Xian

Day 6 - Xi'an

Our train from Beijing took about 14 hours to arrive in Xi'an. It was air conditioned (thankfully). Upon arrival, we went directly to see the Terracotta Warriors.

The warriors are life size figures, made out of red brick approximately 2000 years ago. They were discovered in 1974 by a farmer digging a well in a pasture. So far, 3 underground vaults have been discovered containing the warriors, their horses, and their chariots. The largest vault holds over 6,000 figures and the smallest has about a dozen (suspected to be a command center staffed by higher ranking officials for the larger Terracotta army). Amazingly, each statue is individualized, including its painted face, clothing, and weapons. Apparently, the emperor responsible for first uniting various fragments of today's Great Wall ordered the warriors created to protect him after he died. The statues were buried about 1.5 Km from the tomb of the emperor himself, representing the same relative position of the army to the emperor during his life.

After visiting the warriors, the group returned to Xi'an and checked into the hotel. Justin and I then set off to explore the city. Xi'an was the capital of one of the earlier Chinese Dynasties. It has a wall surrounding the city that is in very good shape (but for a few small gaps necessitated by modern construction). We walked along it for a bit and then headed off to wander through other parts of town.

We met the group for dinner in the Muslim Quarter that night. There is supposed to be a Mosque in the area, but I did not see it. The streets were lined with little shops and kiosks. Many, but not all, were selling trinkets or souvenirs. Others were selling food in some state of preparation or consumer goods.

Day 7 - Xi'an

In the morning, Justin and I visited the state history museum. It had nice exhibits on the development of prehistoric civilizations and cultures in China. Many of the exhibits even had English sub-titles.

Later, we walked to the Big Goose Pagoda. The Pagoda was originally built by a Buddhist monk to house religious texts he had brought back from India for translation. I found the Pagoda to be not so impressive. The Lama Monastery in Beijing was larger and in better condition (though it lacked a pagoda).

Justin and I returned to the hotel by early evening to join the group in catching our train to Tai'an.

Go to Tai'an for more