Saturday, 20th April, 2013.
This was a special day for me, one of my main reasons for wanting to come to China, so I was very excited.
Some enterprising farmers from the area where the Terracotta Warriors were discovered have been able to turn the find to their advantage. We stopped for lunch at this very large hotel/restaurant near the site, named, very appropriately, the Flourishing International Hotel, owned by a former farmer.
Biángbiáng noodles are a type of noodle popular in Shaanxi province. The noodles, touted as one of the "ten strange wonders of Shaanxi" are described as being like a belt, due to their thickness and length.
The noodle is broad and hand-made and is topped with lots of red hot peppers for the cold winter in Shaanxi. This noodle was a poor man's meal in the countryside, but has recently become popular in trendy restaurants due to its weird character name.
The origin of the name "biángbiáng noodles" is unclear. One theory is that the word came from the sound people make from chewing such delicious noodles "biang biang biang". Another theory is that the word "biang" refers to the sound made by the chef when he creates the noodles by pulling the dough and slapping it on the table. Making the noodles was certainly a very noisy process.
Made up of 58 strokes, the Chinese character for "biáng" is one of the most complex in contemporary usage, although the character is not found in modern dictionaries. Picture from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biangbiang_noodles
After this unusual lunch, we finally set out to see the Terracotta Warriors.
The Terracotta Army is one of the most famous archaeological finds in the world. This collection of terracotta sculptures depicts the armies of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China. The soldiers were buried with the emperor in 210–209 BC to protect him in his afterlife.
There are four main pits associated with the terracotta army. Pit 1 is the biggie, and that is the one we were shown to first.
I had to wait a long time to take this photo. This angle is the best place to see the whole pit, and there were about 3,000 people there already. By starting at the back, then slowly wriggling forwards as people left, I finally managed to get this photo, kneeling down, between people’s legs. There are three rows of archers at the front, but you can’t see them from here because of the depth of the pit.
Lonely Planet’s description:
A well-known amazing fact about the warriors is that they are all different – different expressions, hair, stance etc. Even the horses are individual. The head, arms, legs and torsos were created separately and then assembled, so sometimes there were bits missing.
Some researchers speculate that it took over 700,000 craftsmen and slaves to build the complex.
The whole army is estimated to have more than 8,000 soldiers. They are arranged according to height, with the tallest representing generals and the shorter ones being lower in hierarchy.
We have moved around to the side of the pit now, so you can see the three rows of archers at the front.
Here they are, a bit closer up.
When first excavated, the warriors were brightly painted. However, after the seal of the pits was broken, the painted surface began to flake and fade. In fact, the lacquer covering the paint can curl in 15 seconds once exposed to the dry air of Xi'an and can flake off in just four minutes.
Completion of the excavation is being undertaken very carefully, or even being postponed until the technology has been developed to stop the damage occurring to the paint once it is exposed to the air.
The Terracotta Army was discovered by chance 35 km northeast of central Xī’ān as recently as 1974, by a group of farmers when they were digging a water well. This discovery prompted Chinese archaeologists to investigate, and they unearthed the largest pottery figurine group ever found in China.
Here is the site of the well, in Pit 1, near the vanguard archers.
From the side of the pit.
Now we are further down the side of the pit. At the front of the pit, you can see the wooden pillars which sealed the pit, and also all the people standing on the raised platform at the front, which gives a very good view of the whole pit.
Towards the back of Pit 1 were warriors and horses in varying stages of being “stick together” as explained by the sign.
From the back of Pit 1, looking towards the front. It seemed that these figures were still under restoration.
We’re walking back towards the front, on the opposite side from the one we’ve come down.
Still in “hospital”. You can see how different the figures are from each other.
Back in the trenches.
Back to the front, and the archers, again.
With an effort, I dragged myself away from this amazing sight.
Pit 2, containing around 1300 warriors and horses, is still being excavated. Pit 3 contains 72 warriors and horses, and is believed to be the army headquarters. Pit 4 is empty, seemingly left unfinished by its builders.
We saw an Imax style movie, describing the assumed building process of this great mausoleum. We also saw a pair of bronze chariots and horses in the underground basement area, for some reason, of a small museum. It was hideously crowded and claustrophobic, and I couldn’t wait to get out.
But I was quite euphoric – I had seen the terracotta warriors.
In the museum shop, you could buy your own warrior (or horse) to take home, any shape or size.
One of the farmers who had discovered the warriors, now in his eighties, was there signing souvenir books. Our guide Xī’ān Derry related this anecdote about him:
When American president Bill Clinton, along with wife Hilary and daughter Chelsea, came to see the warriors, he wanted to meet the farmer who had discovered them. The farmer was very excited, so had someone teach him some English so he could chat to the president. He was very nervous when the big day came, and instead of saying “How are you?” said “Who are you?” Unfazed, Bill Clinton replied that he was the husband of Hilary and the father of Chelsea.
The farmer, imagining that he was answering his first intended question and replying that he was well, gave a beaming smile and uttered his next prepared comment “Me too!”
Can’t imagine that is really true.
We walked back to the bus, exhilarated and awed by this magnificent spectacle, taking care not to trample.
This was a special day for me, one of my main reasons for wanting to come to China, so I was very excited.
