• Brad and Mandy PearceMagnificent China and Highlights of ThailandBrad and Mandy Pearce
    Kneeling archer - this is the only one that survived undamaged
    Built during Ming dynasty (14th century) although foundations were from Tang dynasty (6th century)Replica of Jingyun Bell on Xi'an city wallPart the city wall, 12m high, 12- 14m wide, and almost 14 km aroundHundreds of bikes for hire to ride around the wallAt the terracotta museum1Not a painting - made from single thread stitchworkThis one was exquisiteThe main pit of the terracotta warriorsEach one is differentStill being restored - a long way to goLike a jigsaw puzzles - each one is painstakingly put back togetherPartially restored1These have been restored and will be placed in situ in the pitPit 2 - much smaller. Originally there would have been a chariot, but of course it has rotted awayThis will be left as is, to show the damage that occurredHorse and charioteer (or horse soldier? )Standing archerKneeling archer - this is the only one that survived undamagedGeneral1Dress up time!Bell tower at nightSouth gate of city wall2We wandered the streets in our fancy dress1There was dancing in the streets - some of the group joined inJust some of the atmosphereAlways something happening1I think this is a fairly famous musician (on TikTok)Don't they look wonderful1We had to get a photo with the lady1And also with the man

    Xi'an - The Terracotta Warriors

    October 10 in China ☁️ 26 °C

    A very busy day in Xi'an, with a highlight being a visit to the terracotta warriors. First though, it was an exploration of the city wall - built in the 14th century, although there were origins in the 6th century. There has been restoration works done in the 20th century. It is a great place to walk around or ride bikes as it is flat and is almost 14km around. In the past, it was the Xi'an marathon course - 3 laps - but it became too popular with too many people wanting to participate.

    Next, off to the terracotta museum and workshops where we learned about the making of replica warriors (all for purchase of course), as well as lacquer ware and silk stitch embroidery. These were beautiful.

    Then, to the main event. The terracotta warriors were found quite by chance when some farmers were digging a well in 1974 and found these terracotta pieces with faces etc. Further excavation revealed rows and rows of soldiers buried in compartments. Originally, there was a roof over each section, but after 2000 years, the roof collapsed and all the soldiers were crushed under the weight of the soil. Only one survived - a kneeling archer- probably because he was much smaller than the others. There are estimated to be 8000 figures, though only a portion has been excavated. The largest pit (#1) contains the main battle army with over 3000 figures. There is a great deal more information about this place which I won't go into, but we have been very fortunate as our tour guides had selected the best time of day to go there (around lunch time) and it wasn't very crowded.

    The day wasn't over yet. After dinner, we dressed up in traditional Chinese towns and then wandered the night life and lights of Xi'an . It's a good thing no-one knows us - certainly not some we would do at home and I think we were a bit of the attraction. (They may have been laughing at us). Never mind, we had fun and lots of laughs.    Read more