Posted by Kanga. Please do not reblog.
It is long overdue to write about our visit to the Terracotta Army archaeological site. This is a bucket list sort of event. It was not really on my bucket list. I did not expect to travel to China, let alone move here to live. I was amazed by pictures of the discovery, but never said “I have to go see that!” until it was just a train ride away.
Consider that these statues are approximately 2200 years old. The quality of the sculpture is amazing. They are life size and made out of pottery. Every face is unique. Characteristics of different ethnic groups are evident. Each work is signed by the worker and the supervisor involved in the creation. Only one third have been excavated to date (42 years since discovery). All but one of the figures excavated so far were smashed by members of a farmer revolt shortly after the death of the Emperor Qin and therefore have to be painstakingly reassembled.
Visiting the site is easy and inexpensive. Frequent buses run from Xian to the site every day. The cost for the hour long bus ride is 7.50 – 8.50 yuan ($1.15-$1.30). Admission to the park is 120 yuan per person ($18). We sprung for a personal guide 150 yuan ($23). It was nice to have the additional information provided by the guide, but would not be necessary as there is plenty of signage and published information about the site.
To see all the pictures (Day Five) – click here.
Pictures from Day Four, Xian Museum and Small Goose Pagoda – click here.
Pictures from Day Seven, Xian Beilin Museum – click here.
Pictures from Day Eight, Great Mosque of Xian – click here.
We definitely enjoyed our time in Xian. There were many sites we did not see. There is thousands of years of history there and fantastic food.
Living the Travel Channel 