In 1995 I was living on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, finishing out my Navy career. I happened to discover the local Honolulu Museum had a traveling exhibit of Terracotta Warriors on loan from China and went to see them. That small exhibit of perhaps 30 figures hooked me, and I knew that someday I had to see the archaeological site they came from.
In 2017, on a trip to China, Winnie and I planned out a visit to Xi’an, in Shaanxi province. It was well worth the trip and Xi’an was a bonus as being among the most beautiful cities I’ve been fortunate to visit in China. Here’s my collection of photos of the Terracotta Army of Qin Shi Huang.
From The Wikipedia article:
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 art buried 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, 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. Other terracotta non-military figures were found in other pits, including officials, acrobats, strongmen, and musicians.
Wikipedia Entry: Terracotta Army
Related Pages
Exploring China : My photo collection of my first three trips to China with Winnie.
Our Internet Romance : A story of long-distance courtship and marriage with a lovely lady on the other side of the globe.
The Long Wait : After a long-distance marriage came obtaining a visa. That took two years during the Bush Jr Administration.