One of the masterpieces that will leave me fascinated during my China travel has got to be the Terracotta Warriors. What struck me most was how huge the archaeological museum was complete with bronze chariots, clay horses, soldiers, generals, weapons and how under explored most of the excavation sites were. That said, what we saw in the museum was only a fraction of the army; there were tons of figures remain buried. In case you don't know, the terracotta warriors are now acknowledged as 8th wonder of the world.
Xian is a 'must see' place, especially if you love Chinese history. I can't help but admire the warriors for their intricate designs and sheer size, they were absolutely amazing. Unfortunately, I didn't capture as many outdoor pictures as I would have liked to as the weather wasn't permitting.
Anyway, these amazing relics are divided into 3 pits. Sorry the pictures are quite blurry. The lighting was low and flash photography was strictly forbidden.
It is a belief that these replicas are actual warriors who were buried with their emperor so that they could guard him in his after life.
Each warrior has a different and unique appearance and facial expressions of which no two are exactly the same.
The major excavation pit (Pit 1)
The warriors were originally painted with bright colors, but the colors faded after some time upon contact with the air and light. So the archaeologists have decided not to unearth any more until they find new measures to preserve the color. (Pit 1)
Pit 2: Every piece carefully put together. Many of the statues were destroyed shortly after the emperor's death and have since been restored.
Pit 3: Many of the figures have been restored but are missing heads.
Made a visit to the souvenir shop, where replicas of the soldiers carved from the same material can be purchased. It was truly impossible to get close with the 'actual' warriors, so I captured a bunch of these statues in the souvenir shop. Now that is what I call 'the ultimate satisfaction'.
Xian is a 'must see' place, especially if you love Chinese history. I can't help but admire the warriors for their intricate designs and sheer size, they were absolutely amazing. Unfortunately, I didn't capture as many outdoor pictures as I would have liked to as the weather wasn't permitting.
Anyway, these amazing relics are divided into 3 pits. Sorry the pictures are quite blurry. The lighting was low and flash photography was strictly forbidden.
It is a belief that these replicas are actual warriors who were buried with their emperor so that they could guard him in his after life.
Each warrior has a different and unique appearance and facial expressions of which no two are exactly the same.
The major excavation pit (Pit 1)
The warriors were originally painted with bright colors, but the colors faded after some time upon contact with the air and light. So the archaeologists have decided not to unearth any more until they find new measures to preserve the color. (Pit 1)
Pit 2: Every piece carefully put together. Many of the statues were destroyed shortly after the emperor's death and have since been restored.
Pit 3: Many of the figures have been restored but are missing heads.
Made a visit to the souvenir shop, where replicas of the soldiers carved from the same material can be purchased. It was truly impossible to get close with the 'actual' warriors, so I captured a bunch of these statues in the souvenir shop. Now that is what I call 'the ultimate satisfaction'.
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interesting! I heard the terracotta warriors used to be alive!?
ReplyDeleteThat's a very good experience! Seeing all those wonders. Nice to see your pic there too!
ReplyDeleteWOW LR, you've been to so many cool places. I looooove the pics, so awesome!
ReplyDeleteAnd thank you for the very interesting post. You are my first drop today dearie, happy Wed! :)
ReplyDeleteAmazing! I was delighted to see just a few terracotta warriors at the British Museum last year. Happy WW
ReplyDeleteI have see them last month in MAASEIK Belgium
ReplyDelete(was a exhibition of three months)
Happy WW !!
lovely shots - we lived in china for a year and were never able to get there - a BIG regret!
ReplyDeleteWow! It's like from the movie "Mummy Returns 3". Hehehehe
ReplyDeleteI love watching the documentary about the Terracota Warriors.
ReplyDeleteLucky you to be so close to them. :)
Wow, those are amazing. Great shot from a fascinating place.
ReplyDeletewow, it is so cool to see the real thing! i only managed to see a transported few back then, during an exhibition. :)
ReplyDeleteWOw! That's impressive. U must have a great time there. :)
ReplyDeleteMagnificent display. I hope I could catch a glimpse of those one of these days.... :):)
ReplyDeleteThose are SO cool...Id love to see them in person! Happy WW:)
ReplyDeleteI remember many years ago when I was still a little girl. There was an exhibition of them in Singapore and my mom brought me there. I found them creepy then, now I think they're art :)
ReplyDeleteThat is pretty cool! I love finding other people who explain their photos on Wordless Wednesday!
ReplyDeleteCongrats for being FC over at mine. :):)
ReplyDeleteMonica,
ReplyDeletemy FC. i've heard of this statement but I'm not sure that this is particularly true. they were fighting warriors until an evil witch turned them to stone forever.
Ayie,
ReplyDeleteit was truly a great adventure to explore the museum. the history was fascinating and interesting indeed.
Mariuca,
ReplyDeletethanks. i'm glad u enjoyed the post and pics.
i work so hard, so i need to enjoy life to the fullest. i love the freedom and enthusiasm to travel, to see the world.
Tiaras,
ReplyDeletei'm sure there's always a next time. ;)
Joanne,
ReplyDeleteI’ve never seen the movie Mummy 3, but I heard that the hero of the story battles Chinese terracotta warriors.
lina,
ReplyDeleteMy greatest experiences in china were walking on the Great Wall and seeing the Terra Cotta Warriors.
levian,
ReplyDeleteyeah, nothing beats the real thing. China is full of so much history that you see it and experience it everywhere.
Janice,
ReplyDeletei'm sure you'll have the golden opportunity to visit this place someday. keep your fingers crossed.:)
Elaine,
ReplyDeleteWhat makes the warriors so amazing is that each face, clothing and hairstyle is different and unique.
I hope to visit it one day. This is so awesome!
ReplyDeleteDid you try their ma la steam boats? :D
ReplyDeleteWonderful warriors. :D
ReplyDeleteECL,
ReplyDeleteMa la steamboat uses very spicy soup stock. when i was in shanghai some yrs ago, I had terrible bouts of diarrhoea after taking it. it was awful indeed :(
JL,
ReplyDeleteyup, they are truly magnificent.
for some reason, i wonder why your blog does not appear to accept my comments. i'm not sure whether your other readers are facing the same problems like me.
I wish i have chance to visit this place. Alamak, my birthday is over.
ReplyDeleteI think it was also featured in Legend of Aang, the last airbender. Must be really good to see in person.
ReplyDeleteI wonder why someone wanted all this down. It must have been quite an undertaking over a long period. Splendid photos.
ReplyDeleteWar...this reminds me of the Jet Li Movie...The Mummy!
ReplyDeleteHappy belated birthday Chin Weng.
ReplyDeleteyeah, nothing beats the real thing, Ayie. don't miss the chance if u ever have the opportunity to visit this awesome place. you won't regret it.
ReplyDeletethanks for visiting my WW, sandy.
ReplyDeletetekkaus,
ReplyDeletei have yet to see the movie.
The size and detail of this army are amazing!
ReplyDeletethanks to their periodic tour, we get to share it even while we are here. :)
ReplyDeletewow amazing pictures!
ReplyDeletei remember the cursed terracotta warriors in the mummy.. haha.. scary =D
I hope to visit there one day!
ReplyDeleteBut there was a story last time about this woman who went to visit that place and became possessed. Wonder how true that story is! : )
Wow and wow. I have seen documentaries about this arm and statues and would love to see them for myself. Lucky you!!
ReplyDelete