Good Girls Meet Terracotta Army

 

Judy says: Our first full day in Xi'an continued with a bus ride to the Emperor Qin Shi Huang's Mausoleum Site Museum.

Chinese fire drill. Photo by Debi Lander.

We arrived to discover, are you ready, a genuine Chinese fire drill taking place. (Does anyone out there remember the American teenage version?)

Photo by Debi Lander.

There seemed to be no reason other than practice and preparedness, so we continued on as soon as it was over. The complex is enormous - we took shuttles from the entrance gate to the museum area - and soon discovered why.

The shuttle station.

Debi continues: In 1974, two peasant farmers digging a well in their field discovered one of the top ten archeological sites of all time. The remarkable story has fascinated me for over 40 years, and Judy and I recently went to Xi’an, China to see the Army of Terracotta Warriors for ourselves.

The Terracotta Army is a collection of life-sized clay sculptures depicting the soldiers of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China. No two look alike and researches believe the contingent to be 8,000 strong with accompanying horses and chariots. The army was buried with the emperor in 210 BC, to protect him in his afterlife. Recent studies using ground-penetrating radar suggest the army is just part of an extraordinary necropolis, approximately 38 square miles, of which only a small portion has been uncovered. 

Arriving at the Museum 

The tombs lie about an hour’s drive from Xi’an, in Shaanxi Province, China’s central region. Many hotels and tour groups arrange visits to the UNESCO World Heritage site. 

After arriving, we first explored the Mausoleum Museum. Its treasures include two intricate bronze chariots’, each with four horses and charioteer found near the terracotta soldiers’ underground pits. The bronzes are half life-sized and clearly detail the clothing, mechanics, and horsemanship of the ancient world. 

The second bronze chariot in the museum

The museum also gives visitors a 360-degree close-up view of various ranking terracotta soldiers and their bronze weapons. The higher in rank, the larger the sculpture. 

Judy adds: I could have spent a day studying each one and reading every label and placard except... the crush of people was as claustrophobic as it was frustrating. Curse of the remarkable, I guess.

Kneeling Archer in the museum

Debi continues: We were anxious and fidgety as we’d come thousands of miles to view the army of soldiers. “Not so fast,” said our guide. He headed us toward Pit 3, site of ongoing excavations and saved the best for last- the immense Pit 1.

He was right! Staring into Pit 3, I looked down into deep earthen rows containing broken fragments. Unfortunately, time, water and land shifts caused the sculptures to topple and break. The complexity of brushing away layers of dirt, carefully extracting pieces, and finally reconstructing the soldiers is painfully slow. International teams of researchers have come to assist. 

Ongoing excavation work in Pit 3

Can you imagine the difficulty of putting the pieces together? 

Pit 2, although small, displays all the types of terracotta warriors found so far, including infantries, cavalries, chariot warriors, and archers. They are arranged in formations with their horses. The chariots or wagons were wood and therefore disintegrated. 

The warriors in formation in Pit 2

Judy adds: Pit 2  brings home the immensity of this find. Can you imagine the first archaeologists who saw this as they go from excitement, exhilaration and awe over the find to dismay over the job ahead? Not to mention the curators who are currently working on the intricate and enormous project,  wondering when it will be finished. Which brings us to the craftsmen who created and assembled the army in the first place.

Debi continues: Pit 1 simply takes your breath away. The size of the Quonset hut-like building itself overwhelms; the behemoth enclosure could fit two of the largest jumbo jets. The warriors stand tall, each five to six feet tall weighing between 300-400 pounds. Legs and feet form a solid base, but the rest of each figure is hollow. Torsos, arms, hands, and heads were molded separately then attached. Final details added later. Apparently, each warrior has its artist's name etched into its foot to make sure the work met standards. 

The overwhelming site of the Terracotta Army in Pit 1

Squadrons of soldiers, divided by solid partitions, stand ready to march or mount their nearby horses, also made of clay. The assemblage feels both creepy and awe-inspiringly magnificent. The realistic faces, especially their eyes, project piercing looks. Glance away, and the army might start advancing at any moment.

A closer look into Pit 1.

Originally each figure was painted, but once as the terracotta fragments are exposed to oxygen, the paint begins to decompose and flake off. For this reason, future work has stalled. I can imagine the colorful army would have stopped anyone in their tracks. 

  

Intrigued by this massive project, we learned that over 700,000 people were enslaved for the 36-38 years it took to build the Emperor’s self-indulgent tomb. Even worse, upon his death, the grave was covered over, and the workers killed to keep anyone from revealing the location. Some, including numerous concubines, were buried alive. All was left undisturbed for centuries while the warriors silently kept guard for the Emperor in his afterlife. 

Judy adds: No doubt, Emperor Qin Shi Huang was a cruel, ruthless ruler, which is one reason  his dynasty was a short one. But he left behind a unified country that today bears his name and the term "emperor" which other rulers adopted for the next 2,000 years. Add to that a system of laws, abolishing feudalism, creating a standardized alphabet, tax system and currency,  road widths, wheel sizes, axle lengths and all other kinds of measurements.

He began work destroying walls that separated the country, replacing them with connecting walls to create a Great Wall for better protection country-wide, along with a national road system. He ordered construction of the 34-kilometer-long Lingqu  canal to facilitate delivery of supplies to the army, transportation and trade A major engineering feat, it linked the Xiang, which flows into the Yangtze, with the Li Jiang, which flows into the Pearl, aiding expansion into the south and west. Weapons of defeated armies were melted down to be made into works of art. Altogether, not a bad legacy.

Look closely to see how the soldiers were pieced together and see traces of their original paint. 

Tips:  We arrived in the late afternoon, crowds were way down, but we didn’t get a chance to see the video in the welcome center nor visit the gift shop.  Allow a half day at minimum.

Judy says: Better yet, stay in the area overnight to fully enjoy the Army and the Tang dynasty winter palace and the spectacular theatrical experience we will tell you about next week!