Page 9 - Xi-an China Terracotta Warriors

mercury, a “sky” studded with jewels representing was followed and they began to enlarge the wall
the stars and all guarded by grave robber traps built initially during the old Tang dynasty (618-907),
that would challenge Indiana Jones. So for now creating the modern Xi’an City Wall. It is the most
you’ll have to rely on your imagination to envi- complete city wall that has survived in China, as well
sion the emperor’s tomb. as being one of the largest ancient military defensive
systems in the world.
Away from the pits, a museum houses a stunning bronze
chariot and horses, and other paraphernalia found with The Xi’an City Wall now stands 40 feet
the warriors, including bronze vessels and weapons. tall, 10 feet wide at the top and 50 feet thick at the
bottom. It covers 8.5 miles in length with a deep
Many tourists visit Xi’an for only a day to see the moat surrounding it. Every 120 metres, there is a
Terracotta Army but there are plenty of other ac- rampart which extends out from the main wall.
tivities and sights to keep visitors occupied in the There are a total of 98 ramparts on the wall, which
area, including the historical relics at the Shaanxi were built to defend against the enemy climbing
History Museum, the mosque in the Muslim quarter, up the wall. Each rampart has a sentry building,
climbing the Big Goose Pagoda or heading to other in which the soldiers could protect the entire
archaeological sites that dot the countryside. wall without exposing themselves. The distance
between every two ramparats is just within the
When Zhu Yuanzhang, the first Emperor of the Ming range of an arrow shot from either side, so that they
Dynasty (1368-1644), captured Huizhou, a hermit could shoot at the attacking enemy. On the outer
named Zhu Sheng admonished him that he should side of the city wall there are 5,958 battlements so
‘build high walls, store abundant food supplies and soldiers could look out and shoot at the enemy.
take time to be an Emperor’, so that he could for- On the inner side, parapets were built to protect
tify the city and unify the other states. The advice the soldiers from falling off.
In Xi’an, discover the power of an army

of terracotta warriors crafted for the afterlife.

Nothing about the countryside surrounding the cen- to preserve the warriors. In the largest pit, there are
tral Chinese city of Xi’an hints at the archaeological 6000 warriors. Only 1000 are unearthed, lined up
wonders buried beneath the surface. This was cer- and ready for battle.
tainly how the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang,
intended it. Ruling in the 3rd century BC, he ordered As you get closer you can see no two warriors are
700,000 workers to build a terracotta army for his af- the same; all have different bodies, faces and ex-
terlife and killed them when his tomb was completed pressions. They were modelled on the hierarchy of
38 years later, so no one would reveal its location. real armies, with generals, archers and foot soldiers,
and guides will point out the differences from the
In fact, were it not for farmers digging a well in 1974, uniforms and where they stand in the battle forma-
the famed terracotta warriors might still be buried. tion. One can almost picture the craftsmen absorbed
But the secret is definitely out now. The huge mau- in their work and the labourers hauling the war-
soleum is one of China’s most popular sights, draw- riors into position. Even the soles of the warriors
ing about 2 million tourists every year. shoes have intricate patterning. It’s the same spine-
tingling feeling one gets when seeing the ancient
There are thought to be about 8000 soldiers and 150 temples of Angkor in Cambodia or Egypt’s pyramids.
cavalry horses, of which only a fraction have been
excavated. These exquisite life-sized figures are be- Work will continue on the site for many years, which
ing faithfully restored. They would have been even makes it feel like a living museum, despite it being a
more striking in their original painted form but oxi- tomb. If you return again, you might be able to see
dization has worn away their vivid colours. a pit not yet open to the public containing acrobats
and dancers, presumed to be the emperor’s afterlife
Only one warrior unearthed so far has been discov- entertainment. The Chinese government has elected
ered completely intact, and each warrior can take to preserve the main tomb by leaving it undisturbed
three restorers a year to painstakingly piece togeth- for the time being. Ancient writings suggest the
er. Three excavated pits are open to the public at tomb itself is incredibly sumptuous with a floor laid
the site, all beneath what looks like giant hangars out like a map of the empire with rivers of flowing
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