A Weekend with the Warriors



The Terracotta Warriors at the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor are nearly 3,000 years old

When we first came to Hong Kong, our knowledge of mainland China was limited to our recognition of its most famous landmarks: the Great Wall and the Terracotta Warriors.  Our visits to mainland China had only been for business, with limited opportunity for sightseeing.  Fortunately, during a trip there last November, I was able to visit the Great Wall.  But since Jeff's sightseeing time in China was virtually non-existent, we decided to spend a weekend in Xi'an (pronounced "she-ahn") seeing the Terracotta Warriors.

Pit One is the largest section of the excavation
sites and contains most of the estimated
8,000 warrior sculptures

Xi'an is situated nearly 700 miles southwest of Beijing, and for us, a mere 2-1/2 hour flight from Hong Kong.  The city is the capital of Shaanxi (pronounced "shahn-she") Province, which is officially in the Northwest China region, although curiously, when you see it on a map, it looks more like the center of China.  With a population of more than 6.5 million, Xi'an is a large city, growing rapidly at the behest of the government that is prioritizing the area through its myriad of programs encouraging both internal and foreign investment there.  We saw hundreds of new high-rise apartment buildings in various states of completion, but it wasn't clear whether the development is intended to support growth or to replace sub-standard housing.  We're not sure if the choice of high density, high rise housing is due to tradition or economics but found it interesting, given that land doesn't seem to be in short supply in the area.




Although most of the sculptures are still buried, thousands
of archaeologists are involved in the restoration of those
that have been uncovered

Shaanxi province and Xi'an are considered the home of China's ancient civilization; half of China's ten major dynasties in power between 2100 B.C. and 1912 ruled from the region. 
The old section of the city is surrounded by a massive wall, erected for defensive purposes and dating to the seventh century A.D.  One of the biggest attractions in the area is the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor, where the Terracotta Warriors were found rather famously in 1974 by a farmer digging a well.  Upon realizing the significance of the find, the government relocated the entire village of farmers and re-engineered their careers by giving them the rights to sell trinkets to tourists.  The original well-digging farmer still autographs books each day for the tourists who buy them.

A Commander of the Army

An Officer of the Army

Today the site, which is about a one hour drive from the center of Xi'an, is a live archaeological dig spread out over four enormous pits and employing over 5,000 archaeologists engaged in digging, cataloging, researching and restoring the sculptures.  The Mausoleum was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987, one of forty seven throughout China.  



An infantryman leading a horse

The terracotta sculptures were created to represent the army of the first Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, who died in 210 B.C.  Oddly, construction of his tomb and all of the sculptures began when the emperor was just thirteen years old so that it could all be buried with him when he died thirty seven years later for the purpose of protecting him during the afterlife.  This is, perhaps, a good example of what happens when an excess of  resources are at the disposal of an ambitious and egotistical ruler.  More than 700,000 laborers are thought to have worked on an estimated 8,000 soldiers, 670 horses, 130 chariots and some 40,000 pieces of bronze weaponry such as spears, axes and crossbows.  All of the sculptures are life sized; they are arranged according to rank, and each soldier has a unique facial expression.  The sculptures were originally painted bright colors, but most of the colors have been lost to the passage of time and exposure to the elements.   Most of the sculptures have not been unearthed so actual numbers may never be known.

Restoration of soldiers driving a horse-drawn chariot

The excavation pits are set back from roadways, presumably to minimize vehicle vibration in the dig sites, so there is a fair amount of walking involved to see everything. But the walk through groves of persimmon and pomegranate trees was pleasant, and everything is well-organized to handle the heavy and steady stream of tourists who visit.

 

While our visit to the Terracotta Warriors took the better part of a day, we managed to squeeze in a few other activities during the weekend.  The Muslim Quarter of Xi'an is a popular destination featuring a famous and chaotic Night Market with lots of people, lights, sounds, smells and gut-challenging sites.  Islam has a long history in Xi'an, dating to 651 A.D., and the Muslim Quarter is the center of it all, filled with Hui (Chinese Muslims) in traditional dress, seven mosques, trinket shops and numerous restaurants and food stalls.   Crowds of people pack the area after dark, and the food stalls in particular spill out into the sidewalks engaging in a dizzying array of food preparation, ranging from pounding sesame seeds for candy to juicing local pomegranates to grilling meat on skewers to stir frying noodles over shooting flames.

 

At the south end of the Muslim Quarter is Tower Square.  On the east and west ends of the square are two famous towers that are considered symbols of the city of Xi'an.  The Drum Tower is about 112 feet high and was originally constructed in 1380, but its mix of architectural styles from the Tang (618-907 A.D.) and Qing (1644-1922) dynasties belie its period of construction.  It gets its name from a drum it houses that was traditionally used to signal the end of the day or as an alert for emergencies.  Just a short walk away is the Bell Tower, which was constucted in 1384 by Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang; it contains bronze bells from the Tang Dynasty that were rung to mark the beginning of the day.  At 118 feet high, it was designed to provide an early warning of attacks by rival rulers.  Both towers are beautifully illuminated at night.

The Drum Tower is a well-known landmark situated at the south end of the Muslim Quarter

On our last day in Xi'an, we took advantage of great weather and bicycled around the top of the Xi'an City Wall.  Construction of the wall started initially during the Tang dynasty but was substantially expanded during the Ming Dynasty.  It is a massive fortification, standing 40 feet high, 50-60 feet wide and extending 8-1/2 miles in length around its four sides.  As one of the oldest and best preserved city walls in China, it is a major tourist attraction.  To minimize the risk of penetration by enemies, the city wall was constructed with only four original gates, and each are named:  East is Changle (meaning eternal joy), west is Anding (harmony peace), south is Yongning (eternal peace) and north is Anyuan (forever harmony).  While it's safe to assume that cycling was not an original purpose for the ancient city wall, its high vantage point and wide, flat path provided an ideal way to tour the old part of the city and wrap up our weekend in historic Xi'an.

Cycling forty feet above the ground atop the Xi'an City Wall