Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Xi'an -- My Alphabe-Thursday (5th), the letter "X" — Some places I've been starting with "My Alphabe-Thursday (5th), the letter "X" — Some places I've been starting with "X"

There weren't any of the countries starting with "X" that I have visited. 
Several cities starting with "X" over 100,000 population made THEIR LIST, all either in Mexico or in China.  I only recognized ONE where I have visited, it was Xi'an.
 
Xi'an, Shaanxi province, China -- We visited Xi'an back when I had just retired and took our three week tour of China.  Xi'an has a population of about 8.5 Million and is located in northwest China.  We went to Xi'an specifically to visit the Terracotta Army discovery. We flew from area to area and there were no bus days for us.


"Soldier Horse". Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.

Following is the introduction to the Warriors from Wikipedia.  You can read the rest of the article, click here.
.
.
"The Terracotta Army or the "Terracotta Warriors and Horses" is a collection of terracotta sculptures depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China. It is a form of funerary art buried with the emperor in 210–209 BCE and whose purpose was to protect the emperor in his afterlife.
The figures, dating from approximately the late third century BCE,[1] were discovered in 1974 by local farmers in Lintong District, Xi'an, Shaanxi province. The figures vary in height according to their roles, with the tallest being the generals. The figures include warriors, chariots and horses. Estimates from 2007 were that the three pits containing the Terracotta Army held more than 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses and 150 cavalry horses, the majority of which remained buried in the pits nearby Qin Shi Huang's mausoleum.[2] Other terracotta non-military figures were found in other pits, including officials, acrobats, strongmen and musicians.

Many of you have seen pictures of the Terracotta Army.  My China pictures are tucked
away and need me to scan them.  As I am away, instead I am posting from Wikipedia.

Our visit was really nice, I think we bought a souvenir book written by the Farmer (also autographed) who dug down to where they were as he was digging his well and found them.

_ _ _

 
  - Jenny is now on her tenth series of Alphabe Thursday.  With 52 weeks in a year and 26 letters in the alphabet she is now in her fifth year.  I am linked to her blog, GO HERE for more participants and their offerings.

Labels: ,


Comments:
Great post Jim! The Chinese languages have many uses for the letter "X". A great share as always. Hugs and Blessings to you and Mrs. Jim, enjoy a beautiful week you two!
 
Very interesting details about the warriors!
 
Great photos ~ I went there ~ It was a great trip to China and Tibet!

Happy Weekend coming to you,
artmusedog and carol
 
That is amazing. It must have really been something to see in person.

Have a good trip...wherever you are in the world!
 
Such a world traveller! It must have been amazing to see the Terracotta Army in situ. We saw some of them when a travelling exhibition came to Caen, Normandy several years ago and were very impressed by it all.
Happy AT!
 
when I was younger when they discovered the figures, I thought they were mummified people.
 
I've heard a lot about these figures. I've seen them before once in an exhibition in Singapore.
 
What an amazing thing to see!
 
The army is impressive in the pictures. I think my brain would explode should I ever see them in person. So many questions in my head about this army. Who did it? Why? How long did it take? Were they representations or likeness of actual men? and so forth and so on. Must go research now. :-)
 
That is a spectacular sight indeed ! Every time I am reminded about the artistry of the army, I think first about the ego, wealth and absolute power of the Emperor, who held so many peoples lives in his hands, able to crush, destroy or reward on a whim. The value of the art is priceless but lack of freedom under a tyrant's rule is a reminder of how blessed personal liberty really is !!!
 

Post a Comment





<< Home

This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?