China Home Land Tour July 2011: Xian - Thursday, July 7, 2011

We start out early, around 8am, as we have a full day today. On our way to the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum, we stop by the factory that makes the official replicas of the warriors and horses, ranging in size from a few inches high, to life size. We learn how the figures were originally made, using the old fashion techniques - the same clay material, the heat firing method used to harden the terracotta, the final personalization of the figure, using different human models to differentiate the faces, and the paint used to give the warriors the appropriate colored uniforms true to their ranks in the army. The girls then got to create small figurines themselves. They have a geat time! Of course there is a factory shop, and, of course, I buy some small figurines to take home. I also buy a beautiful hand made jewelry box with jade flowers carved and affixed to the box. Very lovely!

Then we had lunch at a restaurant on the way to the Museum. The girls were taught how to make Jiaozi (dumplings).

The afternoon is devoted to a tour of the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum. David gave us an excellent history of China’s first emperor, QinShihuang, who unified the various warring kingdoms to create what eventually became the country of China. It was for QinShihuang that the soldiers and horses were created over 2,000 years ago. There are about 8,000 warriors, horses, and chariots made of terracotta (and originally painted) excavated so far. The soldiers were created to guard QinShihuang’s tomb and protect him in his afterlife. Each of the soldiers had individual faces, styled after living soldiers. This site was discovered in 1974, by a farmer who was digging a well on his farm. The site was designated a UNESCO world heritage site in 1987, and is considered the most important archeological site discovered in the 20^th century.

We spent about four hours visiting the various excavations at the site. Truly a wonder to behold! To top it off, David was able to get copies of the Museum book autographed by the farmer (Yang Xioman, who is now 79 years old) who discovered the initial artifacts, then arranged for us to take the farmer's picture with our group of girls (despite the sign that said "no photos") and to shake his hand!! The farmer is an exalted figure within China!