Monday, April 9, 2012

Terracotta Soldiers of Xi'an, China

Above: Only 1087 Terracotta Soldiers have been found. Let me introduce this friendly Terracotta Soldier No.1088.


Terracotta Soldiers of Xian
PICTURE STORY - Searching for Clay Soldiers

More than 500 million people have already seen Terracotta Soldiers before I did my trip to Xian in Shaanxi Province. My trip was just few days. Busy Xian has 8 million people, it is capital of Shaanxi Province, 36M people.

XianYang International Airport was 40km from city. Weather was dusty and city felt crowded. Xian's city wall looked good.

Private sightseeing trip to Terracotta Soldiers was easy and not overpriced. Also visited HuaQing Hot Springs.

Trip photos below.




-- BeijingMan

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Above-1: Xian. Main street seen from hotel.

Above-2: Xian. Main street.


Above-3: Xian. Main street.


Above-4: Xian. Main street.


Above-5: Xian. Main street.


Above-6: Xian. Main street. A wedding model.


Above-7: Xian. Main street.


Above-8: Xian. Main street.


Above-9: Xian. Sweet eatings, sweet earnings.


Above-10: Xian. Still counting.


Above-11: Xian. Slippers.


Above-12: Xian. Goose heads?


Above-13: Xian. City center.


Above-14: Xian. City center.


Above-15: Xian. What's hot?!


Above-16: Xian. A fashion show.


Above-17: Xian. Big Wild Goose Pagoda, originally built in 652.


Above-18: Xian. Big Wild Goose Pagoda.


Above-19: Xian. Big Wild Goose Pagoda.


Above-20: Xian. Big Wild Goose Pagoda. Not enough lift.


Above-21: Xian. Big Wild Goose Pagoda.
Weather was a bit too dusty for my eyes and throat.


Above-22: This is HuaQing Hot Springs, 30km from Xian. During Tang Dynasty (618-907) this was the place for romantic affairs of Emperor XuanZong and Ms Yang Guifei.


Above-23: HuaQing Hot Springs. Statue of Yang Guifei. Emperor XuanZong visited here for her over 30 times. Hmm.


Above-24: HuaQing Hot Springs. Lotus-shaped imperial pool & coins.


Above-25: HuaQing Hot Springs. Pool info, click to enlarge.


Above-26: HuaQing Hot Springs. Nine-Dragon Lake: the dragons.


Above-27: HuaQing Hot Springs.


Above-28: Xian and Terracotta Army. Actually, replicas.


Above-29: Xian and Terracotta Army. Working with the army.


Above-30: Xian and Terracotta Army.


Above-31: Xian and Terracotta Army. The owen.


Above-32: Xian and Terracotta Army. Outcome.


Above-33: Xian and Terracotta Army. Clay ladies are my favorite.


Above-34: Xian and Terracotta Army. Weather was a bit dusty.


Above-35: Xian and Terracotta Army. Clay soldiers are here. It is said that altogether 8000 clay soldiers was made during 12 years by 1000 men by the order of China's founder, first emperor YingZheng.


Above-36: Xian and Terracotta Army. Tourist group.


Above-37: Xian and Terracotta Army. Clay soldiers, made in 300 B.C. Manufacturing process was modern: first the parts, then assembly, and finally personalization.


Above-38: Xian and Terracotta Army. I bought a book Awakened Qin's Terra-Cotta Army. It was autographed by old man Mr. Yang, one of the farmers who found clay soldiers in 1974. Autograph came by additional price as Mr Yang didn't get a finder's fee. Mr Yang Zhifa's shovel probably dug up the first artefact but another farmer Mr Zhao Kangmin is also said to be the first discoverer, and restorer, appreciator, name-giver and excavator of these terracotta warriors.


Above-39: Xian and Terracotta Army.
Pretty static and silent view, but proof of it all long ago.


Above-40: Xian and Terracotta Army.
- Add to to-do list


Above-41: Xian and Terracotta Army. It's bye-bye to Terracotta Army and Xian. Clay soldiers stand straight and clean and life goes on.


Xian and Terracotta Army
+ Xian City Wall
+ Terracotta Army has many tourists but no long queues
- Airport is far from city center

**** OK TARGET FOR TWO DAYS PHOTO SAFARI ****


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© BeijingMan 2022

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