WHAT ARE TERRACOTTA WARRIORS MADE FROM?

Near the middle of Han China 30 kilometres from Xi’an, lies the 20^th Century most startling archaeological find. A find so amazing that some have questioned its very authenticity. Here, in 1974, some farmers digging a water-well stumbled upon an intact head of one of what we now know as a Terracotta Warrior, funerary statues made for the mausoleum of unified China’s first emperor, Qin Shi Huang. As well unifying China, building roads and canals throughout his empire, introducing a standard written language, a common currency and starting construction on the Great Wall,  being a megalomaniac responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands, Qin Shi Huang also built a huge mausoleum to himself  that 700,000 people laboured on for over 30 years. He had this grand scheme when aged only 14, having ascended to the throne aged 13. A man of vision well beyond his years. As well as this huge tomb, he created a vast army of life-like and life-sized statues; infantry, archers and generals, chariots and horses, officials, acrobats, strongmen and musicians, all slightly different in appearance. Construction started in 246 BC, with the terracotta army made to either guard his tomb or to serve him in ruling another empire in the afterlife. They were manufactured in workshops; heads, legs, arms, torsos all made separately and then assembled on site like doll parts. They varied in height, uniform and hairstyle, all proscribed in accordance to their rank. They were originally brightly coloured in lacquer, a sheen mostly faded, even in their subterranean existence, only apparent in a select few. 

One of the pits showing some of the thousands of terracotta soldiers

It’s believed eight or so facial moulds were used; the features of each statue changed through the use of clay to give each one unique facial features and different expressions. In return for their diligence, his tradesmen were probably given the gift of death, their deaths helping to preserve the secrets and wonders of the site that lay largely forgotten for two and a half thousand years. Findings of fragments of terracotta figures were reported in the area for a long time but the 1974 discovery was the most telling one, one that eventually lead to the uncovering of the now treasured Terracotta Warriors. What is on display is a small percentage of the estimated 8000 strong army, which is complemented by 130 chariots and 500 odd horses, most of them still buried beneath 2,000 years of history. What has been excavated so far fills several hanger-sized buildings, with rows upon rows of these soldiers and sculptures. You wish you could do what one cheeky Dutch tourist did, who camouflaged himself as a warrior, climbed down into the pit and stood undetected among the soldiers for about an hour before being found.  The only way to see them close up is to be a VIP, both the Queen and Bill Clinton were granted access to wander alongside the soldiers. Thankfully, the site was found after the peak of the Cultural Revolution that saw the demise of so much of China’s heritage had passed and luckily, the farmers had the foresight to notify the local authorities.  Their reward since has been to meet and greet foreign tourists who visit the site and to be available to pose for photos with them (one guy was there the day we were and I suppose it is better than the fate of the executed craftsmen).  Ironically, the farmers who finally uncovered the army may have been descendants of people ordered to guard the tomb over 2,000 years ago.

A closer view

 As wonderful as the warriors are, an even greater treasure is believed to be found in Qin Shi Huang’s mausoleum, an as yet largely untouched treasure chest that lies under a huge earthen pyramid 76 metres tall about two kilometers from the site of the Terracotta Warriors. Contemporary writers wrote that the First Emperor’s tomb was full of “palaces, towers, valuable utensils and other objects of awe, with 100 rivers fashioned in mercury.”  As well as burying the workers, it’s said that there are 48 tombs, one for each of his childless concubines who were also buried alive upon his death. Amazingly, the tomb is believed to be almost intact and high levels of mercury have been detected in the area, seemingly in support of those early reports. Chinese officials are taking a wait and see approach, hoping that technology developed over the next few years will allow them to preserve all or almost all of the treasures found inside the tomb.

Looking through the haze from the wall down to the city.

Aside from the Terracotta Warriors, we only saw two of Xi’an’s other attractions. Starting at the Drum Tower, which towers above the city centre, with a large drum that used to be struck at sunset to indicate the end of the day, we hired tandem bikes to bike around the Xi’an city walls that are among the oldest and best preserved city walls of any Chinese city. These walls, built in 1370 during the Ming Dynasty, are 14 kilometres in length, (it was partly closed for renovations so we couldn’t do a full circuit), are 12 metres high and are 15-18 metres in thickness. You could drive a bus down it if you could get a bus up there. We had an hour-long jaunt along the top of the wall, looking down into the city, observing people through the haze of pollution, watching from an unseen vantage point as people got along with their every-day business. Every 100 metres or so, there was a rampart that extended out from the wall, allowing archers to have a good position over any attackers. It served not only as a wall but also as a very effective military implement.

Sons of Anarchy

The other place of interest that we visited was the Huaqing Hot Springs. A palace was first built here long before China was united, dating back to 1100 BC, with subsequent additions made by several emperors including Qin Shi Huang. Recently, it was most famous for being the location of the kidnapping of General Chiang Kai-Shek, in what is now known as the Xi’an incident. Here in 1936, Kai-Shek was kidnapped by Marshall Zhang, who wanted Kai-Shek to agree to a general cease-fire with the Communists in order to put up a united front against the invading Japanese. Bullet holes still remain in buildings around the compound from the gunfire that took place during the kidnapping. Kai-Shek was staying in a place known as the Five Room Hall when he heard gunfire. He jumped out of a window and was later found by a soldier in a cave, unarmed, shoeless and clad in pyjamas. The incident set in motion the consolidation of the Communists, the defeat of the Japanese and ultimately the success of the Communists over Kai Shek.

Xi’an is a worthwhile stop over and not just for the Terracotta Warriors. Do your research before you go and make the most of the other sights this ancient capital has to offer. The last word must go to a friend of ours. When we told him that we had seen the famed Terracotta Warriors, his only question was to ask what the statues were made from. “Can I buy a d for dumb for 20, Greg”.