China
Sunny, Cold and Blue Sky!
The weather gods cooperated yesterday so was able to go to the main objective of my trip – Terracotta Warriors – with no rain albeit cold conditions. And the warriors did not disappoint. But you really need to listen and learn about the history to really enjoy the experience. There are over 6000 warriors and horses that were buried to protect the tomb and spirit of China's first Emperor Qin – the Emperor who united and found China in 200 BC timeframe – so the warriors are over 2000 years old. Each warrior has unique features and a signature of the artisan that made it. And they are tall! I believe the average size is about 180 cm. The craftsman ship is amazing. And many are still not discovered. The tomb of Emperor Qin is known as it is a hill but no one has dared excavate it as legend has it there are many deathtraps leading to the tomb. Of course, I took 100s of pix and here is a taste.
The site was discovered by a farmer digging for a well in 1974. He now is famous and met Bill Clinton (and moi!). When meeting Bill Clinton, he practiced saying How are you and the response Me too, only to say WHo are you? Bill Clinton said "I'm the husband of this beautiful woman" and He replied "me too!" "chuckles". The farmer was illiterate but now is a celebrity. Today, he sits at the gift store sleeping most of the time, awaken to sign souvinir books. Which of course, I bought one with him signing it in front of me. Below is the sight of the well. If they dug a few inches away, would have missed it.
Chuckle break
When the Qin dynasty was overthrown, the underground "home" to the warriors were burnt, so ashes can be found in some areas. The warriors were protected by a ceiling made of mats and wood and walls made from bricks. Yes bricks existed in 200 BC. It is thought where the ceilings are intact, the warriors are in good condition underneath. But to not damage the warriors, archaelogists are painstakingly unearthing them which takes years so most are still underground. Hard to believe though for 1000s of years, people were growing food just 5 meters over the burial ground.
Details of the warriors can be seen at the museum including some of the color
From the facial features, one can surmise which part of China the warrior came from
Look at the detail!
Bronze chariots were also found near the site. The horses were intact as they were solid but the chariots were in 1000s of pieces and had to be put together. It is believed the chariots were built so Emperor Qin could safely go to the other side of the world
And of course, I did some shopping, Xi'an as I mentioned in an earlier post is well known for arts and craftsmenship. High quality lacquer furniture is built here so I am having a small custom made cabinet made along with 2 terracotta warriors in local clay. It will take about 4 months to arrive in Japan but really looking forward to it as I got it for over 80% less than would have cost me in Japan
If you go to Xi'an in November, you will notice pomegranates EVERYWHERE!!
And last but not least mugshot selfe of me and my wonderful guide Susan at the Terracotta warrior museum