Terra-cotta Warriors

The China tourism bureau had just completed the new Disneyland-like attraction outside Xi’an when I arrived to see the terra-cotta warriors in 2010. There are three airplane hanger size enclosures to view the site, as well as a large museum. The site is not fully explored, and there is much to do to preserve what’s left. Most notably, the warriors brightly colored paint fade immediately upon contact with air, so the archeologists only excavate sections at a time while they test new preservation methods. The amazing thing is, that there are many other burial sites like it nearby. Like
Cairo Egypt and the Giza Plateau, it is an area of oversize funeary complexes, and ancient history we in the west barely comprehend.