Terra Cotta Army

May 12, 2014

Today is another much-anticipated event:  our visit to the Terra Cotta Army museum.  The ancient Chinese believed very strongly in the afterlife, and as soon as an emperor came into power, he would begin preparing his tomb.  Each tomb contained everything the occupant would need to ensure his comfort and safety in the afterlife. Emperor Qin Shi Huang apparently felt it important to have his armies' protection; and thousands of soldiers, archers, horses and chariots, all fashioned of terra cotta clay, were buried with him more than two thousand years ago.

The site was discovered in 1978, when local farmers were digging a well.  It was almost immediately turned over to the government, and excavation continued for many years.  It was quickly discovered that exposure to the air and sunlight (apparently the pollution wasn't so bad back then) caused rapid deterioration of the soldiers, so huge buildings have been constructed around the actual site.  It is in these buildings that the museum is housed.  They are still finding more statues, and work on restoring them is ongoing.

I can't even begin to describe the spectacle;  a picture is worth a thousand words.  We took hundreds;  here are a few: