Xi'an, China - Warriors & Food 2014

June 20, 2014

Warriors

The Terracotta Army or the "Terracotta Warriors and

Horses" is a collection of terracotta sculptures

depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of

China. They were buried with

the emperor in 210–209 BC and whose purpose was to

protect the emperor in his afterlife.

In March 1974, a group of peasants digging a well in drought-parched Shaanxi province in northwest China unearthed fragments of a clay figure—the first evidence of what would turn out to be one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of modern times. Near the excavated tomb of Qin Shi Huangdi—who had proclaimed himself first emperor of China in 221 B.C.—lay an extraordinary underground treasure: an entire army of life-size terracotta soldiers and horses, interred for more than 2,000 years...

Below is a pit that has not been dug up, as they are trying to find away to keep the colors from fading. The colors start to fade within a couple of minutes once exposed to the air!

The terracotta figures are life-sized. They vary in height,

uniform, and hairstyle in accordance with rank. Most

originally held real weapons such as spears, swords, or

crossbows. Originally, the figures were also painted with

bright pigments, variously coloured pink, red, green, blue,

black, brown, white, and lilac. The coloured lacquer finish,

individual facial features, and weapons used in producing

these figures created a realistic appearance. Most of the

original weapons were thought to have been looted shortly

after the creation of the army, or have rotted away, while the

colour coating has flaked off or greatly faded.

Terracotta Warriors:
Over 8,000 have been discovered so far with many more pits to excavate!

The figures vary in height according to their roles, with

the tallest being the generals. The figures include

warriors, chariots and horses. Current (2007) estimates are

that in the three pits containing the Terracotta Army

there were more than 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520

horses, and 150 cavalry horses, the majority of which are

still buried in the pits nearby Qin Shi Huang's mausoleum.

Other terracotta non-military figures

were also found in other pits and they include officials,

acrobats, strongmen, and musicians.

A giant jigsaw puzzle. Most of the warriors have been restored and were found like in the pit below and moved to the boxes above. Restoring them is a great job if you like JIGSAW PUZZLES!

No 2 faces alike... It took over 700,000 craftsmen to complete tomb!

Food

Chinese Hamburger - more like chopped BBQ pork...

Potatoes sliced, then lots of chili flakes, and cooked on grill table side in vegetable oil. Too spicy for me so waitress had a solution - a bowl of hot water to dip the potatoes in and wash the chili flakes off!!