The People Stand Guard

Hello from Xi'an, in the People's Republic of China. This is the home of the famous terra cotta warriors, the grave goods of Emperor Qin. It is a fascinating site/sight.

Emperor Qin had the idea, as so many do, that he should be attended, in death as in life, by his loyal followers. He had worked very hard to ensure his safety and well being in life and he was prepared to have others ensure it in death. One of his aides, however, suggested that men of clay would do just as well as men who only had feet thereof. In the ten years before his death, he commissioned 8000 of them. The ultimate set of toy soldiers.

The Emperor's grave site has not been excavated. It is approximately the size of Macau, and the Chinese have not yet figured out how to build a structure that large without internal support poles. By comparison, the terra cotta warriors museum is tiny, more like an airplane hangar. Or three.

The warriors stand where they were found in 1974, by some farmers digging a well. Lost the farm, gained international fame, riches, and a new job signing books. The farmer, in his 80s now, comes to the museum daily and signs books. (No photos, please.)

From the outside, the buildings look very museumlike. Inside, however, they are architectural digs. Pit #1 has rows and rows of warriors standing in formation, each carved with amazing detail. Rows of unarmed men in the front, to catch the brunt of the attack, followed by men in armor, carrying spears, bows and arrows, and other weapons. (The weapons have all been looted, leaving them looking a bit like action figures missing their accessories.) There are horses, too, although their chariots are gone.

Shortly after the emperor was entombed, the site was attacked, and the warriors turned out to be completely ineffective at maintaining the peace after all. They were disarmed, their heads knocked off, the chariots burned. Pit #2 shows the dig in progress, broken warriors strewn about as the painstaking process of fitting the pieces back together proceeds.

No work was in progress today. This is the off season, and the lack of visitors make the employees of the gift shop eager to make a sale, even to bargain with you. They'll pack and ship a warrior to your door, no problem. Buy in the museum store and we guarantee the quality. I resisted the temptation of a warrior to stand guard over my garden. Wouldn't he miss his friends?