The Terra Cotta Warriors of Xi'an.

The terra cotta warriors were constructed around 260 BC as the army that would protect the emperor Qin Shi Huang (the first emporer of China) into the afterlife. They were discovered in 1974 by a farmer digging a well. Each warrior is life-sized and each one has individual facial features and hairstyles. The uniforms are very detailed according to the rank. It's estimated that there are 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses and 150 cavalry horses, most of which are still buried. The pit below currently holds about 1,000 soldiers.


When the pits were opened, all the soldiers had been smashed by a subsequent emperor. All the soldiers that we saw have been pieced together. In one area, partially reconstructed soldiers stand, waiting to be placed back in their ranks. In other areas, the broken soldiers wait their turn.

Within a year of the uncovering, all the paint had eroded away. Despite official denials, scientists say that the human presence (carbon dioxide), mold, and air pollution are also causing the actual statues to decay quickly. In one of the pits they have excavated, but left the clay/dirt "ceiling" on so you can't see the soldiers in an attempt to protect them until they can figure out how to preserve them.

The size of the site is Egyptian in its scope. It was truly awe-inspiring. The emperor was 13 when construction started and an estimated 700,000 workers labored on the project. Nearby is a very large flat-topped mountain--the emperor's tomb. Our guide told us that all the feng shui and information makes them believe that it would be very bad luck to open it, so it has remained unexcavated. I don't buy that for a minute.