BP GEOGRAPHIC

The Terracotta Army was discovered in 1974 by coincidence when farmers tried to dig a hole for a well. It is supposed to display the army of the first emperor of China, Qin Shihuangdi, and protect his grave.

Not all warriors are uncovered yet, it has to be done carefully. Originally the soldiers were painted to appear in the same colours as their living models but the colour disappears when coming in contact with oxygen after being underground for over two thousand years.

The Bell Tower in the city centre of Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, China, built in 1384 during the early Ming dynasty, is a symbol of the city of Xi’an and one of the grandest of its kind in China and lays on the axis of the Imperial Way. It also contains several large bronze-cast bells from the Tang dynasty.

It was originally located at the Yingxiang Temple (迎祥观) of Guangji Street, north of West Street, facing the Xi’an Drum Tower, about one kilometer away from its current location. At that time, this place was directly opposite the north and south city gates, and it was the center of the city.

With the expansion of Chang’an City in the early Ming dynasty, the city center gradually moved eastward. After two centuries, the city gate was rebuilt, and the new four streets of East, South, West, and North were formed. The bell tower at Yingxiang Temple seemed to deviate from the center of the city.