Scott posing with his pals the Terra Cotta Warriors.
Check back later for Scott's writing, coming soon.

I was reminded of my very first impression of China while standing on the top floor of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi’an.  We were on the seventh floor and had quite a view of Xi’an. My first impression was that the cities here don’t have a downtown; everywhere is downtown. The large buildings are everywhere in the city in no obvious order. You could really see this from the seventh floor of the pagoda. Even on clear days, you can’t see the end of the buildings.

Big Wild Goose Pagoda certainly wasn’t the highlight of the day. This was the day most of the people on this trip have been looking forward to. We are going to see the Terra Cotta Warriors. I have seen my fair share of pictures, but like anything nothing compares to really seeing them. Just like the difference between watching a basketball game on tv and actually being there; the atmosphere is everything.

When we first walked into Pit One I was really taken aback by the size of it. It was in a full-sized airport hanger. I also didn’t realize before how much space is unexcavated. More than half the hanger had no exposed warriors. I was told this was because the pieces being dug up still had paint on them but when exposed to air the paint disintegrates. So they aren’t going to excavate until they find a solution.

The soldiers themselves are breathtaking. Each one has a distinctive face and the heights differ too. One thing I kind of overlooked before going was that there are horses also. They are just as amazing as the men are. Some don’t have tails anymore so they just have holes where their tails should be. We could see some of the warriors still being assembled; that looks like quite a process. It is especially tough because they are different from one another.

The other two pits were just as awesome as the first. Pit Three was a lot smaller but the men in it looked as though they hadn’t ever been broken. Pit Two was still undergoing serious excavation. I like it because it shows what they went through in Pits One and Two. For me seeing the Warriors has been the greatest part of the trip. I hope to one day see them again.

Inside the Pagoda.

One of the many gardens on the Pagoda grounds, "One of the pagoda's many functions was to hold sutras and figurines of the Buddha that were brought to China from India by the Buddhist translator and traveler Xuanzang." (source)

The actual Terra Cotta Warriors were made in molds, but separate parts, arms, legs, torso, face, with clay added for details such as facial features, garb, etc. Wikipedia has lots of good info on construction and history.

Scott, Alicia and Eric pit#1 behind them; there are four pits open to the public. Ongoing research is still taking place with many areas of the tomb and mounds not yet excavated.

Our last stop was the Hua Xing Hot Springs, where the Tang emperors and concubines enjoyed the hot springs and where the Xian incident involving Chang Kai Chek occurred. Learn more