Our Great China Adventure, Part II: XI'AN

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May 10th-
On this day we traveled from Beijing to Xi'an, and we arrived there later that afternoon. Once in Xi'an, we were picked up and introduced to our next tour guide, Emily. Emily took us to our hotel and got us checked in, and then we were on our own. That night we found a delicious restaurant down the street, with a nice mixture of spicy Chinese food and sashimi. Afterwards, we got some sleep for the big tour ahead of us the next day!

May 11th-
On this day, our only FULL day in Xi'an, we had many things to see and do! First, we went to the Shaanxi Museum, which had history from all of China's dynasties. Next we went to the Xi'an Art Ceramics & Lacquer Factory, where we got to see workers making replicas of the Terracotta Warriors. After buying one as a souvenir, we were then able to take some pictures as "Terracotta Warriors." Then, we went to the Terracotta Warriors Museum, where we saw the actual site of where these warriors were dug up! It was really quite astonishing to see all of them lined up in the underground tunnels. This vast treasure, vying with the Great Wall and Forbidden City as China's most famous monument, was stumbled upon in 1974 by peasants digging a well...kinda makes you wonder what else in history hasn't been found yet!

Here's some history...
The Terracotta army is only a part of a grand tomb called Qin Shihuang Ling, built by the first Chinese emperor, Qin Shi Huangdi. Seven hundred thousand workers spent 36 years building this tomb creating over 7,000 life-size terracotta figures. There are officers, soldiers holding spears and swords (many of them authentic weapons) and others steering horse-drawn chariots. Each figure is about 5' 10" tall, and each head has been individually modelled with unique facial expressions. When the terracotta warriors were first uncovered from their earthen graves, their cheeks were rosy and they wore painted uniforms. But today, exposure to the air has turned the statues black.


After spending the afternoon with the Terracotta Warriors, we then had some tea at a local tea shop, and then walked along the Xi'an city wall. (Does this country build a lot of walls, or what??) Next we were off to a dinner show called the Tang Dynasty Show - which was a very beautiful, traditional Chinese show. There was dancing and many Chinese instruments were played. As we watched, we ate a really delicious dumpling dinner. Literally, there were over 20 different kinds of dumplings that we got to try at this dinner...some even resembling what was on the inside! Very cool!

Later that night, Danny and Larry went out for a few drinks. I was a little too tired to venture out, and so I stayed in our hotel and rested that night.

May 12th-
The next day we had some free time before we left for the airport. So, we walked around the city center, had some Mickey Dee's for breakfast, and did a little shopping before meeting our tour guide to leave Xi'an. Before taking us to the airport though, we had some lunch at a hotel, which just so happened to be where a wedding reception was taking place! So, as we ate, everyone definitely stared at the foreigners eating in the corner...but it was really funny to us! We even got a photo with the happy couple on our way out!!

Well, that's all for Xi'an....stay tuned for Guilin, our next China blog!

Love,
Larry & Melanie

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Comments

[monique]

learning
im learning over this stuff its pretty cool lol