QIN (Terracotta Warriors)
Xi'an
is an ancient capital of China. When Xi'an was the capital, China was
going through perhaps her most glorious dynasties in all of her history. The first
unified feudal state in China's history was established by Emperor Qin Shi Huang
(click on
photo). The construction of the great wall was initiated. The terracotta
warriors were made. Bronze working were developed.
Emperor Qin was the king of the Qin Kingdom, the most powerful of the seven states around the year 230 B.C. One after another, Emperor Qin crushed the rival states and proclaimed himself as the first emperor of China. He ordered the legal codes, currency, weights and measures to be unified throughout the state. He commanded his army to the northern tribes to subdue the invasion of the Huns.
Picture 1 This is a clay remake of the meeting Emperor Qin held with his military advisers to attack his rival states.
Picture 2 This shows how the written language, currency and the weight measure are unified under Qin rule.
Picture 3 The famous terracotta warrior museum. This shows pit #1. Try to imagine these figures were actually once fully colored.
Picture 4 The ancient treasures--A terracotta general and some arrowheads.
Picture 5 (Bronze Works) Bronze figures were also discovered along with the other pottery terracotta figures and we can learn that bronze working technology was quite advance at the time. For example, the wheel spokes of this chariot are installed in the hub of the wheel by means of interference fit. That is, the spokes are forced into the slots of the pre-heated hub. Also, many of the ornamental pieces are decorated with chains made of bronze wires that have an even thickness of 0.5mm all the length. Observed under the microscope, the chains do not bear forging traces. This meant that some kind of wire drawing technique was applied.
Hua Qing Pool
Hua Qing Pool is another tourist spot in Xi'an. This is the place where the emperors of the Tang dynasty (around 700A.D.) used to come for baths in the hot spring water from the mountains. The legendary beauty Yang Gui Fei used to bath here.
Picture 1 This is Hua Qing Pool.
Picture 2 A fresh supply of the spring water from the mountains can be used for washing or drinking and it is supposed to be healthy when used often. (The spring water shown here is not the same as the pool water you see in picture 1.) I drank a few gulps of this water and I felt a bit sick afterwards. I felt ok in less than 2 hours.
Picture 3 This is the room once used by the leader of the Republic of China Chiang Kai-Shek. Chiang was coerced by his military generals to reside here after he disagreed on suggestions made by the generals on war tactics.
Da Yen Pagoda
Da Yen Pagoda On the left is me admiring the model of Da Yen Pagoda, another popular tourist attraction in Xi'an. On the right is the actual pagoda.
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Simon 1999
