~6000 lifesized soldiers are buried w/ China's 1st emperor Qin Shi Huang.

Each warrior held an actual weapon, mostly looted in a tomb robbing & burning incident ~209-20 BC.

All soldiers we're brightly painted, but the color faded almost immediately on exposure to air.

The Emperor thought all threats came from the East, so that's the direction all warriors are facing.

A select few statues of higher ranking officers are in glass cases for 360° viewing.

The detail is extraordinary; down to the tread on the soles of his boots.

It's believed this man was carrying a long bow.

Ornate armor, headdress & hands placement suggest this was one of the highest ranking warriors.

This was a really neat holographic performance.

Terra Cotta Warriors, Tang Dynasty

October 11 in China ⋅ 🌧 59 °F

Bucketlist monent: the eponymous Terra Cotta Warriors!! The Terracotta Army is a collection of life-sized clay sculptures of the armies of Qin Shi Huang(b.259 BC, d211 BC) the first emperor of China (247 - 221 BC), created to protect him in the afterlife. He was a significant influence to China: organizing the empire into units & subunits (today's subdistricts & communities), assigning administrative appointments based on merit instead of hereditary right, standardizing the weights, measurements, currency and chinese characters, prescribing a standard wagon axel length for roads to facilitate transport, and more. He was also apparently a tyrant.
I guess nice guys can't always get it done. 😉

In the evening, we enjoyed a Tang Dynasty Dinner & Show. A 6-course meal served while watching a beautiful dance performed by the Tang Dynasty Troup accompanied by Chang'an music.Read more