In the midst of Xi’an lies a mysterious army of over 8,000 soldiers, hidden underground. If you look closely, you’ll realize that shockingly, all of these men, horses, and chariots, are actually made of clay! Look even closer, and you’ll see that every single one of these soldiers are different, from having varying facial features to other physical characteristics. This is the wondrous terracotta army.
Welcome back to my Joy of Traveling series! Today I’ll be writing about the stunning terracotta army that I went to see in Xi’an, China.
With rows upon rows of carefully crafted soldiers, each one has intricately designed weapons and armory. Their facial features are remarkably similar to the region’s modern inhabitants, and studies show that these 8,000+ soldiers were actually modeled after actual soldiers when they were made!
Furthermore, there lie small, hidden details amidst these clay statues. For example, all of the soldiers are facing the east because the Qin area was in the west, and the other states were in the east. The First Emperor of China, Qinshi Huang, always planned to unify all of the states, so having the army face the east may have been a meticulously planned design.
The terracotta army was made to protect the emperor in the afterlife and were found near his mausoleum. Additionally, there was a Qin funerary tradition to realistically duplicate possessions for the underworld, which may have been why the Emperor chose to replicate his soldiers as he considered them his possessions.
In his arduous quest for immortality, Qinshi Huang ultimately lost his life. He did, however, leave behind thousands of life-size clay models of his devoted soldiers who would live on forever.
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