This weekend, I went to see the terracotta warriors of the Emperor Qin Shi Huang. This emperor ruled China from about 221 BC to 210 BC. After his death, 700000 craftsmen and conscripted laborers worked to create his tomb in Xian, sculpting 8000 life-sized terracotta soldiers who were expected to guard the tomb in the afterlife. Some of the newly discovered soldiers have come to the National History Museum here in Taipei to go on display. Some of them still have the original paint on them. Now, they are all plain terracotta colored. But originally, they were all painted bright colors and carried bronze spears and such. Some of them are on horseback, or riding in chariots. It's amazing to see that every single one of them is different, and the faces really seem lifelike.
These pictures are of some of the copies of the soldiers outside the museum. The museum was absolutely jam-packed with people, and after seeing the exhibit, they all had their picture taken with these copies. The cutest little toddlers could get their pictures taken standing next to miniature soldiers too. Maybe that will make them grow up big and strong. Anway, i think it would be kind of sacriligeous to take a picture or mess around with one of the real things, since they've come from a man's tomb. But with a copy it's okay i guess....
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