TerraCotta Warriors

The Silent Army Of Qin Shi Huang

Xian, China

The year is 221 B.C. China has been united by a Qin prince who installed himself as Qin Shi Huang or the first emperor. He will eventually leave behind a legacy built on policies that were both reviled and admired. Fearing death would bring retribution for his deeds, Qin Shi Huang ordered the creation of a massive army to defend him in the afterlife. It took 700,000 laborers to build his tomb along with the 8,000 life-size statues depicting soldiers of varying ranks. When the emperor died 14 years later, these ill-fated laborers were buried alive with him together with the magnificent terracotta horde and there they were entombed for 2,000 years.

In 1974, three farmers digging for water, came upon terracotta pottery in the area. An excavation followed and the terracotta warriors were unearthed. However, what they found was not the striking army that was buried but crumbled pieces of yellow clay. A museum was built on the site and over the years, each statue was painstakingly reconstructed.

That was what I had learned on my first trip to China. Pit 1 and 2 were open to the public and I was eager to view this '8th Wonder" as it was touted. Gazing down at the row upon row of soldiers grimly standing guard was quite a thrill. They had been lined in the original positions with the archers at the head, followed by the infantry and then the horsemen. What's more astounding was how the archaeologists had been able to restore these marvelous statues from the crumbled bits. As I watched them work within glass paneled rooms, I was reminded of 5000-pc jigsaw puzzles that drove me nuts.

On my second trip there, Pit 3 had been opened. We were told that this was the command center for all the soldiers and only a handful of terracotta warriors and a chariot was housed in this pit. Imagine the emperor having the presence of mind to build a command center where orders were issued so that his army of statues will be well-organized. He must have had great belief that they would come alive.

Here is another interesting fact about the terracotta warriors. No two are alike. We had to take the guide's word for it though because time did not permit us checking out every statue. Apparently Emperor Qin was adamant about creating very life-like soldiers so he had the statues take on the features of the workers. The statues were molded from yellow earth found in that area mixed with white grit, then fired and dried. After that, paint was applied to the statue and features added. In fact, during the excavation, they found mounds of mixed clay waiting to be poured into the molds. Had the emperor lived a longer life, he would have had an army that could beat Satan into submission.

Also on display was one of two bronze chariots that were discovered along with the statues. It was half the size of a real chariot was created in detail. Four bronze horses pulled the chariot and a bronze driver sat at the front under an umbrella. The replica was very well-preserved despite being buried in dirt for two thousand years.

After viewing the pits and all the artifacts displayed in the museum, we came upon a area where, for a fee of $10, we could turn our son into a terracotta warrior. No, he did not join the silent army. They merely took his photo and photoshopped it into the body of a terracotta warrior. No wonder it was so cheap. Nonetheless, we now have a photo of a Caucasian terracotta warrior hanging on our wall.

Before leaving, we dropped by the museum store where replicas of the terracotta warriors were available for sale. These were made from the original yellow clay found in the pits and had the museum stamp on it. We purchased one (half-sized) and had it sent back to California. Souvenir Books were also on available for purchase and if you bought one, you could take a picture of an old man who would also sign it for you. He was Yang Zhi Fa, one of the farmers who discovered the terracotta warriors. We did not buy the book and so do not have a photo of the local celebrity. But we cherish our mini Terracotta Warrior who now guards our house diligently.