Friday, February 21, 2014

The Famous Terracotta Warriors of Xian # 1

As we left the city and started towards the Terracotta Warrior site, we started chatting up and everyone was in a very excited mode.There was still a lot of time until lunch ,yet the long walk, cycle ride made everyone hungry.

Luckily we had packed a lot of breads, buns and flavored drinks to keep us refreshed and to banish those hunger pangs...

Before we reach the site, let me tell you a little something about this place we are going to visit now..

This is the underworld army of Emperor Qin Shihuang.This army was built at the center of a complex which was the replica of the urban plan of the Capital of the Qin Dynasty- Xianyang.It was actually built for conquering the after life.This site was unearthed in 1974.

There are terracotta armed forces, horses,chariots,cavalry horses,weapons. It is said that some of these relics are still buried!

This site has been listed as a world heritage site by UNESCO and is a real high light of a  tour in and around Xian.

There are 4 pits that hold these relics and one can watch all these from a large platform...

Come let us walk around....

The Entrance....


And the there was this cinema hall which was showing a 365 degree movie. 



You stand in the center of the hall and all around you is the movie. So a chariot goes on the walls in a circle.Get the idea!


Before we went in there was someone signing some books and there was a really long queue.Out of curiosity we stood near the line and Kelly, our guide told us that the elderly person signing the book on Terracotta warriors was one of the farmers who were digging up wells to irrigate their land and in that process discovered the pits!

As you enter the building you can see this site layout encased in a huge glass case....



 Once you go the main pit, there are signs like these that guide and educate you about the site....



A section of the terracotta warriors ...


It is said that no two figures look alike!


Remains of some pillars....


Each part of the exhibit has a number and there is a board which explains what it is..Here is a sample.The above pit was exhibit no.9 and this is what the board says....



Here is a section that is roped off.It houses the damaged figures and the sculptors and artisans try to restore the lost glory by fixing them back piece by piece!What a back breaking job that it!!!


The horses...


Can you see how vast it is!!!



We have just visited pit 1. I will take you around the other pits in my next post.......


No comments: