Created some 2200 years ago during the reign of the Emperor Qin, they were the army that would protect the Qin household in the next life. The entire burial site was constructed over 28 years by as many as 720,000 craftsmen, many of whom, along with thousands of government officials and all the childless wives and concubines of Qin, went to their own grave or were buried alive along with the Emperor in order to keep the site a secret. The success of this intent is evidenced by the fact that the site was just rediscoverd by local farmers in 1974.
Near the site of the Warriors are the Hua Qing Chi baths. During the Qin Dynasty and for various other Dynasties and even modern China, the Hua Qing Chi baths were visited by royalty and other notables to bath in the natural hot springs that are found on the site.
Terra Cotta Warriors Site # 1
Stone Arch at The Qin Baths
Wild Goose Pagoda
Tang Paradise at Night
Xian City Wall
Drum and Bell Towers of Xi'an
In the city of Xi'an itself the most notable attractions are the Wild Goose Pagoda, Tang Paradise, the city wall and the twin bell and drum towers.
One of the sights you will see in almost any Chinese city is a large multi-storied pagoda. This is the one in Xi’an and is a working Buddhist temple. The grounds are well kept and it is a pleasant stroll on a nice day but other than climbing the Pagoda, there is not much to see or do aside from watching the practicing monks.
Xi’an was the capital of China in more than the Qin Dynasty. The later Tang dynasty (about 1300 years ago) also used Xi’an as the capital and created much of the current city’s nature. Tang Paradise is a brand new theme park (without the rides) that celebrates that history.
Built in the 1300’s to replace a smaller Tang Dynasty defensive wall, the old Xi’an was completely surrounded by a high (12 meters) thick wall complete with interior rooms, turrets, parapets and wide enough (12-16 meters) for a sizable army to gather to defend the city.
Before the days of personal clocks and watches, cities kept their inhabitants informed of the time and special events using large drums and bells placed in towers. The drum and bell towers in Xi’an are typical and well preserved examples.