The Terracotta Army

Today I reached an all time high in the naff tourist stakes. Our local guide, equipped with a little flag on a telescopic stick led us off in the direction of the terracotta army. But not, of course, until the compulsory stop at the replica warrior factory and shop. We tumbled out of the bus amindst gales of horrified laughter at the sight of the headless warriors behind which you could stand for photos. Then proceeded to pose for said photos.

Joking, and cringing, aside, the Terracotta Army is quite something. In the first pit, 6000 warriors, nearly all infantryment, stand in neat ranks in battle formation. Each face is supposed to be unique, modelled on a real soldier. There is something about their composure that had me gazing, eyes trailing up and down the ranks, pausing here or there on a particular figure or some broken body parts still half embedded in the earth. Originally, they were brightly painted but time underground and, more recently, exposure to the elements has left them faded to almost pure clay, matching the trenches in which they stand. Some areas are yet to be excavated and there was one place where warriors were partly pieced together - a seemingly endless task for archaeologists.

In other pits archers, horses and chariots have been found. The bronze chariots have survived well and were intricate and quite amazing. Unlike the warriors, which are a little larger than life size, the chariots are half-size. While the army was needed to protect the emperor Qin Shi Huang Di in his next life, the chariots were for his personal use and it's a well known fact that your soul shrinks after death.

There was a mildly entertaining film with a dramatic reconstruction of wars and the building of Qin's mausoleum and the terracotta army. It told us that 700,000 people were involved in the project, which took 40 years. Not long after this some rebel force or other entered the site, smashed lots of warriors, stole the weapons held by them and set the place alight, bringing down the roof beams. All of this, along with the effects of time, explains why virtually all of the warriors were found in pieces.

A disappointing lunch in a touristy restaurant was followed by a snooze all the way back to town in the bus. Sweaty and tired, with no showers on offer at the hotel (having checked out in the morning), three of us set off for a foot massage. It was heavenly and included a bit of an arm, leg, neck and shoulder massage as well as a few interesting stretches where the sweet young masseurs stretched us backwards over their knees. I walked out with rejuvenated feet and legs and just enough time to buy a few snacks and drinks before setting off to catch the night train to Nanjing. Sorry to be leaving this city, there's much more to see and it's a lovely place to just wander the lively sidestreets. So here I sit in our cosy four berth compartment, browsing guidebooks and chatting with my travel companions and watching the city lights turn into countryside, hilltop lights just visible in the distance.