Xi'an's incredible Terra Cotta army

In 1976, a farmer innocently digging a well just outside the former Chinese capital of Xi’an unearthed one history's most amazing archaeological finds. The farmer discovered an army of life-size figurines made from clay, buried just three metres below the surface in an area close to the tomb of Qin dynasty emperor Shihuang Ling who died in the 3rd century BC. 

Over 2000 of these gems, dubbed “Terra Cotta Warriors” have been unearthed in three separate plots, along with life size terra cotta horses,  The warriors are arranged in battle formation, with a vanguard of armourless younger soldiers at the front of the battle lines and flankers to the side. Still more have been identified but not yet excavated.

The warriors, which are over 2000 years old, are amazingly crafted. Each was handmade from coils of clay, then kiln-fired and glazed in bright colours. There are a number of different designs – generals, officers, ordinary soldiers and kneeling archers. The level of detail in the warriors is incredible – you can even see individual strands of hair and intricate carvings on their armour.

The warriors are displayed in situ at the excavation site. You visit them in a series of pits, where they still are arranged in battle formation. Unfortunately their bright colours have faded, and the excavation process has been halted until archaeologists devise a way to preserve the delicate clay oxides. Some of the better preserved warriors are presented in glass display cabinets, giving you a close up look of their fascninating detail.

We visited the warriors on a day tour of Xi’an. Our guide, Jackie – his English professor was a big fan of Jackie Chan – was a Xi’an local, and a wealth of information about the discovery of the warriors and also how they had helped spur an enormous tourism boom in the city.

The warriors were a fascinating sight, but they don't need a whole day to peruse. Luckily there were plenty of other things to see in Xi’an, China’s fourth-largest city with a population of 12 million. As the former ancient capital of the middle kingdom, Xi'an has some beautifully preserved architecture from the Tang dynasty. Our day tour also took in a visit to the stately seven-story Big Goose pagoda. It is surrounded by a complex of temples, all built in traditional Tang dynasty style. 

We couldn't sneak a peek inside the giant pagoda itself, but were allowed in a temple in front of it where people were saying prayers and lighting incense before an enormous gold buddha adorned with what is now more menacingly known as the swastika symbol (why Hitler chose to pilfer a symbol of peace and

At the gate of the city walls

enlightenment I will never know). My parents got in trouble for stepping on the threshold on the way out, which is a bit rough as all the doorways in these traditional buildings have giant wooden planks across them that are hard to get over. There was also an incredible room with jade bas-reliefs covering the walls that told the life story of Buddha in several different stages, from his youth, to when he decided to seek enlightenment and his later life. The carvings were amazingly delicate, and used several different shades of jade as well as a myriad of other stones to depict buddha, his followers and his surroundings.

Later, we ended up at one of the entrance gates to the perfectly intact walls which frame Xi'an's downtown district. Unlike sections of the Great Wall, these city walls are in such good shape that it is possible to rent a bike and ride on top of their 13km circumference, or simply stroll along the top, a beautiful way to see the city skyline without being caught up in a traffic snarl.