Going under Down Under

The Terracotta Warriors Xi'an Tours | Xi'an Hotels | Xi'an Pictures | Xi'an Map The terra-cotta warriors and horses, known as "the Eighth Wonder of the World" and listed in the World Cultural Heritage List. created about 2,200 years ago, were found in 1974 on the east side of the tomb of the First Emperor Qin Shihuang (259 BC - 210 BC) near Xi'an. The site is now the famous Terra-cotta Museum, which consists of three main buildings, Pit 1, Pit 2 and Pit 3. The three pits occupy an area of 22,000 square meters, housing about 8,000 life-size pottery warriors and horses. Pit 1 , found in March 1974 ,is the largest of the three. It contains over 6,000 life-size terracotta warriors and horses in a practical battle formation, which is the main force of the underground army. Pit 2, discovered in 1976, contains more than 1,300 pottery figures, which are specialized military forces, including archers, chariots, and cavalries. Pit 3 is the smallest of the three, containing only 68 pottery figures and one chariot. Pit 3 is the command center of the entire army. The terracotta warriors are about 1.8 meters in height on average. Each of them has an individualized appearance, characterized mainly by its facial features, such as the mouth, hairstyle and facial expression. Experts believe they are modeled on real soldiers. The warriors and horses were sculptured to protect the tomb of Qin Shihuang (the First Emperor). By 221 B.C., he defeated six countries in less than ten years, concluding the chaos of more than 500 years known as the Warring States Period. By this time, China's first-ever centralized feudal power was founded and laid a solid basis for the rapid development of economy, politics, ideology and culture. Qin Shihuang founded its capital in Xi'an, and created one of the greatest ancient cities the world has ever known. Believing that he would continue to rule his country after his death, Qin Shihuang ordered his subjects to build a magnificent underground palace. Constructions of the tomb began soon after Qin Shihuang ascended the throne. Hundreds of thousands of people worked 17 years to complete it. The clay statues are in life size and were modeled after the real members of Qin Shihuang's army. The facial features and expression are depicted so vividly in life that one can almost understand the soldiers' characters, and which part of the country they came from, and one can tell from the soldiers' garment and posture and weapons his position in the army. While the soldiers and horses are made of clay, the weapons are real. The terra-cotta army actually holds a complete arsenal of Qin Dynasty. The majority of the weaponry is made from copper and tin in addition to 13 other rare metals. Some of the weapons were never discovered before and demonstrated more advanced craftsmanship than expected. For instance, an underground bronze sword still shines after having been buried underground for more than 2,000 years. The ancient craftsmen also used special treatment to prevent the sword from getting rusty. About 600 satellite pits and tombs have been unearthed in the surrounding area of the tomb of the First Emperor since the discovery of terracotta warriors and horses in 1974. Thirty-one pits of rare animals and birds and 98 sets of the stable pits have been unearthed. www.ChinaLoongTours.com