Xi’an: April 2015
First meal in mainland China
We were on a mission. Since our Chinese visa was two weeks shorter than planned, we not only had to cut out some potentially amazing hiking and sightseeing, but we had to cram the must-dos into just a few days. Our flight to Xi’an arrived late afternoon. We took the local bus to the downtown bus station and walked to our hotel from there. It was a bit of a guessing game, and by the time we arrived, it was dark. I had been to Xi’an 8 years ago, and I have to say, it has grown considerably. There were so many people! When we checked in, we inquired about the different options to see the terracotta warriors. Of course, they tried to sell us a full-day tour that would pick us up, provide a tour, and bring us back. That didn’t seem too appealing to us, or shall we say, the price didn’t seem too appealing. We asked for a bus, and somewhat reluctantly, they gave us the number. After we dropped our stuff at the hotel, we tried to find something, anything to eat, and settled on McDonalds. Ha!
Bus to see the warriors
We had been on the go for quite a while. Even though we were in a bit of a hurry, we only had thing on the agenda. So, we slept in. On our way out, we stopped to talk to the receptionist and asked for bus information. Armed with directions and a bus number, we headed out. We needed to eat, but were both in that stage where, you’re so hungry but nothing sounds good. We walked by a few places and checked them out. Nothing grabbed us. We finally walked by a hole-in-the-wall. They had pictures, and we LOVE pictures!! It was just a woman and man working there, and they had about three small tables for guests. We pointed at what we wanted. Again, there were lots of charades, but we ended up with some absolutely delicious soup. We walked to the bus station and had to pass through the old city wall to get there. Once inside, there were too many buses. Where to go? All of the different companies have people trying and get you to travel with them. One sign we saw said, “Terracotta Warriors.” The men there were trying very hard to get us to go into their bus, but it was a different number. We finally found the bus we were looking for, and it had a long line. Maybe that’s a good sign??
While we stood in line, we noticed the other buses moving in and out very quickly. All of the other companies were on the go, except for ours. We didn’t make the next bus, so we had to wait. Meanwhile, the other company had already loaded two buses and were on their way. We almost jumped ship. But what if they stopped more, or took a different/longer route?? We decided to stick with ours.
…We should have taken the other bus…
We arrived!
Not only did our bus take FOREVER to load and move, but even the drive there was agonizingly slow. The driver was so busy chatting with the young female worker, he was hardly paying attention to the road. EVERYONE was going faster than us- cars, that OTHER bus (actually, several passed us), even scooters. It was painful. We ended up arriving almost two hours later than we had originally planned.
Once we disembarked, we followed the crowd to the entrance. On the way in, a man with a badge walked up to us and started speaking Chinese. When I told him we didn’t speak Chinese, he quickly apologized and switched to english. He told us he was an official tour guide, and could take us on two-hour guided tour of the most important features. He was nice, spoke great english, and offered a very reasonable price (at least we thought so). As we were walking in he told me that when he saw me, he planned on addressing me in english, but when he saw Javier, he thought we could be Chinese. HAHA! After all this time traveling, we have come to realize that Javier has an extremely multi-ethnic face. Who knew??
The Terracotta Warriors
The warriors are all presented in covered structures. The first “pit” we entered was the largest. The warriors are all lined up as if marching into battle. I had forgotten so many of the details from my previous visit, but the one that remained was the smell. They say smell is the most powerful tool when it comes to memory. As soon as I smelled that earthy scent, my last visit came back very clearly. Our guide moved us through the crowds, and took us to the best viewing areas where he was able to give us some history. He told us that a farmer was digging for water when we came upon the warriors. Several sites have been excavated, and it is thought that there is still so much more buried. The whole area is actually the tomb of Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China.
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Painted sample
All of the original warriors were painted, they are all life-size, and made in the likeness of a living soldier at the time, therefore all of their faces are different. He explained that shortly after the tomb was created, it was looted for its tools and treasures. All of the warriors have their hands in positions that should be holding a spear, sword, or chariot reigns. Their roles are made clear by their hair, dress, and place in line. At the back of the pit, there is an area of incomplete soldiers. As more parts are unearthed, the archeologists take the pieces and try to find their owners. They also repair missing parts, creating them from the same earth as the originals. There is a large area of pit 1 currently being unearthed. We watched all the little people down there, brushing away.
We then went to pit number 3, which was the command center. It had a few different rooms with the walkways guarded by soldiers. Most of the warriors in this pit do not have heads, and upon excavation, most of the bronze weaponry, as well as gold and jewels were still present. Also, unlike both pits 1 and 2, pit 3 never caught fire, and is therefore in great condition. In one of the “rooms” in pit 3, our guide pointed out actual animal bones that were placed in the pit. After a quick stroll through pit 3, we walked over to pit 2.
The warriors
Pit 2 is where they have the originally painted warriors. Most of the warriors here are archers. Much of the pit still needs to be excavated. To the side of the pit is the exhibition hall. All of the iconic Terracotta Warriors that you see in photos are behind glass and on display. I really enjoyed getting to see them up close. The details are so impressive. They even have tread on the bottom of their shoes!
We decided to check out the museum, where they have taken the items that are not made out of terracotta and put them on display. Inside are two bronze chariots. These chariots were not found in any of the pits, but in a separate area. They are not life-size either, they are about half the size. There are also bronze cranes, weapons, and tools. There is also an area where the original farmer sometimes comes and sits for pictures, to chat, etc. He happened to be there that day, and Javier shook his hand. As we exited, we passed through the gift shop, where you can take home your very own life-size Terracotta Warrior!
At the Museum
Our guide asked us if we wanted to take the free shuttle to the actual mausoleum of Emperor Qin. We asked about the experience, and he told us that it’s not yet opened to the public, so you can only see the outside (which is just grass since everything important is underneath) and a gravestone to mark the area. We had a flight to catch that night, so we opted not to go. He walked with us to a different, closer bus stop, where he said good-bye, hopped on one bus, while we, another. The ride back was equally long, but at least it was because of traffic. Once back in the city, we ran back to the hotel, where we picked up our packs and took a bus back to the airport. That’s right folks, just over 24 hours in Xi’an and we were out.
Bye warriors
It’s a good thing we skipped the mausoleum. We caught the next available bus, and while we arrived at the airport with plenty of time to spare, they decided to go through our bags with us, which took forever. We made it through just in time to board our flight. Off to Beijing for our last 72 hours in China.
To see more pictures of The Terra-cotta Warriors, click HERE.