Family at the Warrior Factory

Terracotta Warrior Factory

Hanging out with modern warriors. We first visit a factory that makes Terracotta Warriors--for souvenirs. I'm glad we visit this first because it gives us an up-close look at the life size clay warriors.

The amount of work that goes into one warrior is amazing!

The bottom half is solid clay for stability, the upper torso is hollow clay and the head is removable--otherwise the figure would explode during the kiln process. Each figure is about 1.8m tall. The clay is from Xi'an and must be completely devoid of impurities--otherwise it would shatter in the kiln. The sand colored clay turns black in the kiln and sounds like metal (ch'ing) when finished. Each figure has a unique expression and was once painted uniquely--although most of the paint has faded over the years. The different types of warriors that they've discovered to date are: Emporor, General, Officer, Infantryman, Cavalryman & Archer.

Thinking that they made these warriors over 2,000 years ago merely adds to how awesome this creation is! Knowing they didn't have the modern conveniences we have today to make these figures impresses upon me how unbelievable incredible this is! Wow!