Happy New Year’s Eve (for us today and for you all as waking)!

We woke up not quite as bright and early to visit the Terra Cotta warriors.  The warriors were buried with Emperor Qinshihuang to protect him in the afterlife (along with dancers and other areas of the Mausoleum that are in planning stages of excavation). I didn’t realize until today how recently the site was discovered. A man, farmer Yangzhifa engaged the government in just 1974 to look into the pieces of warrior that were coming up in his field. Other farmers had discovered pieces of the warriors and thought they were bad omens, burying them back into the earth. Sometimes farmer Y (now 72) is at the sites and today we were able to meet him!

Here we are at the entrance. Unlike the past few days, it was reallly cold today, if you can’t tell 😉

There are three sites that can be toured along with a building setup housing two bronze chariots. 

Since it’s low season, the archaeology team was actively working / during heavier seasons they apparently avoid open site hours (working behind boys here)

These school kids were more interested in meeting S than viewing the site:

R wanted to share this selfie

In the afternoon after heading back in town, we walked a bit of the old city wall. At night, this is so beautifully lit:

And bc it was very cold// we defrosted (bathing caps required!)

Happy New Years all!