China > The Terracotta Army of Xian

The main reason to visit Xi’an is the Terracotta Army. The Terracotta Army is the name given to the archaeological discovery of nine thousand terracotta figures that were buried as grave goods for the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huangdi. When I get off at the parking lot, it is still quiet. The souvenir shops are just opening their doors. I am surprised that it is still about a twenty-minute walk from the parking area. I could take an electric shuttle, but I decide to walk. Today it is cloudy, and this morning it also rained.

China - The large hall of the Terracotta Army in Xian

I haven’t experienced that in quite some time. Just to be safe, I take my umbrella with me. Because of the damp weather, it feels oppressively warm. I first visit the museum. There it is explained how the site was created on the orders of the emperor. By coincidence, I read, the terracotta figures were discovered in the 1970s. A farmer found them when he was trying to dig a water well. Today, there is little left of the farmland. The excavations are now completely roofed over, and a large square in front of the halls has been paved. I begin my tour in the second hall. The excavations here were discovered more recently. The unearthed figures are in much poorer condition than those in the main hall. Hall three also displays excavations of the Terracotta Army. Hall three is the smallest of the exhibition halls. When I finally enter hall one, I see thousands of terracotta figures together in an enormous hall. The hall is the size of a large sports arena. The life-sized statues stand in rows next to one another—an impressive sight. The archaeological site is so vast that not all the figures have yet been excavated. In the middle of the hall, a group of archaeologists is at work on new excavations. They are also trying to reconstruct complete figures from broken fragments. I conclude my visit to the Terracotta Army with a film.

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On the screen, I see how the army came into being, but also how many figures were destroyed with the fall of the dynasty. On the way back to the bus, I buy a replica of a terracotta general as a souvenir to take home. After lunch, I go to the Tomb of Hanyang. This archaeological site has only been open to visitors since 2006. The underground chamber beneath the burial mound provides access to the great mausoleum complex of Emperor Liu Qi (188–141 BC) of the Han dynasty. The excavations are covered with glass panels. I am given special covers for my shoes to avoid scratching the surface. As I walk over the glass floor panels, I see thousands of fragments of miniature ceramic sculptures. These are burial treasures. The ceramic figurines of soldiers are about one-tenth the size of real soldiers. They are reminiscent of Emperor Qin’s Terracotta Army. However, the Terracotta Army is life-sized and rendered with far more realistic detail. The clothing of the figurines and their wooden arms have been lost over time. Extraordinary as it is, this archaeological site makes less of an impression on me than the Terracotta Army this morning. Perhaps this is because the Hanyang Tomb is still relatively unknown.