Xi'an is one of the birthplaces of civilization. It has seen 3,100 years of development and 13 dynasties, giving it equal fame with Athens, Rome and Cairo as one of the four major ancient civilization capitals. Xi'an means Western Peace and it is the starting point of the famed Silk Road. The first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, unified China, built The Great Wall and funneled the dynasties resources toward assembling his afterlife tomb, including his thousands of life-size terra cotta soldiers, each with a unique face and uniform.
These soldiers were first discovered in 1972 when 5 local farmers attempted to dig a well. Archaeologists estimate there were 6000 soldiers, along with horses and chariots in just one of the four pits built for Emperor Qin. When they were found, having been buried for over 2,000 years, most were broken into many parts because there were wooden roofs covering the soldiers and over time, as the weight of the soil crushed the roofs, the soldiers were shattered. The archeological project of excavating and piecing each warrior back together will likely be continuing for the next 2000 years from what I see of the work in front of them.
These soldiers were first discovered in 1972 when 5 local farmers attempted to dig a well. Archaeologists estimate there were 6000 soldiers, along with horses and chariots in just one of the four pits built for Emperor Qin. When they were found, having been buried for over 2,000 years, most were broken into many parts because there were wooden roofs covering the soldiers and over time, as the weight of the soil crushed the roofs, the soldiers were shattered. The archeological project of excavating and piecing each warrior back together will likely be continuing for the next 2000 years from what I see of the work in front of them.
Our visit to Xi'an also included a Tang Dynasty Acrobat show and a stay at the Kempinski hotel (shown in the first photo). The buffet breakfast matched the variety and expanse of the breakfasts we enjoyed in Beijing. One of my favorite treats is the dim sum, like this slightly sweet pumpkin dumpling. The Kempinski also included gas masks in each room. We couldn't get an explanation for this from Iowa but it provided amusing dinner conversation.
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