The “hospital” where shards of warriors are
painstakingly numbered, catalogued and pieced
together by archeologists.  The warriors were
originally brightly colored, but the paint that was
used can pale in color within 15 seconds after
being exposed to air, and flake off in 15 minutes.
Some of the warriors are still buried because the
expertise to preserve the colored paint does not
yet exist.
The sheer size of the field of life sized warriors
is overwhelming.  This is one of several! (Note
 the size of the real people around the edges.)
  There are an estimated 8,000 warriors.
Emperor Qin decreed construction of his own
mausoleum in 248 BC.  At peak construction,
700,000 “workers” were firing clay, making
wooden chariots, wooden beams and building
berms.  This was all set up to protect him
in the afterlife.  This is the same Emperor
 who was instrumental in connecting old
parts of the Great Wall to create a stronger
defense. During the construction of of both
countless people lost their lives.  After the much
hated Emperor Qin died, the leader of a rebellion
 gang gained access to the tomb and physically
 smashed many of the warriors, then set fire
 inside the tomb, which caused overhead wooden
 timbers to crush many of the terra cotta figures.
  They lay buried (and preserved) for over 2000 years.  
The entire burial complex is larger than
Manhattan island.  Indiana Jones type booby
traps guarded the tomb.  The ceiling of the
central tomb (which is not open to the public)
was inlaid with pearls, to represent the stars.  
The stone floor maps the Chinese kingdom,
including rivers flowing with mercury.
The last workers to create and set the traps were
buried alive with the emperor so that 
that secret bypasses would not be revealed.
It seems odd to see headless warriors, but that is
how the terra cotta was fired.  The legs were
solid, the body was hollow.  The head was fired
separately, and put on last.  Each has a unique
face, uniform and hairstyle.
We were honored to meet and have a book signed by one of the seven farmers who discovered the tomb in 1974 when digging for a well.  Since they drilled straight down, they didn’t run into traps at the outset.  They found a terra cotta head first, and were afraid to touch it, thinking Buddha had cursed them. Eventually, the government took all their village land and relocated them miles away. The other villagers hated them for bringing the curse.  This farmer spent 3 months learning how to write his name so he could sign books in the gift shop.

           

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