The Yunnan Stone Forest – The First Wonder Of The World
One of the most spectacular tourist attractions in China of this day is the Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses museum in the Shaanxi Provence, Xi'an. In 1974 some laborers who were working on a drinking well in the area literally stumbled upon the warriors. This caused a great stir among historians and archaeologists around the world who were quick to travel to see them.
After some initial research it was determined that the Terra Cotta Army were from the Qin Dynasty, 211 - 206 BC and they represented a funerary art and were buried along with the Emperor of the time. They belonged to the Emperor Qin Shi Huang who ruled during this period and was actually the first emperor of China. The figures vary in height according to their role within the army. The generals are the tallest.
Perhaps the best way to see the Yangtze River is by cruise ship or by boat. There are various cruises - some last only for the afternoon while others take as long as two weeks to complete. On the longer cruises you will be able to take in some of the cities that line the banks of the river such as Wuhan, Guilin, Yangshuo, Shanghai and also Hong Kong.
According to a historian who lived at a slightly later period than the making of the Terra Cotta Army (145 - 190 BC) the mausoleum began to be constructed in 246 BC and involved some 700,000 workers. The emperor was only 13 when construction started. His instructions were that no two soldiers were to be made alike.
The Yangtze has long been the backbone of China's inland water transportation system, which remained particularly important for almost two thousand years, until the construction of the national railway network during the 20th century.
In all, to see much of the Yunnan Stone Forests on one of the guided trips will take about 3 hours. The park is open to the public most days of the year between 8.30 am and 6 pm so you can actually spend the whole day there enjoying the wonders at your own leisure.
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