One of the greatest historical sites in the world lies tucked outside the huge city of Xian, near an obscure “mountain.” The mountain is actually a vast burial mound where Qin Shi Huang, China’s first emperor, is entombed. But no one knew this until the accidental discovery of a vast chamber of terra cotta figures in 1974, which only happened because a local farmer was sinking a deep well.
See all the images from Dave's tour in our solar eclipse 2009 trip gallery.
Excavations in the pits containing clay figures unearthed a vast number of life-sized figures of warriors of all grades guarding the nearby mountain. On Saturday, July 18, Astronomy’s intrepid eclipse travelers were fortunate to visit the site of the famous Terra Cotta Warriors of Xian, and indeed we even met the man who discovered the site back in 1974!
Pit #1 (pictured above) holds the largest number of excavated figures and may contain some 6,000 altogether, including infantry, cavalry, and officers — some even have horses and bronze implements of war. Two other great pits are in lesser states of excavation, and there is certainly much work to be done to explore fully this unprecedented army that was intended to protect the emperor in the afterlife when he died in 210 b.c.e. Currently, in the three pits, some 8,000 figures have been found altogether, along with 130 chariots and nearly 700 horses. Astonishingly, every soldier bears a unique face, a testament to the craftsmanship of the effort.
Temperatures on this day were again blazing. SETI astronomer and Astronomy contributor Seth Shostak wondered if we would melt before seeing all the warriors. Melita Thorpe of MWT Associates, our tour partner, doted over guests and helped them through the logistics of seeing such a vast complex. Astronomy Senior Editor Rich Talcott and his wife Evelyn enjoyed the scene and we snapped each other’s images in front of the warriors to prove we had been there.
After a marvelous local lunch we moved on to the city of Xian, which is “small” compared to the biggest Chinese cities but still boasts 6 million people. It is more of a normal city than Beijing, with lots of new construction but without the overwhelming, almost unbelievable series of high-tech skyscrapers that seems to dwarf even New York.
We explored the famous City Wall of Xian (pictured at right), which dates from the Ming Dynasty in 1370. The walled city inside the original circumference is a charming place and now boasts many shops, restaurants, and hotels. After a long day of sightseeing, we settled in at the Tang Palace Dance Show, where we enjoyed a traditional Chinese dance and musical play, a real delight. There, the smallness of the world was once again on display as we ran into the renowned author Dava Sobel, who was with another group and on her way to see the eclipse. (We had already run into Astronomy contributor Tom Polakis in Beijing.)
It was a great day once again. Tomorrow we travel to Chongquing, so expect a more detailed report again in a couple days after we get settled there and begin operations once again.
Previous blog: We conquer the Great Wall of China
All photos by David J. Eicher