Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2014/11/13
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]I like Shopper, but then again you probably guessed that :-) You're improving my knowledge of China. X'ian looks fascinating and has well over eight million people living in it - twice the population of Ireland! Douglas ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jayanand Govindaraj" <jayanand at gmail.com> To: "Leica Users Group" <lug at leica-users.org>; "PSM" <psm-1857 at googlegroups.com> Sent: Thursday, November 13, 2014 1:35 PM Subject: [Leica] Xi'an > The next stop was Xi'an, the home of the Terracotta Army. The Army was > buried to protect the founder of the first dynasty in China. Emperor Qin > (of the Qin Dynasty), near his burial mound, from enemies he might > encounter in his afterlife around 210 BC. The figures are 10-15% larger > than life size, as befits a ghost's army, and the detail on their bodies > is > quite amazing. In due course, everybody forgot about it, until a farmer, > digging a well under his lands in 1974, stumbled upon it. The walls had > fallen on the army, grave robbers had stolen the weaponry, and flooding > had > ruined the figures as well, leading to a painstaking and gargantuan > reconstruction task. There is enough still hidden here to keep > archeologists busy for a century more, I think - there are supposed to be > 60 pits around, full of the emperors help for the hereafter, and only 4-5 > have been dug up, fully or partially. The Emperor's necropolis has not > been > opened as yet for fear of what oxidation would do to the things inside. > The > Terracotta Army is very well documented, so here are a few shots from the > three pits open to the public, giving an idea of what is there: > > http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/China/China-20141017-1854.jpg.html > http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/China/China-20141017-1954.jpg.html > http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/China/China-20141017-1884.jpg.html > http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/China/China-20141017-1966.jpg.html > > The museum and grounds are wonderfully laid out and maintained for both > maximum safety for the contents, as well as ease of viewing for the hordes > who pass by every year: > > http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/China/China-20141017-1992.jpg.html > http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/China/China-20141017-2023.jpg.html > > Xi'an, surprisingly has a big Muslim population, and is home to The Great > Mosque and its lovely green grounds. Luckily, on the day we went, there > was > a funeral service going on someone important in the community, so there > were quite a few people around.: > > http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/China/China-20141017-2580.jpg.html > http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/China/China-20141017-2062.jpg.html > http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/China/China-20141017-2596.jpg.html > http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/China/China-20141017-2050.jpg.html > > Surrounding the mosque was an enchanting covered market, selling, as most > such markets do, utterly flimsy, cheap and useless stuff: > > http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/China/China-20141017-2617.jpg.html > http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/China/China-20141017-2622.jpg.html > http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/China/China-20141017-2635.jpg.html > http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/China/China-20141017-2565.jpg.html > > Everybody was zipping around the bazaar in electric vehicles, either bikes > or tuk-tuks: > > http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/China/China-20141017-2657.jpg.html > http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/China/China-20141017-2077.jpg.html > > Finally, people shots to end the first day in Xian: > > http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/China/China-20141017-2063.jpg.html > http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/China/China-20141017-2067.jpg.html > http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/China/China-20141017-2028.jpg.html > http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/China/China-20141017-2098.jpg.html > > Please see LARGE > > Comments and criticism, as ever, welcome. > > Cheers > Jayanand > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >