Xi'an

So nearly a year ago--holy crap, how does that happen?!--Liv and I decided to see some other parts of China.  We also decided to do this as cheaply as possible (due both to our salary, and, on my part, my loans from graduate school).  This meant the cheapest (and longest!) trains and hostels...but unlimited adventure!

It's an adventure!!!

One of the places we went (our final destination, actually) on what we began to call Budget Tour was the city of Xi'an.  Xi'an is located northwest of Hangzhou and is famous, among many things, for being the home of the Terra-Cotta Warriors.  This is probably the most internationally recognized part of Xi'an and it is the reason we decided to add Xi'an to our list of things to see.

The Terra-Cotta Warriors are part of an extensive tomb system of Emperor Qin Shi Huang.  They are a form of art specific to tombs; in addition to being decorative, they serve as a way to protect the emperor in the afterlife.  The tombs are quite extensive, but only three (public) pits have been dug to excavate these national treasures.  The reason behind this is that the warriors are actually painted, but exposure to air rapidly deteriorates the paint on the surface, flaking off and leaving behind the iconic brown statues.

There are three pits that are open to the public, as well as a museum that explains the history and purpose of the warriors.  There are also several pits that have been excavated, their findings in the museum.  Additionally, there are several other pits that have not yet been excavated, in order to protect the quality of the art, and to prevent any vandalism or theft. The first two public pits are mostly empty, with fragments of statues of horses, warriors, and chariots.

Pit's One and Two

I am not going to lie, the first two pits were not particularly impressive, which was initially upsetting; as a history teacher, educated in America (which means we don't learn all that much about China) the warriors were one of the few things I had heard about before coming to China.  Therefore, it was one of the things I had really wanted to see.

Since the second pit had slightly more in it than the first pit, I was hoping they were saving the best for last.  I was not disappointed.  When we reached the third pit, we could tell that it was going to be something big; it was the largest concentration of tourists in the whole park.  You walk into the building and there is a balcony overlooking what is a football field full of terracotta warriors, horses, and chariots, all marching towards you. You then are shuffled around the perimeter of this structure, getting a look at the various warriors in different positions.  Along with the several hundred warriors, there are also techs working on excavating and cleaning new material (we were somewhat skeptical about this--were they really working in this pit, or were they sort of just there as part of the tour?)

Pit 3!!

I would say the trip to the Terra-Cotta Warriors was completely worth the trip to Xi'an, however, it did not turn out to be my favorite part of our final stop on Budget Tour.  My favorite part, among the many things we did in this beautiful city, was ride the old wall of Xi'an.  The wall encloses the center part of the city, and you can rent bicycles to traverse the entire wall (which by bike, and taking pictures all along the way only takes an hour or two).  We rented bicycles and spent a wonderful summer morning (the weather was gorgeous!) taking in the city-scape of Xi'an and testing the our bicycling skills: the wall is pretty, but is part of a (reconstructed) ancient city wall--this means bumpy and uneven.

While the ride on the wall was definitely my favorite part of the trip, we also explored some other of Xi'an's landmarks.  We visited the Mosque in Xi'an's Muslim Quarter, a lovely series of buildings, and lovely blend of Chinese and Middle Eastern Architecture.  We also did some pretty hardcore shopping in this district--purses and shoes and shadow puppets!  We ate several times in this district as well, as the food was different from what we normally ate in China, and it was delicious.

From left to right: the shopping district, Liv holding some lamb sandwiches, and me standing between one of the gates to the Mosque. 

Our trip to Xi'an was made complete by an accidental and unexpected sighting of one my favorite places: Dunkin Donuts...and even better, it was one attached to a Baskin Robbins!

Ahhh, Dunkin...an unexpected little taste of home...even if the pork and spicy beef floss donuts are not on the typical menu in New York.