Visiting the Terracotta Warriors in Xi’an
In 1974 a group of peasants were digging a well and found some pottery and relics. Those bits of pottery turned out to be the legendary terra cotta army from 221 BC of China’s first emperor. If you plan on visiting the terracotta warriors in Xi’an then keep reading for tips on how to make the most of your time.
We traveled from Beijing to Xi’an- airports in China are so much better than American airports- for a quick day and half trip just to see the warriors and museum.
When visiting the terracotta warriors in Xian, plan on spending most of your time the museum and the dig site. Xi’an itself feels more industrial with not much else to do after seeing the warriors.
We checked in the Sheraton Xi’an and headed over. After buying our tickets, we were finally on our way visiting the terracotta warriors in Xian! Visitors first walk through the museum which had many beautifully preserved and impressive relics. It really was worth seeing. It’s mind blowing to think that all of this was made in 221 BC and is still pretty much intact. I cant even keep a computer 5 years anymore.
Finally we made it to the big warehouse type area with the ongoing excavation of the tomb and the warriors. It was stunning. Imagine and area larger than a football field, all in various stages of excavation, with piles of dirt everywhere. I find it strange that it has taken this long to continue the process of unearthing this tomb.
The detail in each warrior is amazing, and quite detailed. They were built to replicate the army of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, and was meant to protect him in the afterlife.
When visiting the terracotta warriors in xi’an, it will be apparent that the afterlife was the most important consideration. Plan on spending the afternoon wandering the complex and taking photos.
You dont need to spend a lot of time in Xi’an, and can easily be a quick stopover between destinations.
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