Wednesday, 11 April 2018

8 Xian and the Terra Cotta Warriors

The next morning we got up earlier so we could get to the Terra Cotta warriors at a decent time. We had heard we should get there relatively early. Also, it was a Sunday and so there would be locals competing for space at the sites as well. The night before, we had asked at the hotel about booking a tour but the price was almost $90 each. We decided to do it ourselves when some other hotel guests said they had gotten information from the front desk about taking the local bus. So after breakfast, I checked which direction to go with the front desk and off we went. We got to the Main Street, after figuring out that the bus wouldn't be coming out the small side road running beside the hotel, which the concierge had pointed out. We stood at a bus stop but none of the 611 buses were stopping there. We walked to one further down and someone there assured us they would stop. They didn't, and even the local guy looked confused. He told us to keep walking but this was right before a traffic circle and we didn't know which way the bus would head so we walked back the way we'd come instead. The bus stop on the other side of the original one had a 611 stopped there. We hopped on and got off at the last stop, the train station. We went in to buy tickets and then realized that it wasn't a train we needed but another bus. We found our way to bus 37, but the door was closed but the one behind it had its driver so we walked over and he pointed at the sidewalk. When we turned around there was a large lineup of people waiting to get on. They started loading the first bus, and right away it filled up and left. Since we were only 4 people behind the front, we got prime seats on the second bus, which also left right away. It took about an hour and a half to get there, including our mishap with the bus stop. I was disappointed we hadn't made it earlier but in the end, I think it was ok.


We were planning on getting audio guides and while we were looking for them, a tour guide asked us if we would like to join another group of 2 making her services only 50 yeun each. After some humming and hawing, we finally agreed. She told us a lot about the warriors and the site. It was fascinating. She also told us that we came at the perfect time and that early in the morning and at the end of the day was the busiest time. That's good, I guess!


















All together, they have found 20 000 Terra Cotta warriors. The emperor had requested they be made when he became emperor at age 13. He died at age 50 and they were making the statues the whole time. Each person in his army, his servants, and his staff had a statue made. That means that each Terra Cotta warrior looks like a person. Depending on how important they were, they were buried deeper. So the famous pit people know of, with over 6000 warriors had been buried 4 metres below ground, with a wooden roof (they were the least important). The space between each was just air so when an earth quake hit, the statues were mostly destroyed. They are slowly being put back together. They were also all coloured, but within 2 hours of being exposed to air, the colour disappears off the Terra Cotta. They will not uncover any new warriors until they find a new technology to preserve the colour. There is another pit with officers and generals, they were buried 8 meters deep and are all standing facing each other as if they were in a meeting.






The skinnier warriors are most likely slaves because they didn't get as much food. Each type of moustache also shows a rank. Turned up, turned down, no facial, hair, and of course the emporer is the only one permitted to have a beard. It was all very fascinating. This emperor also had over 2000 concubines and when he died, 1000 of them drank poison (willing or not), so they could join him in the next life. They are buried in a pit, 20 metres deep, surrounding his grave. Between the two graves (the concubines and the emperor's) is mercury in a pit so they haven't been able to enter the emperor's grave site yet.

This is the only statue that is not broken.



After finishing viewing the main pits, we went to a jade store and they taught us how to tell the difference between real and fake jade. It was a different way than we had learned before. They rubbed them together and they smelled burning when they weren't real and also made a crunching sound when being rubbed. I bought some jade. I really wanted some so I decided to do it. I bought pink jade and wear it on the right, which is good for my lungs. Jade on the left is good for the heart. Apparently if I soak my Jade in water with vinegar, I can wash my face with it and my skin will be beautiful!
We decided to go check the emperors tomb since it was included in our ticket and there was a shuttle bus. WELL, it turns out the shuttle bus takes you to the entrance and then there's a very long path to the actual site. It was very hot and my ankle was killing me so we decided to walk back and get the bus back to town. We wanted to check out the market and see a bit more of Xian. It took about an hour back and we arrived on the Main Street, across from the bell and drum towers. Our hotel was in a great location. We decided to walk around a bit. We found a neat shop that sells fruit by weight. You fill a bowl with as much as you want and they'll even cut it for you.



 We both decided to go back and do this before our train the next day. We also discovered a food market street and a shopping street.









We started exploring the shops first. It was very hard to not buy a bunch of stuff. I bought a Majong set, because how cool is it to have the real deal, and an ornament for my tree that was painted inside a glass ball.

I had peace and happiness written in Chinese characters in it. I bought one for my sister as well. Not that she does Christmas, but it's luck for her home. When we finally found our way out of that alley and into the street food area, it was almost dark. We began to wander and ended up walking for hours. In every direction you look there were more and more food stalls, lights and people.














We never did get to the end. We shared some potatoes, some dumplings and on our way back to the hotel, we had some ice cream.
The Drum Tower and Bell Tower at night:






I had somehow really hurt my Achilles' tendon, and today it was hurting quite a bit. I tried to get ice when we returned to the hotel; the front desk sent the concierge out to get some, but he came back saying there was no ice. Hopefully some stretching will help. 
The next day, we went to the city wall and climbed up to have a look around. It's a huge wall built all around the old city, and is spectacular.





















I wish I had gone to see it at night (we had seen it from the taxi the first night, but I hadn't realized how close it was). Afterwards, we went and got some fruit, a few more gifts from the market and then grabbed our bags from the room. We took the subway to the train station where we were catching a train to Chengdu.









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