Considered by many to be the “8th wonder of the world”, the Terracotta Warriors are located in the central province (near the original capital of China) of Xi’an. To get access to this national landmark, most have to commit to a bullet train ride from either the major hubs of Beijing or Shanghai.
Already a UNESCO World Heritage site, this is the biggest tomb in the world at 35 square miles. It is an astounding 2,200 years old & took 38 years to build by over 1 million laborers.
Built to safeguard the tomb of Chinas first emperor Qin Shi Huang, it specifically highlights his pursuit of immortality & the afterlife. It has been excavated (thus far) in 3 distinct pits, where ~8k clay warriors/horses & +40k bronze weapons have been unearthed. Many were (unfortunately) severely damaged in a roof collapse in the not too distant past.
And to make the trip even more memorable, we exit the last pit to a frigid chill in the air & light snow falling into streets. Not sure if I was ready for this surprise!
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