Even if you have seen myriad photos of and read numerous books on the Terra Cotta Warriors, nothing can prepare you for the "wow" factor of actually seeing this amazing site in person. Of course you cannot climb into the pits to touch or get up close and personal with these world treasures, but you can get excellent views by simply walking around the entire hanger. We went on a weekend, it was crowded, as is everything in China, but nowhere near as crowded as The Forbidden City in Beijing was during National Week. Everyone moved along and there was always room directly against the railings to lean over, across, and get a better look at the Warriors.
What I found most amazing were the pits that had just been uncovered, with the broken pieces that would in time be painstakingly formed into whole statutes once again. It is wondrous to imagine that all of this excavation has been done in just the last 40 years or so, and when you see the delicacy of the soldiers, you understand why it must be done so carefully and slowly.
One of the things that was a surprise was that if you have only seen photos of the soldiers, without visiting the site itself, you may get the impression that the site is much larger than it actually is. The largest site is about the size of a football field. Don't let that disturb you. You truly are seeing a wonder of the world, no matter how big or small it is.
There is a very large souvenir shop where you can buy replicas of the warriors. The prices are high. My tip would be to wait until you have exited the complex. There will be many vendors trying to sell you the same souvenirs as inside, but for a lot less money I bought a five piece replica set of Terra Cotta Warriors (and a horse) in a nice decorative box for 50 kwai (about $9.00). The same exact set inside the souvenir shop was 150 kwai. You cannot bargain in the souvenir shop, but you certainly can with the outside vendors.
There are also quite a few vendors as you walk up to the site itself, selling everything from fruits (the pomegranates are delicious, as is the pomegranate wine) to animal skins. Of course they are trying to make money, but they are not aggressive, and you can simply ignore them.
This is a "bucket list" place to visit. I know that children of all ages would be as thrilled as we were to see the warriors in person.
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