Xi'an and the Terracotta Warriors

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We arrived in Xi'an after a sixteen hour overnight train. Arriving in the train station we were greeted by the massive Stone Wall that surrounds the city. The city has grown past the ancient wall but the wall still plays a big part in the city life. The reason that Xi'an is famous is because a farmer discovered the Terracota Warriors nearby in 1974 and the town has become a mecca for those seeking out the Terracota Warriors. The city is very modern and you can see the evidence of new buildings being built everywhere. After settling in we headed to a 300 year old restaurant that is famous for its dumplings which were delicious. After eating we headed to the Wild Goose Pagoda to explore the Temples for Buddha. The first night in Xi'an we headed over to the Muslim Quater and bargained hard for replica terracota warriors and other souvenirs. The street also contained little stalls that sold street food that was delicious.

The next day after an hour ride we arrived at the site of the Terracota Warriors. Entering the site you are greeted by thousands of Clay soldiers standing guard. The site is amazing and contains over 10,000 Terracota Warriors. Many of the warriors have not been excavated yet and also you can see the soldiers that were destroyed in Ancient times. The warriors were created for the Emperor who believed that he needed an army for the afterlife. Each individual soldier is different and at one point completely painted but the paint has faded since the discovery in 1974. The sheer size and volume of soldiers would impress anybody. After arriving back to the main city of Xi'an we decided to go on top of the fortress wall and bike along the top. You can rent bikes while on top and although the bikes are old as the hills they worked fine for riding along the top of the wall. After bike riding we headed back to the muslim quater where we ate more street food which cost us about ten u.s. dollars to feed five of us. We ended the last night in Xi'an with a Chinese Massage.

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Comments

[sharon]

love the warriors.
I would have enjoyed Xian, terricotta warriors, dumplings , street food and shopping. " go shopping, go shopping ! "