Trip to China / 029_Warriors
photos by Geoff Reeves
November 1-13, 2000
From Beijing we flew to Xian
which was the first capital of China. The first man to unite most
of modern China and lay claim to the title "emperor"
was Qin Shi Huangdi. Qin is also pronounced "Chin" which
is were we get the name China. The short-lived Qin dynasty lasted
from 221 to 206 BC but during that time the emperor established
Xian as the capital of China and built an army of over 8000 terra
cotta warriors to guard his tomb.
This is the excavated end of
the largest set of warriors. They stretch in columns 200 meters
long spanning 50 meters across. They were originally underground.
The unexcavated rows in the center held roof beams.
In addition to being the largest
chamber this is also the first that was discovered. It was found
when local farmers were digging a well in 1974. We got to meet
the man who dug the well.
