The Army of Terra Cotta Warriors

One of China’s most famous sites is known as Bing Ma Yong (兵马俑)，not far from Xi’an. This is the tomb of the first Emperor of a unified China, Qin Shi Huang (in fact, our English name for “China” comes from this Emperor’s surname).  The tomb was completed around the year 200BC and contains an army of 5,000+ unique and individually detailed terra cotta soldier statues.  Each statue was handmade. Their heights differ.  Their faces differ.  Their head shapes differ.  Even their footwear differs.  It is truly amazing.  The Qin Emperor was known for his (often ruthless) military power, and so he built himself an army to guard and protect him, even in death.  It took over 30 years to complete the statues.  After the Qin Emperor’s death, less than friendly powers took over in China, and part of the tomb was ordered to be destroyed by fire.  Then, somehow history moved on and the tomb was forgotten.  It lay undisturbed for nearly 2,000 years.  In 1974, local farmers of the area were drilling a well and discovered unusual fragments of terra cotta.  This led to one of China’s (and the world’s) most famous and interesting archaeological investigations.  Today, we can view thousands of restored archers, swordsmen, horses and cavalrymen.  They are placed in neat rows, standing in military formation, showing rank, loyalty, and an infinite discipline.