Right now, my dad and I are in Hong Kong relaxing after our fast paced 2 weeks in China. It has all gone by so quickly that we can hardly believe we're returning home tomorrow! Below is another posting on Xian.
The number one tourist attraction in Beijing is the Terracotta Warriors, built for the tomb of Emperor Qin (2nd c. BC). While none of the major tombs have been excavated, this gives us fuel for the imagination for what they must look like, in terms of scale.
These 7,000 entrenched soldiers, found in battle formation holding bronze weapons, was the biggest archaeological discovery in Chinese history. The warriors are located about 1.5 km away from the main tomb area, and were intended to serve the emperor in his afterlife. The soldiers were found in the 1960's by a farmer who was building a well. (Incidentally, this farmer now has a permanent station in the Terracotta Warriors Museum autographing museum books and has a very foul temper, I think he is probably under contract by the government).
Each soldier is about 8 feet tall, and have different outfits and hairstyles according to rank. The outfits are so detailed that you can even see the treads on the bottom of the shoes!
Dad in front of a general.
A nearby smaller pit, that is believed to have served as the headquarters of the higher ranking officers.
The number one tourist attraction in Beijing is the Terracotta Warriors, built for the tomb of Emperor Qin (2nd c. BC). While none of the major tombs have been excavated, this gives us fuel for the imagination for what they must look like, in terms of scale.
These 7,000 entrenched soldiers, found in battle formation holding bronze weapons, was the biggest archaeological discovery in Chinese history. The warriors are located about 1.5 km away from the main tomb area, and were intended to serve the emperor in his afterlife. The soldiers were found in the 1960's by a farmer who was building a well. (Incidentally, this farmer now has a permanent station in the Terracotta Warriors Museum autographing museum books and has a very foul temper, I think he is probably under contract by the government).
Each soldier is about 8 feet tall, and have different outfits and hairstyles according to rank. The outfits are so detailed that you can even see the treads on the bottom of the shoes!
Dad in front of a general.
A nearby smaller pit, that is believed to have served as the headquarters of the higher ranking officers.
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