Terracotta Army

My Dear Great Ones,

Celia and I spent four very interesting days in Xi'an China.  A city of about 12 million! it was China's  ancient capital and was governed by a long succession of powerful emperors.  The first Emperor of China had life size statues built which are truly a wonder.  Here  is a little wikipedia blurb about them:

The Terracotta Army is a collection of terracotta sculptures depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China. It is a form of funerary artburied with the emperor in 210–209 BCE with the purpose of protecting the emperor in his afterlife.

The figures, dating from approximately the late third century BCE,^[1] were discovered in 1974 by local farmers in Lintong County, outside Xi'an, Shaanxi, China. The figures vary in height according to their roles, with the tallest being the generals. The figures include warriors, chariots and horses. Estimates from 2007 were that the three pits containing the Terracotta Army held more than 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses, and 150 cavalry horses, the majority of which remained buried in the pits near Qin Shi Huang's mausoleum.^[2] Other terracotta non-military figures were found in other pits, including officials, acrobats, strongmen, and musicians.

Celia and I were impressed and it is for sure a "must see," when coming to China.  

 We obviously came on a good day, considering how many gates there were to herd people into the site.  Whew.

 The main attraction was located in a massive building which protects the statutes from the elements.   Very imressive.

A museum nearby has  some warriors behind glass.  The detail of each statue is amazing.

So there you have it.  Next week I have pictures from the Xian wall.  Another very impressive tourist site.

Have a great week.

Love adios and ping on!

Dirk