Day 55 of 111. Shaanxi Provincial Museum, Xi’an, China

We visited the museum of the area. Shaanxi is the province and Xi’an is the capital city of the province. This area has been where 73 different emperors have had their palaces and burial grounds and therefore has been an amazing area for relics of the past. There are huge mounds/small mountains in the landscape that are burial sites. Most have not been excavated. The terra cotta warriors and horses that we will visit later were only found by accident.

This museum is organized in chronological/dynasty order. The first area is the prehistoric/Bronze Age/up to the Qin Dynasty (pronounced “Chin”). This is the first emperor, the man who united the warring kingdoms into one China. He also built the first part of the Great Wall. In order to do what he did, he was rather a tyrant. His Dynasty did not last long and he had the terra cotta warrior army built to protect him in the afterlife.

The Han Dynasty was known for emphasizing the importance of the farmer. The technology of farming developed at this time and this time was known for its prosperity.

The three objects shown above were from the Tang Dynasty which was known for its development of art and culture. The Silk Road was developed which brought and exchange of ideas with other parts of the world. I liked the look on this statue of a foreign civil officer. The two gold pieces were a “gold monster” and a dragon from tombs of the period.