Stephanie Kendall, a senior public relations major from Singapore, took part in the Baylor in China program this summer. In the seventh in a series of blog posts, Stephanie describes seeing China’s famous Terracotta Army — a collection of thousands of terracotta sculptures of soldiers that were buried with the first emperor of China, and meant to protect him in his afterlife.

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At 7 a.m. we said our last goodbyes to Tsinghua University, which had been our home for the past few weeks, and headed on our way to Xi’an — home of the Terracotta Warriors, Wild Goose Pagoda and an astonishing City Wall surrounding the Shaanxi province.

After a few hours on the High-Speed Railway, with speeds of up to 217 miles per hour, we found ourselves in one of the oldest cities in China, Xi’an.

The following days were a whirlwind of excitement. We started our first day by visiting some of the top museums in Xi’an, where we learned about the different reigning dynasties in the area.

While visiting these museums we saw small collections and collaborations of the famous Terracotta Warriors. Before visiting the official terracotta site, we took a quick tour of the terracotta factory where we were able to see the process and even stand in the suits of armor.

When we arrived at the official site our tour guide told us that in March of 1974 farmers were digging a water well and dug up a piece of a terracotta warrior. Since this initial discovery, there have been more than 8,000 life-sized soldiers unearthed, and numerous chariots and horses have been found buried in various military formations. The terracotta site was truly stunning to see, and it was exciting to experience this marvelous creation, which dates back to 210 BC.

On our last day in Xi’an we were able to walk around the town square to the Wild Goose Pagoda. This structure was built during the Tang Dynasty, but was renovated following an earthquake in 1556. After the earthquake, Empress Wu Zetian of the Ming Dynasty had it reconstructed and extended the height of the pagoda by another five floors.

This pagoda is home to an exquisite collection of Buddha sutras and figurines from India. Many locals still use it as a place of worship and to pay respect and pray to their elders.

PHOTO INFORMATION:
Top photo: At the Terracotta Warrior factory. Far left: Stephanie Kendall; middle: Olivia Offringa; right: Billy Stockton.
Middle photo: Terracotta Army at the official site
Bottom photo: Wild Goose Pagoda