Visiting the Terra Cotta Warriors of the Emperor Qin Shihuagn era.

We are in the van with Ann off to finally visit the real place where the Terra Cotta Warriors and horses are.  It was sunny and hot, we drove out toward the mountains area where it was.  Ann got the tickets, and before going into the first pit she took us to a building with a movie in the round and it told of the first Qin Dynasty and the wars they had.  It ended up telling about the farmer who was diggning a series of wells on his farm and discoverd some pottery fragments and ancient bronze weapons.  No one had ever expected that this accidental discovery would turn over a most miraculoue history of civilization, and unfold a unique and majestic spectacle before the world.  After years of drilling, excavation and research, the site was proved to be one of the biggest burial pits of China's first Emperor-Qin Shi Huang.  By 1976, three such pits had been found, nearly 8,000 terracotta armored warriors and horses were found.  When we walked into where they were it was absolutely an amazing sight.  It was different than I had expected.  I have heard of them since they were discovered , so I have always wanted to see them.



The picture above is what they picture him to be,  Qin Dynasty ruler Q Shihuangdi represent the emperor's ability to control the resources of the newly unified China.  His attempt to recreat and maintain that empire in the after life.  The mountain you see is his Mausoleum comlex.  It is quite a place from picture I seen, but we didn't have time to go there.  The soldier are part of his tomb,  it was said that after the workers worked on them and buried them, he had them killed so no one would know where they were buried.  He was ruthless Empeor.




There was mountains to the south of us and there was crowds of people, the building you see are the three different pits that they were in.   Archeologist and repairer works on discovering and restoring , keeping busy mending broken figures.  All the soldiers haven't been uncovered yet.  Beside the soldiers, they have found chariots and horses, rare birds and animals and pottery, stone armor. sords and lots of unique treasures.




As you can see large building were built around and over them to protect them. Archacologist have to peel, take pictures, an record carefully each one.  Each one is unqunie, some were in splendid colors but moisture  soil erosion of over 2,000 years, colors can still be spotted sticking to some of them. The picture above are some of the warriors reclaimed.




They had a fellow that would take your picture in among them the real warriors for a price, it doesn't look like he is doing much business.  We had taken our own at the factory we visited earlier. They had these warriers on display they represented the different Officers.   I am standing behind one of them looking up at him, can you tell which one is me?




One of the General,  and a pit of broken warriers.  They will  put them back together in time..




While there we went to a restaurant to have lunch, and we watched these cook, stretching out dough and pounding it on the counter, and magicly it turned into noodles.   The other cook was shaving the dough into a soup, it was very interesting.




Rita and I went into the restroom afterwards and was washing our hands and here these Chinese girls were washing their lunch dishes in the sinks, it was weird, see me taking the picture.




After lunch we went to some of the other pits, and then went through the curio shop.  I ask one of the sale lady there after I had bought booket about the Warriors, if the farmer was still alive that had found the Warriors in his well digging.  She said "As matter of fact, he is right over there at the desk signing the books."   I looked at the line and decided I didn't want to try as we were on our way out.   So I took the picture of him up above.   He became wealthy, he is the one smoking the cigar.