A Factory for China's Terra Cotta Warriors

After three days in Beijing, we flew on to Xian. Xian is the site of the world renowned "Terra Cotta Warriors." Before our tour proceeded to the archeological site, we were taken to a factory where replicas were reproduced for sale. (Yes, that sometimes happens on escorted tours!)

The factory made nearly every kind of figure that had been discovered in the Emperor's Mausoleum. That tomb yielded four kinds of figures: chariot warriors, horses, cavalrymen, and infantry. There were generals, middle ranking officers, lower ranking officers, ordinary soldiers and armored warriors including kneeling figures that have been identified as crossbowmen. The archaeologists have discovered over 130 battle chariots, more than 500 chariot horses, some 116 cavalry horses, and thousands of troops. Every individual soldier has unique facial features!

Despite the strong commercial flavor of the experience, the factory allowed us to walk among ancient warriors crafted in the same size as the genuine ones. That's something that we could not do at the actual archaeological site. Here's how the terra cotta warriors looked--up close and personal:


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