A hotel receptionist told us how to get out to the Terra Cotta Warriors without having to pay for either a tour (that would force you to visit some factories to buy souvenirs en route) or pay $80 for a private cab. So we headed off in the rain to catch a bus to the train station for 1 Yuan (about 30 cents each). The bus was a double decker.
As we climbed to the upper deck a group of male college students who were majoring in English moved over to give us seats. They immediately started asking us questions like "How much is an apartment in New York." And then the dialogue goes something like this "Is it true that when you get older and retire the government gives you a lot of money every month?" I said well, "You get some money, but it's not that much". "How much?" "Well, maybe a few hundred dollars." And then the guy asks me how much I get. I said I wasn't retired yet. And he said, well I must be at least 72 years old by the way I look. When will I retire?" I had a good laugh on that one. I know it's the gray hair. You don't seen many white-heads in China.
At the train station we wandered around again til we found the local bus that went to the warriors. Although the departure boards were not in English, it wasn't too hard to figure out. We picked up some snacks including Chinese potato chips. It was a comfy tour-bus style with Chinese music blaring. We climbed aboard and for a little more than $1 each we were on our way. It was bumpy and the city sprawl looked a more third world than anything we saw in Beijing. The bus was filled with locals who were going to sell their wares to tourists. In about 45 minutes we had arrived.
The parking lot was filled with so many tour busses and billboards in Chinese with no instruction as to where the entrance was. Luckily we were late enough to have avoided the early morning rush. I had read about how horribly crowded and pushy it could be here. The cab drivers and tour guides are eager for business but perhaps we just didn't look interested enough. Mostly we were left to figure out where to go by ourselves. A few guides approaced us, but I was determined to experience the warriors at my own pace. There are three covered excavation pits. Our guide book was conveniently back at the hotel room. We opted for the least crowded of the three pits, which turned out to be pit number 1, the biggest and most commonly seen in pictures.
The buried terra cotta warrriors represent the army of general Qin Shi Huang dating back to 233 BC. Upon ascending the throne at the age of 13 he began building this mausoleum. Emperor Qin became the first Emperor of all of China. In 1974 a group of peasants uncovered some pottery while digging for a well. Archeologists immediately established this find as one of the most important in China.
Altogether over 7,000 life-sized pottery soldiers, horses, chariots, and even weapons have been unearthed from these pits. Many have been restored to their former grandeur. It is said that every face is different, and is fashioned after a member of Emperor Qin's real army. What struck me was that each face had a feeling of serenity about it - rather than a fierce expression, which is what you might associate with soldiers.
When we entered the shed for pit number 1, it was completely uncrowded so we got right up to the railing in relative calm. There were several tour groups at the opposite end, and several groups arrived as were moving around the pit, so we had a nice encounter with the silent army.
Pit number 2 was smaller but had better lighting. Pit number 3 also had artifacts displayed in glass cases with some exhibit information.
After about 3 hours we were exhausted and ready to leave. Ariela bought a small set of warriors and I bought a fur hat, much needed in this cold. Finally, my head is warm.
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