Sunday, February 21, 2010

Terra Cotta Warriors

During a break in the North American Conference, we visited the National Geographic Museum and toured the Terra Cotta Warriors exhibit. Here's what the website says about it:

Soldiers. Charioteers. Archers. Musicians. Generals. Acrobats. Nearly 2,000 years ago, thousands of life-size clay figures were buried in massive underground pits to accompany China's first emperor, Qin Shihuangdi, into the afterlife. Their discovery outside the city of Xi'an in 1974 is one of the greatest archaeological finds of the 20th century.

Now, you can stand face-to-face with these terra cotta warriors. In November 2009, National Geographic Museum will host Terra Cotta Warriors: Guardians of China’s First Emperor, an exhibition featuring treasures from the tomb complex including 15 life-size figures, weapons, armor, coins, and more. Don't miss this chance to see the largest collection of significant artifacts from China ever to travel to the United States.

The exhibit was a real treat. There is so much to see and do in our Nation's Capitol, and this is one of the treasures we were able to take in during this trip.