One or two photos of the Terra Cotta Warriors simply don’t capture the essence of the site, so I plan to create a blog featuring all the images of the warriors—those that are preserved, those undergoing preservation, and of course, the crowds of visitors. Our guide, Summer, mentioned that up to 100,000 people visit the Warriors each day! The place was incredibly crowded, but thankfully, it has been air-conditioned for the past two years! For those who visited before that, especially in the summer, the memories are likely dominated by the crowds, heat, and humidity! It’s definitely worth it, as the warriors are truly an “8th wonder of the world.”
The entrance to the museum and Warrior Pits 1-3 is striking. Pit #1 is the most stunning, featuring entire armies remarkably preserved! It took some time to get close enough for photos, but witnessing the life-size terra cotta warriors, each with distinct faces, was phenomenal! Moving around to the other side took a bit longer, as captured in the photos, and we were grateful for the effective AC!
From the opposite side of Pit #1, you can get a better view of the horses and chariots. The last section of the first pit showcases warriors undergoing reconstruction. Next, we visited Pit #3, the commanders' headquarters, which was considerably smaller than the infantry ranks in the first pit. The final pit we explored contained soldier heads and restored life-size figures with less extensive repairs, yet it still allowed for an up-close encounter with these remarkable figures. It concluded with an impressive display of heads that could be clicked on for enlargement!
The experience was unforgettable! We even bumped into an Italian tour group from Rome who were taken aback when, amidst thousands of Chinese visitors, they heard us greet them in Italian! We paused to chat with them, much to the amusement and delight of our tour guides.
Cones, cups, sticks, and tubs, oh my!
Today was my birthday, and our plans changed, likely due to the weather, so we decided to postpone our visit to the Terra Cotta Warriors until tomorrow. The weather was sunny and fairly warm, with temperatures in the 90s, but it was relatively dry. We began our day around 9 am and visited the Xi'an City Walls, which are known to be among the best-preserved city walls in China. They were enormous and quite impressive, with options to rent bikes for a seemingly endless ride! We managed to walk about 2 km of the total 15 or 16 km, leaving much more to explore.
Kavin Jay is set to perform in the capital on June 27 and 28.
Tuesday, June 24th marked our final full day in Xi'an. We began our day at 8:30 under cloudy skies that brought the temperatures down to the high 70s, accompanied by a lovely breeze that was truly refreshing. Our first destination was a half-day visit to the Terra Cotta Warriors. I have shared a separate blog featuring only photos from that visit, so here I'll just mention that it was an incredible experience and encourage you to check out that blog!
One or two photographs of the Terra Cotta Warriors simply can't capture the essence of this incredible location, so I'm planning to create a blog showcasing all the images of the warriors—whether they are preserved, undergoing preservation, or the throngs of visitors. Our guide, Summer, mentioned that as many as 100,000 people visit the Warriors each day! It was incredibly crowded, but thankfully, the entire site has been air-conditioned since two years ago! Those who visited before that, particularly in the summer, can only recall the crowds, heat, and humidity! Nevertheless, it’s absolutely worth it, as the warriors are truly an astonishing "eighth wonder of the world."