Terracotta Warriors

Yeh - pictures!

Yesterday, we went on a 1 day tour in Xian. This is the tomb site of the emperor mentioned below. The tomb isn't open.

There's apparently high levels of mercury there.

This is at the Terracotta Warriors display. This is the mausoleum (tomb) of the first emperor that united China (Chin Shi Huang Di). He was China's first taste of a tyrant and although it's where they get the name "China" from, he was not what you'd call a really nice guy. He was kind of like Herod in the Bible. He killed off anyone he felt was a threat (his siblings, etc.). He wouldn't have an empress cause he didn't want her vying for power. He was really afraid of death and tormented by demons. He enslaved the people (with huge taxes and building this tomb for him for I think 39 years). Then when they designed the tomb, they were executed and put in it so the secret went with them. Not too nice! But it's pretty cool to see it from this end of things.