Day 40 – Xi’an: Terra Cotta Warriors

Day 40 – Xi’an: Terra Cotta Warriors

After breakfast at the hotel, we loaded the buses and went to the factory where they make the Terra Cotta warrior replicas.  They showed us workmen and processes that they use.  It was interesting, and could be very expensive!  At the end of the tour, they take you through their retail shops.  LOTS of beautiful stuff!  We did buy a little bowl and some other trinkets.  It was hard to get out of there for all the beautiful stuff.  They also had the hand lacquered furniture and it just took your breath away for how beautiful it all was.

This was the old coal fired kiln for making the replicas.

The use electric kilns now, but keep the old ones around to show people what it used to be like.

These are replicas of the Emperor's chariot and horses that were made of bronze and buried with the Terra Cotta Warriors.

Pottery horses from the Tang Dynasty replicas.

Lacquered furniture is really clay baked onto the wood.  I didn't know that!  It was just wonderful to walk around and see all the beautiful pieces. 

I waned this one for my grandchildren to use!

Of course, I had to get a picture of the horse and cart.  It was only for about 60,000 Yuan! 

From there we went to the Terra Cotta Warrior site.  It is truly amazing all the work that Emporor Qin did to accomplish that.  Such a huge area and every bit of it amazing!  They have it all housed in three massive buildings with roofs to try and help them preserve it all better. 

This is just ONE of the buildings that they use to cover the work site.  They are still employing lots of people to carefully scrape away the dirt and find more of the pottery warriors and horses all the time. 

The second of the three buildings.  

One small area that has been restored.

As we were going from one building to another, a woman and two men came up beside me.  They kept looking my way.  Normally in the States, I would be nervous, but I have come to expect some of this behavior her in China.  She wanted her picture taken with me, but didn’t speak English.  One of the men did and asked me if I would.  I said, “Yes” and the woman put her arm around me and snugged me up to as close as she could get to me, leaning her head into me, too.  No problems with personal space here! 

We had lunch at the museum restaurant.  We finally finished there about 4 pm and then they took us to the Muslim Marketplace.  We got some dinner there and also some other things.  It is amazing to see the street markets and all the people that have something to sell.  We are at the hotel early and our adventure in northwest China is almost to an end.