Friday, September 24, 2010

Terra Cotta Warriors - Xi'an, China



The Terra Cotta Warriors are sculptures of soldiers and horses made of terra cotta that were made sometime around 210 BC. They serve to protect the tomb of the 1st ever Emperor of China (or they are helping him rule another empire in the afterlife - depends on who you ask). The area was not discovered until 1974, when a local farmer was digging a water well and stumbled upon the area. It is now listed as an Eighth Wonder of the World.


This is our guide, Lee (or Li), and Bre standing in front of Pit 1, the largest of the excavation sites.


It took 700,000 workers 35 years to build the army.



Molds were used to create the bodies/arms/uniforms/heads, but there were changes made to each of the faces, so each warrior depicts a unique soldier.




Striking the archer pose.


This was a depiction of the First Emperor, Qin Shi Huang. Bre is touching his hand for good luck.



When we left the area, it was hot and sunny so we put Chase's hood over his head to cool him. Well, the locals loved Chase and they couldn't stop talking to him, touching him, etc. They nicknamed him Ceasar during this particular walk. I am not sure what that makes Cole.

3 comments:

DeLana said...

This is beyond AWESOME!!! All I can say is WOW! Wish we could have been there with you. Truly a trip you will never forget.

Love,
Mom

DeLana said...

Love the picture of Chase at the top. Looks like he is helping build the "Great Wall of China"
Can't wait to see him.

xoxo
Grammy

Grandma T. said...

I agree with Delana, there are no words to describe the Terra Cotta Warriors. I feel like the three and a half of you should be on a reality show; the one called ...And You Were There.