Biángbiáng noodles are a type of noodle popular in Shaanxi province. The noodles, touted as one of the "ten strange wonders of Shaanxi" are described as being like a belt, due to their thickness and length.
The noodle is broad and hand-made and is topped with lots of red hot peppers for the cold winter in Shaanxi. This noodle was a poor man's meal in the countryside, but has recently become popular in trendy restaurants due to its weird character name.
The origin of the name "biángbiáng noodles" is unclear. One theory is that the word came from the sound people make from chewing such delicious noodles "biang biang biang". Another theory is that the word "biang" refers to the sound made by the chef when he creates the noodles by pulling the dough and slapping it on the table. Making the noodles was certainly a very noisy process.
Made up of 58 strokes, the Chinese character for "biáng" is one of the most complex in contemporary usage, although the character is not found in modern dictionaries. Picture from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biangbiang_noodles
After this unusual lunch, we finally set out to see the Terracotta Warriors.
The Terracotta Army is one of the most famous archaeological finds in the world. This collection of terracotta sculptures depicts the armies of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China. The soldiers were buried with the emperor in 210–209 BC to protect him in his afterlife.
There are four main pits associated with the terracotta army. Pit 1 is the biggie, and that is the one we were shown to first.
I had to wait a long time to take this photo. This angle is the best place to see the whole pit, and there were about 3,000 people there already. By starting at the back, then slowly wriggling forwards as people left, I finally managed to get this photo, kneeling down, between people’s legs. There are three rows of archers at the front, but you can’t see them from here because of the depth of the pit.
Lonely Planet’s description:
"The largest pit, Pit 1, is the most imposing. Housed in a building the size of an aircraft hangar, it is believed to contain 6000 warriors (only 2000 are on display) and horses, all facing east and ready for battle. The vanguard of three rows of archers (both crossbow and longbow) is followed by the main force of soldiers, who originally held spears, swords, dagger-axes and other longshaft weapons. The infantry were accompanied by 35 chariots, though these, made of wood, have long since disintegrated."
A well-known amazing fact about the warriors is that they are all different – different expressions, hair, stance etc. Even the horses are individual. The head, arms, legs and torsos were created separately and then assembled, so sometimes there were bits missing.
Some researchers speculate that it took over 700,000 craftsmen and slaves to build the complex.
The whole army is estimated to have more than 8,000 soldiers. They are arranged according to height, with the tallest representing generals and the shorter ones being lower in hierarchy.
We have moved around to the side of the pit now, so you can see the three rows of archers at the front.
Here they are, a bit closer up.
When first excavated, the warriors were brightly painted. However, after the seal of the pits was broken, the painted surface began to flake and fade. In fact, the lacquer covering the paint can curl in 15 seconds once exposed to the dry air of Xi'an and can flake off in just four minutes.
Completion of the excavation is being undertaken very carefully, or even being postponed until the technology has been developed to stop the damage occurring to the paint once it is exposed to the air.
The Terracotta Army was discovered by chance 35 km northeast of central Xī’ān as recently as 1974, by a group of farmers when they were digging a water well. This discovery prompted Chinese archaeologists to investigate, and they unearthed the largest pottery figurine group ever found in China.
Here is the site of the well, in Pit 1, near the vanguard archers.
From the side of the pit.
Now we are further down the side of the pit. At the front of the pit, you can see the wooden pillars which sealed the pit, and also all the people standing on the raised platform at the front, which gives a very good view of the whole pit.
Towards the back of Pit 1 were warriors and horses in varying stages of being “stick together” as explained by the sign.
From the back of Pit 1, looking towards the front. It seemed that these figures were still under restoration.
We’re walking back towards the front, on the opposite side from the one we’ve come down.
Still in “hospital”. You can see how different the figures are from each other.
Back in the trenches.
Back to the front, and the archers, again.
With an effort, I dragged myself away from this amazing sight.
Pit 2, containing around 1300 warriors and horses, is still being excavated. Pit 3 contains 72 warriors and horses, and is believed to be the army headquarters. Pit 4 is empty, seemingly left unfinished by its builders.
We saw an Imax style movie, describing the assumed building process of this great mausoleum. We also saw a pair of bronze chariots and horses in the underground basement area, for some reason, of a small museum. It was hideously crowded and claustrophobic, and I couldn’t wait to get out.
But I was quite euphoric – I had seen the terracotta warriors.
In the museum shop, you could buy your own warrior (or horse) to take home, any shape or size.
One of the farmers who had discovered the warriors, now in his eighties, was there signing souvenir books. Our guide Xī’ān Derry related this anecdote about him:
When American president Bill Clinton, along with wife Hilary and daughter Chelsea, came to see the warriors, he wanted to meet the farmer who had discovered them. The farmer was very excited, so had someone teach him some English so he could chat to the president. He was very nervous when the big day came, and instead of saying “How are you?” said “Who are you?” Unfazed, Bill Clinton replied that he was the husband of Hilary and the father of Chelsea.
The farmer, imagining that he was answering his first intended question and replying that he was well, gave a beaming smile and uttered his next prepared comment “Me too!”
Can’t imagine that is really true.
We walked back to the bus, exhilarated and awed by this magnificent spectacle, taking care not to trample.
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