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Published: August 6th 2007
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Note to Self: Put Parents on Leash
The plan: get off train at 6:00am, go to internet cafe, read email from parents telling me where they ended up staying (because they flew to Xi'an they arrived a day earlier than expected and the hostel was going to figure out a place for them to stay), get bus to hotel, wake parents, and go to see the Terracotta Warriors.
Reality: I missed the early train so I only arrived at 9am, parents hadn't sent an email, buses didn't go to the hostel that I hoped they had ended up at, and when I did get there my parents weren't to be found.
After some cursing and hair pulling things started to work out a little better for me; I think perhaps the lack of sleep and noxious odours coming from my body had been getting the better of me. The staff at the hostel were brilliant and had stashed the parents at a nice hotel down the road so we were happily reunited for breakfast. This left the last part of the plan, the most important part I should think, to be put into action.
Xi'an was the
site of the ancient capital of China; in actuality Xi'an was the seat of some 13 separate Chinese dynasties. The amount of history in the areas immediately around the city is simply staggering as civilisation has existed here for more than three thousand years. Better yet, a Neolithic village, not just a grave or anything small like that but an actual village, has been found near Xi'an that is 5,000 years old and the 500,000 year old remains of a man were also discovered nearby. Due to it's location on the western edge of the fertile plain south of the Yellow River Xi'an was a perfect place for civilisation to flourish and later on the city became the beginning of the Silk Road, thus making it the center of international trade.
The second Chinese dynasty (not counting legendary ones) to rule what is now China, the Zhou dynasty, created their capital where Xi'an now stands in the 11th century BC and named it Chang'an. Later on, after some wars and other funky stuff, the Qin dynasty came to power and also ruled from Chang'an. The first Qin emperor, Qin Shi Huang came to power in 221 BC and set
Bronze Horses
At the Terracotta Warriors site. about building the truly remarkable civilisation that we all studied about in primary school. Qin Shi Huang was the first emperor to unify China into a single kingdom and he is credited with such achievements as standardising weights, measures, currency, the legal system and Chinese script; building the first incarnation of the Great Wall; building extensive road and canal networks; and being a really nasty man (lots of people were put to death). Despite the fact that he put China on the road to greatness he was despised for his cruelty and the Qin dynasty fell almost immediately following his death.
The most famous of Xi'an's 30,000-odd historical sights (I'll give anyone a dollar if they've seen all of them) is the mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang. In true demigod style he decided to build himself a ludicrously over-the-top funerary arrangement to ensure that he would rule in the afterlife as he had done on Earth, however, unlike the Pharaohs of Egypt he hid his tomb out of sight. The tomb was forgotten about - perhaps because all of the artisans that had made the tomb were put to death so as to keep it's secrets - until 1974
when it was accidentally discovered by a farmer while digging a well.
The tomb is actually in several parts, much like an imperial palace, and only three sections have been excavated. The tomb itself is next to a man-made conical hill and has been left alone but slightly further west lies the famous Terracotta Army, a full sized army made out of Terracotta arranged in battle formation. The army was to be QSH's means of subjugating people in the afterlife but I somehow don't think that they have been doing him much good. Considering that the tomb was looted and burned shortly after the emperor's death (during the overthrow of the Qin dynasty) the army is in remarkably good shape. Two of the three pits are fairly well devastated, but the first pit still looks like an army, a really big and scary army. Despite the fact that I had seen several thousand identical photos of the army, when I first entered the hangar-like building which houses the army I was taken aback; the army is so incredibly impressive to behold that I stood at the railing looking like a stunned Mullet for about five minutes. Nothing could have
prepared me for that view as the faces of 8,000 men who lived 2,300 years ago looked menacingly back at me. Some of the warriors have stoic faces, prepared for the battle to come, some look sad, some worried, and some look at you with a frightening fervour. For a moment I could imagine what the real-life army of Qin must have looked like.
At the Terracotta Army site there are two other attractions that are worth a look. The first being two bronze chariots that were found among the army which are some of the best bronze works that I have seen, and the second being a forty year old Chinese take on an Imax theater. The theater is a cylindrical room with eight projectors arranged around the walls and the film plays simultaneously on all screens. Standing in the middle of the room gives you the feeling of being right amongst the action as the soldiers and horses run around you (the trick of getting ten horses the ride in circles so as to give the impression of hundreds of horses is used extensively). As low budget, 1980's Chinese films go it was definitely up there as
one of the most interesting.
After returning from the warriors, a general consensus was reached that dinner was necessary so we all headed out the the Muslim quarter of Xi'an. Due to it's location in the west of China there is a very large Muslim population in Xi'an which means two things: great food, and lots of chill. Every meal we ate in Xi'an was brilliant, it was actually the best I've had anywhere in China, perhaps made even better by the six bottles of Australian red wine that my Dad brought over for me. Also, the center of Xi'an is brilliantly lit up at night time with the drum and bell towers flooded with bright and gaudy colours, thus making a fantastic atmosphere for the night market which sets up there.
In the evening of our second day in Xi'an we were set to catch a sleeper train all the way to Shanghai and I was determined not to miss this one (once bitten, twice shy) so I had the three of us waiting at the station an hour ahead of time. However, I had to run to an internet cafe in order to get the address
and details of the hotel in Shanghai so I told my parents not to move until I returned. My Dad assured me that they would be waiting exactly where I left them and I ran across the road for a quick five minute email check. When I returned they were nowhere to be found of course. Somehow they had misunderstood the words "don't go anywhere" and I was left there with no idea of what to do. The train was now boarding so I assumed that they had gone to the train despite the fact that I had told them not to, but if I went to the train I would not be able to return to the waiting room - if they weren't at the train I would have been stuffed. Thankfully I found them on the train, with my luggage, and everything was ok but I resolved to never leave them alone again.
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Dad
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Our version
Lesson x for tour guide. Never leave travel arrangements to the very last minute. Quick 5 minute email??? After 15 minutes, 10 minutes after boarding commenced and all other passengers having entered the gates to the platform we decided some action was required. Lugging all our and Matthew's gear onto the train was the only logical thing to do. Tour guide does get overall tick of approval. Train trip excellent and in cabin food service provided by guide was very much appreciated.