Comments | liralen: Xi'an -- Terracotta Warriors and Tang Dynasty Performers

liralen

Xi'an -- Terracotta Warriors and Tang Dynasty Performers - May 27

Jul 05, 2013 23:10

The breakfast buffet in Xi'an was so long and so spread out that we took an extra fifteen minutes for breakfast. *laughs* I had a pumpkin congee, fresh longan fruit still in their shells (and peeled and bitten they looked just like the dragon's eye they were named for), an almond croissants, and one of the fruit yogurt cups that were designed for ( Read more... )

china, travel

Comments 7

incandescens July 6 2013, 22:55:40 UTC

Those terracotta warriors... I've read about them, but... wow.

Incredible.

liralen July 7 2013, 02:41:11 UTC

*dances about* So glad I could convey that. *sighs happily*

incandescens July 7 2013, 02:52:25 UTC

You very much did. That photo showing the size of the room, and the other photos...

flemmings July 7 2013, 18:04:15 UTC

This is amazing. I envy you your view of the warriors, I envy you your dumpling feast, I envy you your Tang dinner show. What a wonderful day!

Also didn't know that the warriors had been deliberately smashed. I assumed it was just earth caving in that did it. My sensibilities, honed on ancient Egyptian practices, say 'You smash all those statues and don't loot the tomb? What's the point of that?'

liralen July 8 2013, 04:14:50 UTC

Yes, a wonderful day. *sighs happily* Thank you!!

I love your Egyptian sensibilities!!

The tomb was more than a mile and a half away... and they looted all the weapons they could get. The tomb itself... it really is like the Egyptian tombs with curses, rivers of mercury, traps and poisons galore as well. The myths are numerous and there might be something to them as no one has gotten TO Qin's tomb... yet.

flemmings July 8 2013, 12:54:15 UTC

D'ohh. Heat-fuzz, hadn't registered that the statues were holding real weapons. Yeah, you'd want you some of those.

I vaguely recall that lake of mercury or whatever it was. Does mercury ever go inert?

liralen July 16 2013, 06:04:44 UTC

It never stops being poisonous, so far as I know. There's also the whole problem of the fact that the warriors first came out of the ground with colors, and they faded within eight hours of being excavated, so if they dig up Qin himself, they really want to have the technology to preserve what they find.

Yeah! I had no idea they had weapons, either! And bronze ones with the hardness of tempered steel... which were then plated in chrome of all things.

It just fascinates me.