The Famous Terracotta Army Is Cool. Bury Me With Oreos Please To EnjoyIn My Afterlife

China has had its fair share of chaos throughout history. Back in the day, about 250 BCE (also known as BC for people down with sweet baby Jesus), there were many warlords vying for power in China. One man rose to unify warring groups using language, economics and good old fashioned violence. 

His name was Qin Shi Huang, Zheng for short. He was not as big as the statue above, but his persona sure was. He unified China, gave it it's name, standardized weights, measurements and money (to stop all the arguing among citizens), built the first version of The Great Wall, and built a new national road system. Not everyone appreciated his efforts and he survived numerous assassination attempts but later it is said, died of mercury poisoning after drinking it believing it would bring him eternal life. I can't imagine how that tasted.

Before he died however, work was started on a masoleum, or funerary tomb for the emperor when he ascended to his throne at the age of 13. It was a project that was grand in size, involving over 700,000 workers and taking 37 years to complete. The result was to later become known as the famous Terracotta Army and today we traveled to see it. 

The song line,  "I've got a golden ticket," from the old school Charlie and The Chocolate Factory movie ran through my head when this admission ticket was handed to me. I think I even skipped a bit on the way in. 

In 1974 local farmers were minding their business and plowing their field. They needed a well so digging began. The shovel hit something and what they found caused the local authorities to contact archaeologists immediately. 

What they found were a collection of terracotta sculptures depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang.  All of them. It is a form of funerary art meant to protect the emperor in his afterlife. 

There are three pits that contain an estimated 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses, and 150 Calvary horses, the majority of which are still buried in pits nearby. Other non military figures were also found buried and include officials,  acrobats, strongmen and magicians. The emperor was evidentially planning on taking entertainment too because everyone knows just how boring the afterlife can be.

Pits exist with unearthed figures. There are two reasons given for this. The first is that the technology to unearth them and preserve the paint. Paint on figures already unearthed began to flake and fade. Lacquer was used to cover the paint, but can curl within as fast as 15 seconds once dry air hit it. Structural integrity and preservation are problematic. 

The second reason was that the Chinese feel that this also gives time to preserve the find for future generations. China's rapid rates of urbanization have people here concerned with cultural preservation. Rightfully so. 

Heads, arms, legs and torsos were created seperately and then put together. Each face was designed resembling each individual in the army. No two are the same.

After each was made it was placed in precise military formation according to rank and duty. 

Most held real weapons like spears, swords or crossbows. It is believed that many weapons were looted or rotted away.

Stone armor helmets and suits were on display.

Walking through the museum I came around a corner and saw a ton of people crowded around a display pushing into eachother and snapping photos. The amount of flashes in the room made me think that paparazzi were on the loose. Suddenly I felt a hard shove from behind only to turn around and see an old woman about 80. Bring it on I thought, but quickly changed my mind. She was a woman on a mission. The elderly if this country are fit as fiddles. If it came to a throw down between us, she would have wiped the floor with me. I stood aside. Quick. 

What they were all crazy about seeing was the Qin Bronze Chariot. It is two pieces, the first a driver with two seats and an umbrella and the second, a separate carriage. Both have horses 50% the size of real ones. They were found shattered in the 1980s and were put back together. Took about 5 years of painstaking work. Combined they are one of 64 artifacts that can never leave Chinese soil. No traveling exhibitions for them.

Samples of the first unified writing system.

Tiles.

An oasis is tucked between Pits 1 & 2. Inside we found a miracle.

Iced coffee. The Chinese are drinkers of tea. It is sometimes very hard to find a coffee or a good coffee here. Often, iced coffee isn't really iced either. A lot of beverages are served warm as traditional Chinese medicine dictates that warm and hot water is better.  This carries over into other drinks.  But Clara and I did not follow that philosophy this fine day. #sorrynotsorry