Day 6: Terracotta Warriors & Hot Springs

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This morning I “awoke” to find I had not slept at all. Throughout the night the smell of cigarette smoke wafted through the walls and into our room. Smoking bans- another thing I am thankful for in the US.At least the shower was hot and I also awoke to two photos of my kitties back home (thanks Tammy!)- I bet they had a better night’s sleep than I did (and in a better bed too!).

This was the first completely Chinese breakfast that I have had since I have been here. I am not sure if that is a good thing or not- we will see how I feel later. I always thought Chinese cooking would be healthy but there is a lot of fried food here and a lot of use of oil. A salted egg, fried rice, a few pieces of melon and some montoe (sp?, a type of dense bread) with a glass of Nestle “OJ” (after which I had a few sips, Liang told me I shouldn’t drink it- great) to start my day.

We began our day with a trip to see the Terracotta Warriors, which I have been looking forward to since we started the trip. We couldn’t locate an English translator, so Liang’s mom did the job. And a great job she did- except when she got confused and started saying the Chinese version to me instead! There are several pits containing thousands of soldiers that have been excavated. These pits are now contained within large buildings. There are over 8000 total soldiers (plus 130 chariots and 670 horses), of which only about 1000 have been unearthed. They continue to put together remains of broken warriors but have stopped excavating new warriors to protect them. The warriors were originally painted beautiful colors, but a few hours after they were unearthed they would lose their color, due to exposure to air.

Different types of warriors were in each of the pits, placed there to protect Qin Shi Huang (the first Emperor of China) in the afterlife in 210 BC, and are at various stages of excavation. Even as we were touring the pits, teams were actively working on restoring a set of warriors. I can’t even imagine the incredible amount of patience needed to re-assemble a single soldier! We also had a chance to meet the farmer, Yang Zhifa, who first accidently discovered the location of the warriors over 35 years ago. He has since given up farming and now signs books at the gift shop. We also bought our first souvenir of the trip here- a small set of kiln-fired warriors created from the excavated earth from one of the pits.

We then decided to grab some lunch at a traditional Xi’an restaurant. Since today is the shortest day of the year, it is tradition for Chinese people in Xi’an to eat dumplings. While we were on our way to find a place to grab some dumplings for good luck we ran into a surprise fireworks show. Apparently when very wealthy people in China complete a building, they set off tons of fireworks. Our driver actually pulled over and parked so we could get out of the car and film the works lighting firecrackers in the street while cars were trying to drive around them. It was so loud it was setting off car alarms! After that excitement, and not being able to find a dumpling place without an hour wait, we had another traditional Xi’an dish of noodles and lamb.

Next we headed to the Huaqing Hot Springs, located at the foot of Mt Lishan. It is famed for the romantic love story between Emperor Xuanzong and his favorite concubine Yang Guifei during the Tang Dynasty (618-907). Lady Yang loved to bathe in the hot springs so the Emperor built the palace just for her. There are numerous hot spring pools, which were so tempting to dive into since it was only 40 degrees out! We were able to wash our hands in the spring at the end, and because of the many minerals present, my hands were amazingly soft afterwards. Boy do I wish I could spend a day there at the spa!

Lastly, we visited the Shaanxi History Museum, which contains artifacts dating back to over 7000 years ago. We didn't have much time to spend there, but what we did see was pretty amazing. How pottery and bits of cloth can survive intact for that long is really something. When I look at those items, all I can wonder is who created it and who used it so long ago?

We had a modest dinner tonight of dumplings to satisfy today’s “requirement” with our Xi’an hosts. On our way back to the hotel we got a "city tour" and were taken to one of the upscale neighborhoods in Xi'an where homes go for over $1M (US)! Now I am stuffed and exhausted and ready to head back to the oh-so-soft (can you sense the sarcasm) bed for one final night. Then we fly to Shanghai tomorrow morning!

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Photos

Pit 1: Terracotta Warriors
The largest of the pits.

Hot Spring
The hot springs have filled these bathing pools for over 3000 years!

Dumpling Dinner
I think we ordered a few too many dumplings...

Xi'an at Night
A very wealthy neighborhood where a dragon fountain spouts water into the pond.