I was given an amazing gift for Christmas. My father decided that it made more sense for me to have money for the holidays since shipping things cost so much. This allowed me to take a trip I have been hoping to do while I live in Ch*na. I was able to go to Xi'an and see the Terracotta Warriors!
Esther Baker accompanied me on this journey. We traveled by train to Xi'an, in the Shaanxi Province. After finding our hostile and figuring out the buses, we headed out to the location of the Terracotta Warriors. Emperor Qin, who ruled from 221-207 BC, had this army created so he would be protected in the after life.
Esther at the head of Pit 1The warriors were found in 1974 by a small group of farmers digging a well. They had dug down only 1 meter when they started to find parts of the warriors. At 3 meters, they found a head of what they called a "clay man." When they turned it into the gov't, they received a 30 kuai reward for it. Although this was equal only to a month's salary at the time, they felt it was far greater to be known for what they found.
The warriors were created to look as the warriors did at the time. Their faces resembled Emperor Qin's army. The men were from all over Ch*na. They say they can see characteristics in the warrior faces that resemble men from the Sichuan province. The warriors were also from all levels of the infantry. There were archers, soldiers, generals and charioteers. You could tell who they were by what they wore.
This is the main entrance to the pit. They figured out that the warriors were assembled in this fashion. They had wooden beams across the top and woven mats over the top of that. After they were all assembled, they buried them with dirt so no one would find them until he needed them in the after life.
The sun was shining in the windows as we walked through this. It is to bad that Emperor Qin hadn't seen the light before he died. There is nothing that can help you in the after life. The choices have to be made before you die. Do any of us really know what day or time we will end our time here on earth? Now is the time to be prepared.
This is a charioteer. Each chariot was pulled by 4 horses. They were adorned with bridles and harnesses. The horses were carved so they looked as if they were in battled with ears back and nostrils flaring. Pit 2 was primarily all chariots. They calculated 100's of them.
You can see from this that reassembling each warrior is a time consuming task. Initially I was disappointed that there were not more warriors showing in each pit. As I saw this, I realized how much work goes into each one. Eventually, they hope to recover as many as 10,000 warriors.
I hate having my picture taken but Anna always asks to see pictures of me. So Anna, this one is just for you and your sister, Sarah!
There are partial remains throughout each pit. You can see how they painstakingly uncover each piece and another reason why it takes so long to reassemble each warrior.
In Pit 3, they assembled an area so they generals could gather and discuss strategies. As I was saying earlier, the best strategies any one needs to discuss HAS to happen before entering into eternity. He has a plan for you but G*d will not force it on you. His plan involves salvation. This is through belief in J*sus Chr*st. Many say they believe but don't trust their lives to Him. When He is your best friend, your savior, you have a promise of an after life that you don't need any warriors for. You have the promise of an eternity in heaven. Make sure you have decided where you want to spend your eternity, your after life. I know I am glad I didn't choose hell.
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