The big event for Xi'an was a visit to the Terracotta Warriors. On the way, Henry (Alan calls a lot of his in country tour guides Henry. The bus drivers are all called Bob. Just makes it a lot easier us.) explained about the warriors. Please look carefully at this picture. Our guide, Henry, has the face of a terracotta warrior. His ancestors would have been theirs. This Henry was just wonderful. He just exudes a niceness. Very enjoyable and knowledgeable guide.
To be ready for our visit to the Terracotta Warrior Museum, we stopped first at the Terracotta Warrior Factory. This place make replicas of the warriors in the exact method as the originals were made. This means they will last. We were told not to purchase terracotta warriors from any street vendor. They are not made of the same material or in the same way and will be dust in your suitcase when you return home. So, Claude and I held off until we got to Xi'an.
This is the entry to the Terracotta Warrior Factory. Loved this artwork.
This is the factory where all size replicas of the originals are made.
And, of course, the obligatory statute for you to be a terracotta warrior. This is Claude and Henry.
This factory also makes lacquer furniture. Very Chinese. The red table has jade carvings attached. Can't get much more authentic Chinese than that.
Claude was also kind enough to stand by some jade warriors that are actual size.
We found the pieces we wanted, two terracotta warriors that were painted. You see, when they unearth a piece it still has painting on it. When it is exposed to the air the color fades within two hours. So we purchased two painted warriors and we found a lacquer box that could hold them. I also found a turtle with a crane on its back that we purchased. The turtle is the symbol of long life. We were fortunate in that none of this was over-sized and could all be packed in the lacquer box and the lacquer box packed carefully and shipped right to our front door in 6 weeks. Yeah! We wouldn't have to carefully carry them all the rest of our trip and worry about their weight in our suit cases. Can't wait for them to arrive.
Time to visit Pit 1 of the Terracotta Warrior Museum. This is the largest pit.
Look for the white sign with red writing in the picture below. That marks the spot where the farmers we trying to dig a well. If they had been a foot the other direction, they may never had found the warriors. Amazing. Also notice the ruts in the tops of the solid dirt places. There is nothing buried in the solid dirt mounds between the rows of warriors. The ruts in the tops are where logs were laid over them and a roof of sorts was placed on the logs.
If you look closely at the warrior facing forward in the next picture, you will see he has a smile on his face. He is the only warrior they have found with a smile on his face.
The picture below has two warriors on the left with a space between them and the horse in front of them. These were charioteers. There would have been a wooden chariot in between them and the horse but the wood has rotted away in the soil leaving only the warriors and the horse out of terracotta. Also, the charioteer on the left is tall and skinny. As of this date, he is the tallest and thinnest of the warriors.
Behind these rows of warriors is the work area for the pieces of warriors that have been discovered. They are in various stages of repair. The white boxes have pieces of terracotta that need to be put together like a puzzle to complete the warrior they are placed beside. Computer technology is making the putting together of all these pieces a little easier to determine. Plastic wrap is place on the warrior to solidfy the joining of pieces.
At the very back is an open hospital for the warriors and the horses. Note the hospital beds and the horse lift in the back.
Close up shots of some of the warriors faces. Each is different.
At one point a man came into this building. He had carried in make-up and a terracotta warrior costume. He dressed himself and put on his make-up. Then he climbed into the pit and stood in the midst of this set of warriors. He stood there a while before the guards figured out there was a real human in there and not one of the warriors. He was arrested. He is not in this picture. This is just the group of terracotta warriors he was standing with.
The terracotta warrior leaning back here is the youngest person they have found thus far.
Please note the white tag on the hands of these warriors. Each piece is carefully tagged so it can be removed from the location in which it was found, moved to be worked on, and then replaced in the exact spot it would have stood when first placed years ago.
In the center of the rows of warrior in Pit 1 is this tomb. It is where one of the farmers who found the warriors was buried.
After lunch, it was on to Pit 3. It was at Pit 3 we learned more about the color originally painted on the warriors. There were pictures showing the color before it faded. It is believed this pit contains the remains of an elite class of soldier. This is judged by the rank they all seemed to hold and the positions in which they were found. All of these statues were standing on their own square platform.
Pictures of the paint on the warriors before it disappears after being in the air for about 2 hours.
Pit 2 was the final pit we saw. The bags of dirt are awaiting sifting to carefully look for any pieces. We were told that after the tourists leave, the workers come in and work during the night on these pits and warriors.
In Pit 3's building, several of the warriors are in glass cases so you can walk around and see what they look like up close and personal.
We finished our visit with a brief tour through a museum found on the grounds. The following two pictures were taken from the diggings. They are 3/4 size for some reason and very detailed.
As we walked to our bus, we passed this amazing carving from one piece of jade.
Before returning to our hotel, we visited the Sun Village Orphanage. This is a unique orphanage. The kids parents are all in prison, both parents or the one living. Some have committed horrid crimes. The children in this orphanage are not waiting to be adopted. They are waiting for their parents to be released from prison so they can go home with them. They were very happy to perform for us. We had a family touring with us and their teenage daughter played her ukulele and sang for them. Then we had balloon time to play with the kids.
We were given a tour of their living facility. The first picture is where the little kids live. The youngest is three years old.
The kids in school are housed in dorms of eight children each. The boys are in a dorm and the girls are in another dorm. The two buildings here are a boy dorm and a girl dorm.
Inside the front door is an open room where the kids can do homework and visit with each other. There are two rooms on one side. Each of these rooms has four beds. On the other side of the open room is a room for the volunteer that will spend the night with the kids and help them with their homework. This person is called and 'auntie' for the girls and and 'uncle' for the boys. There is also a room for bathroom and shower. Not a lot of privacy in that room. Please note the 'squatty potties' in the floor.
These are sparse living facilities. But it gives the kids a safe place to be and to learn and prepare them for life. Some of these kids are found living on their own in abandoned buildings. Heartbreaking.
The picture below is the newest to the orphanage. It is a dining hall. We were there while the kids had their dinner. Each was given a bowl of food and that was it. This was prepared by volunteers. They take all three meals in this dining hall. The schools do have a lunch time but all kids attending the local school go home for lunch. No meals are served at the schools.
This was a humbling visit. It definitely gave one pause for thought about the blessings we enjoy in America. Now we were headed back to our hotel to pack and be ready to head to Beijing the next day.
No comments:
Post a Comment