The First Lady's Travel Journal

US first lady Michelle Obama (L) laughs as she visits the Museum of Qin Terracotta Warriors and Horses with her daughters Sasha and Malia, in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, March 24, 2014. [Photo/Agencies]

Michelle Obama sees Terracotta Warriors in Xi'an

Obamas visit ancient guards, modern kids

After we arrived at the Xi'an Airport, we traveled to see the Terra Cotta Warriors, an underground army of thousands of life-sized soldiers made from terra cotta clay. These sculptures were hand-made over 2,000 years ago. They surround the tomb of China's first emperor, and it's believed that they were created to protect him in the afterlife.

When you realize how carefully built each soldier is and how detailed their faces and weapons are; and when you learn that each arm, hand, leg and head was created separately, it's no surprise that scientists believe that it took more than 30 years and 700,000 workers to build this army.

Still, perhaps the most amazing thing about the Terra Cotta Warriors is that for two thousand years, they were a complete secret. The warriors were buried and forgotten until 1974, when a group of farmers found the head of one of the soldiers when they were looking for a good spot to dig a water well. That led archaeologists to uncover the underground army, which included not only clay soldiers, but also clay horses, wooden and bronze chariots and treasures of jade and gold. The warriors were broken into pieces and had to be painstakingly pieced back together again.

Special: US first lady visits China