Terracotta Army, Xi'an — China, June 2014
My fifth route in China was visiting the emperor's underground army during my Xi'an travel. I stayed in a single room in a nice hostel in Xi'an. Although I asked the reception how I could go to the underground army, we could not agree because they did not speak English. A Chinese girl who listen to me at that time and spoke English clearly said that she also wanted to go there, and if I wanted, we could go together. Her name was Elsa. She said she was 21 years old, had a degree in psychology, and would go to the United States for a master's degree in rehabilitation. It would be a good opportunity for me to go with a Chinese guide. We met in the lobby at 8 o'clock the next morning, and there was another girl who wanted to join us and was studying medicine. First, they learned the bus lines from their phones. First, we took an urban bus to the train station and then transferred to the bus that would take us from there. The 1st gallery in the museum is the most beautiful. Excavations and restorations continue in galleries 2 and 3. We left by setting a clock and meeting point in Gallery 1. This was necessary for me to take pictures comfortably. There were too many tours and visitors. If I had come with a tour, it would be very difficult to take pictures among their running pace and the crowd. I would pay a serious fee. It cost a total of 10 yuan to come with these girls. One arrival, 3.5 Turkish Lira with my money. Since I am over 60, I paid a reduced fee to the museum. On the way back, I invited them to dinner at a street restaurant close to the hostel. They accepted it happily and after dinner put the remaining foods in the table in a plastic bag and bought it for later.
The Terracotta Army was created for the mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor to unify China in 221 BCE. Construction of the vast burial complex began in 246 BCE. The life-sized clay warriors, horses and chariots were intended to accompany and protect the emperor in the afterlife. In 1974, farmers digging a well near Xi'an accidentally uncovered fragments of the army, leading to one of the most remarkable archaeological discoveries of the twentieth century. Although the figures stand in military formations, their faces, hairstyles, uniforms and ranks show striking variations. Many once carried real weapons and were originally painted in vivid colours, traces of which have survived on some figures.
The three principal excavation pits reveal different aspects of the imperial force. Pit 1 contains the largest formation of infantry and chariots; Pit 2 includes a more varied arrangement of military units; and Pit 3 is generally interpreted as a command post. These pits form only one part of a much larger mausoleum landscape, designed to evoke the emperor's capital and court. The Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1987. Standing before the excavated ranks, I was struck not only by their extraordinary scale but also by the patience and craftsmanship behind each individual figure.
Historical reference: UNESCO World Heritage Centre, 'Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor' (https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/441).