Last summer, my family and I visited the famous Terracotta Army in Guanzhong, China. I went with my family. It was one of the most interesting places I have ever been to because it is truly one of a kind.
I was very excited when I saw how huge the site was and how there were thousands of soldiers, all made by hand. Each soldier looked different, and we were able to see every single one.
There were so many soldiers that we had to take a bus just to get around the site. It is estimated that these were built around 246 BC, that is almost 2270 years ago!
The soldiers were placed in large underground pits dug by the emperor’s workers and arranged very carefully. The generals were placed closer to the Emperor’s tomb because they were meant to protect him.
The army was built for China’s first emperor, Qin Shi Huang, who wanted the soldiers to be with him after he died so he could show his power and continue to rule in the next life. He killed everyone who had helped him create this masterpiece in order to keep it a secret. To ensure this he even put toxic mercury into the pits so that anyone who gets near his secret army would be poisoned and this helped to preserve them. There were also horses and chariots and people in chariots and built in great detail. The Terracotta Army was discovered by accident on March 29, 1974.
It is not clear how the emperor Qin Shi Huang died. Some people believe he wanted to be immortal and started taking some pills meant to make him immortal, almost like an elixir. But they were actually poisonous, as destiny would have it!
What surprised me the most was the size of the soldiers and the amount of detail on them. They were originally painted, but the paint did not last over time. It must have taken a very long time and a lot of hard work to build them.
Visiting the Terracotta Army helped me understand how people lived in the past and reminded me how important it is to use power wisely. I felt amazed, shocked, and grateful after learning about this part of history, and I am very happy I had the chance to visit such an incredible place.
- Ayden (Khartoum)
If you’d like to read a bit more about the famous Terracotta Army, follow this link https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/stories/top-10-facts-about-terracotta-warriors