In 1974, a local farmer, digging for water over an hour away from Xi'an, discovered an ancient clay figurine. In this instant, Emperor Qin's terra-cotta warriors from the 200's BC were discovered. The Emperor had craftsmen and laborers work for decades to create a life-sized army to be buried in fighting formation in front of his tomb. He wanted to continue to conquer territory in the next life. They are still excavating the area, but expect to find over 6,000 pottery warriors and horses and over 50 chariots!
Before we went to the terra-cotta warrior site we stopped at a pottery factory to see (or buy) replicas of the soldiers. We learned how their hair styles and uniforms indicated their rank, and what type of weapons they would have had, etc. However, nothing could prepare us for the actual site.
When we walked into what they call "Pit I," which is covered by a huge (14,000+ sq meters) structure resembling an airport terminal, and peered over the edge our chatty group was speechless. The sight of thousands of ancient soldiers and horses in battle formation underground took my breath away! There were 11 corridors divided by 10 earth walls filled with soldiers and horses. The chambers were originally covered with wood, fiber mats and dirt to conceal them.
They estimate that almost a million craftsmen and laborers worked on the terra-cotta warriors. Each one is unique and the detail is amazing right down to the fingernails and folds in their uniform. Although the paint is gone now, they also think that each one was hand painted. Many of those workers were killed to keep the location of the tomb and warriors a secret. It worked until 1974!
It's easy to see why they call Emperor Qin Shihuang's buried terra-cotta warriors the 8th Wonder of the World. It absolutely has my vote!
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