All the King's Men...

Ben, Suzanne, and I went to Xi’an on the last day that I was in China, and were taken around by a guide named Rainbow. Rainbow, poised, cheerful, and knowledgeable, is a member of one of the 56 Chinese minority groups who make up 3% of the population—the remaining 97% are all Han people, despite variations in languages and customs. She picked her name to indicate the bright side of life, the promise after the rain. It was raining when we arrived in Xi’an, and Rainbow delivered.

The main highlight in Xi’an is the mass of clay warriors constructed in 210 B.C. to furnish the tomb of Qin Shi Huang. He needed some serious protection in the afterlife, to the tune of 7,000 soldiers. The Chinese belief system was then aligned with the Egyptians, as the Chinese buried people with items that they would need in the Earth-like realm beyond. The number of soldiers created to serve the emperor seems indicative of the dangerous opposition to his rule among his people, as the tomb was pillaged very quickly after his demise.

The soldiers were buried in three main areas, and buildings were erected over the excavation. The main building actually looks like an airplane hangar, containing thousands of whole soldiers as well as the figures’ OR. The attraction to the warriors stems not only from their scope, but also from their craftsmanship. Each soldier has a different face. Each has details like hairdos, fingernails, weaponry, with positions in the battleground formation dictating a role, like a standard-bearer.

They're apparently modeled after actual individual soldiers of the emperor's forces.

Below is my favorite--a young bowman at the ready.

He looks the part, but it must have been a real disappointment for the emperor when he and his compatriotrs dropped the ball during the lootings.