This photo was used in my previous blog posting, then I realized on the cover of that Lonely Planet China are some of the famed Army of Terracotta Warriors. Accidentally discovered in 1974, about 8,000 have now been unearthed.
Here they are in all their glory, still standing at attention. The warriors are famous in that no two are alike, and it's widely believed the Emperor Qin Shi Huang expected to continue his rule even into the afterlife with an army to back him up, which just goes to show that no matter the country or the time period, people steadfastly refuse to accept the finality of death.
Artist's rendition of what the warriors may have looked like in all their original glory
The store at the Warrior site sells (for $2,000 -- $3,000 each) these life-size warriors and horses.
And here's a couple of them standing guard over the youth hostel in Xi'an where I stayed (the dog doesn't appear to be too impressed).
But the average visitor to the site opts for the much smaller replicas, which can also be found at numerous stores throughout the nearby city of Xi'an.
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