I stood alone in the pit with the army in front of me. They are life sized and each one seemed to have its own distinctive facial features. This means that they have all been individually crafted and not made from some mould. My imagination was running wild and my fingers were clicking pictures away. Some of them were looking at me with stern eyes, some with curiosity, some with disinterest, some with anger, some with mirth and some with sadness. But they stood steadfast, guarding a tomb for more than twenty centuries.
I noticed the intricate detail of the body armour worn by the warriors, even the soles of the shoes of the kneeling warriors are modelled with fine tread patterns. Each face was different, some even with different hairstyles too. Imagine the effort put into their creation. It is said that Emperor Qin, had a fanatical fear about death and an obsessive quest for the secret of immortality. His craze for everlasting life has provided us the legacy of the terracotta warriors.
My own reaction cannot be described. Honestly I was somewhere in between being awestruck and mesmerised at the same time. I was lost in an imaginary world. If that army could march, it would shake the very ground I stood upon. I looked at the slopping entrances that were sealed shut. What a leader Emperor Qin must have been. People may have trembled in his presence. His vision and tactical strength made him China’s first emperor!
Did you know it was Emperor Qin who started building The Great Wall of China (built between 220–206 BC)? He is a fascinating personality whose administration and policies have outlasted the ages and still followed today. You should read about him someday when you have the time.But better still my friends. Go see those warriors in their rugged surroundings. Like me you will come back with a profound experience and have a few tales of your own to tell.
This is one of the few places on Earth that captivated me as a child. I dreamed of one day seeing these and wrote a massive essay on them when I was in Primary School. I still haven’t managed to get there (one day) so I loved reading about your experience with them. I love the fact that they included everything an army would need – those horses are amazing. Just the skill alone… Love!
When the Terracotta exhibition came down to Singapore, I was dying to go and kept pushing it to another date thinking I will eventually go. The exhibition came and went and I had not seen them. I was disappointed in myself for not making time. But this experience has redeemed everything!
Amazing!
Aren’t the Terracotta Warriors amazing?!! I loved my visit to Xi’an and just like you was mesmerised by the terracotta statues.
I can’t believe your visit was put on hold by Robert Mugabe, though – that’s amazing!
I know right! I was like how long does a President take to view all 3 pits?? Then I realised they had cordoned off the area way before he even arrived! Sigh….
Great photos! It really is an impressive sight, isn’t it? Our visit coincided with that of the supposed farmer who unearthed them, who was there signing autographs and selling books. Thankfully we didn’t have to wait in the sun for four hours for him!
Did you make it to the Shaanxi History Museum while you were there? It has an outstanding collection of the warriors on display and you can get unbelievably close to them!
Yes I sure did! The Shaanxi History Museum was awesome but it was also very very crowded. 🙂 I suddenly realised that we may have been travelling around Xi’an during local Chinese school holidays!
Interesting…
I was surprised by the sheer number of soldiers! Great sight to see!
http://www.backpackingbear.com/blog/joe-louis-is-a-terracotta-warrior/
This is an amazing cultural treasure….I haven’t been there but I would love to go. Sites like this give us such a unique look into the cultures that came before us. Fascinating!