With super sore calf muscles after climbing the Great Wall, we all headed to the ancient city of Xi’an for the second leg of our journey. Xi’an is a cool city, but the main draw of this place is the Terracotta Warriors. This epic site is a collection of terracotta sculptures depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China. Over 8000 soldiers and their chariots and horses were buried near the Emperors tomb so that could help rule another empire with Qin Shi Huang in the afterlife. And one of the incredible things, is that all of the life size soldiers all have different faces! This amazing story took place over 2000 years ago.
We also went to a factory that showed all of us the way the terracotta warriors were made. Super cool! 
We also had a fun time at our Chinese Tea Ceremony. We got to try five different teas and they were delicious!
Another cool thing we did in this town was visit an art museum that highlighted some of the greatest calligraphy in China. And we got to have a little calligraphy lesson! This brought me back to when I studied Chinese Brush Painting back in high school. 
Another highlight of the tour was visiting the Muslim Market, where there were all sorts of foods I had never seen before. We all had fun tasting unfamiliar treats and taking photos. I am going to do a special post on the people of China, because I got lots of great shots here.
And with every China post I have to show the ever present crane. There is construction EVERYWHERE in China! They are seriously preparing for greatness. 
very cool pictures Amber.
Amber, these photos are awesome!! We just studied about ancient China this year (in our homeschool) and we saw pics of the Terracotta Warriors! I love that you got some close-ups!! I will definitely show this to my kids when I have a minute! They will enjoy looking at your photos!! I would love to take them someday (unfortunately, at the moment I cannot afford to take my 5 “chillens” & my hubby & I. lol)! Beautiful!!! 🙂
I had to come back to say a bit more. I know a lot of times, people say, “those pics are awesome!” and after awhile it doesn’t mean much. So to clarify, I love the feeling in these photos…you almost feel like you are there. To me they are full of depth and evoke some sort of wistful emotion when I look at them (perhaps because I was learning about this very thing with my kids this year.). I love the 5th set down of the warriors, and possibly my fave is the one with the b&w screen cracked open (with the light beckoning you to come closer, to walk through & see what awaits you on the other side). Anyway, I just wanted to give a bit more feedback (not just “they’re awesome.”) 🙂
I LOVE!!!!!!! And… I love that I know the back story, makes me feel special 😉
Beautiful images Amber!!!! I am still wondering about what the government makes you do, as you referenced in the previous post. I think we take so much for granted when it comes to China, and it isn’t until you visit, you have a greater appreciation for the craftsmanship. Thank you for sharing!
These photos — I can’t get enough of them! You have some new cool prints to add to your house for sure!!