A short guide about Backpacking travel to Terracotta Warriors
The Terracotta Warriors were discovered in March 1974 by local farmers drilling a water well, and became one of the greatest archaeological findings of the century - The Terracotta Warriors; 7000 life size clay statues each individually crafted. These peasant farmers uncovered life size figures of horses and warriors, each individually modelled with unique facial expressions. They were found at the northern foot of Lishan Hill in the east of Lintong County and three large pits of terracotta figures were found 1.5 km east of the mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shi Huang of the Qin, who established the first centralized feudal dynasty in China’s history. Mount Li is also where the material to make the terracotta warriors originated. In addition to the warriors, an entire man-made necropolis for the emperor has been excavated.
The terracotta figures are life like and life sized and they vary in height, uniform and hairstyle, in accordance with their rank. The coloured lacquer finish, molded faces (each is individual), and real weapons and armor used in manufacturing these figures created a realistic appearance. It is believed that the terracotta warriors were based on true people as every face has different facial features and expressions. The weapons were stolen shortly after the creation of the army and the colouring has mostly faded. However, their existence served as a testament to the amount of labour and skill involved in their construction. It is also proof of the incredible amount of power the First Emperor possessed to order such a monumental undertaking as the manufacturing of the terracotta army.
Tourabout has a range of vacation packages to China that include tours to Xian, visit the clay factory where replicas of the Terracotta Warriors are made and tour the Terracotta Warriors Museum. You can also visit the three excavation pits, where the figures are arranged in typical battle formations, with a model of a bronze chariot with horses and coachman.