I Turn to Stone When You are Gone
Xianyang, Shanxi, China
June 01, 2009
We were up at 7:30 and for the first time in a long time we both slept really well. There is a lesson here folks - invest in a good mattress!
We put on our running clothes and used our Running Factory schedule for level 3. Walk 4, run 16, walk 4 (minutes that is). We headed down the street a few blocks and ended with going up and down some stairs (killer). Along the way we went through Geming Park and saw men hanging out (literally) in their hammocks, an old guy playing an instrument that looks like a hammer with strings, a woman singing, people playing badminton, people with giant yo yo's, a kid's party, people walking and exercising.
We were both out of breath, but we survived! We bought some water to drink on the walk back.
We tried to get some snacks from a mini mart, but they did not have anything interesting. We did end up buying some more undies though. 15 yuan for 2 pairs (less than $3).
Back at the room I decided to have a bath - how wonderful! I then had a snack before we headed out - crackers and peanut butter.
We walked to the train station to buy our tickets to Beijing. Bill did not have enough money so we had to wander around to find a bank machine. On the way back I tried to buy some sunglasses, but could not strike a deal; she wanted 25 yuan (less than $5). That is outrageous! I wanted to buy some apples, but they all looked really beat up. I think the days of ultra fresh fruit are behind me now. I did buy some steamed buns with pork and sprouts for 5 yuan ($1). They were very good!
Back at the station (train that is...) we stood in line for 1/2 hour to get our tickets. I observed that the men ahead of me do not appear to wash their clothes on a regular basis. We were able to buy an overnight soft-sleeper for 817 yuan ($145) to Beijing. The soft-sleeper has 4 bunks, hopefully we don't have to sleep with a Mongolian again!
It worked out that we were able to step out of the train station and right on to bus 306. It was 7 yuan each ($1+) for us to take this bus to the Terra Cotta Warriors.
Along the way we were able to see a Nuclear Plant with 6 cooling stations. We had seen one on the other side of the city when we flew in. Did we mention the pollution here? I don't think that anyone ever sees the stars here...
The Terra Cotta Warriors that were built in 210 BC were uncovered in 1974 by a peasant while digging a well. Since that time 3 pits have been unearthed with approximately 7,000 soldiers, archers, chariots and horses. Pit 1 has the infantry, Pit 2 has the cavalry and horses and Pit 3 is the command center and has the high ranking officers. Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi commanded 700,000 people for a period of 36 years to build the Terra Cotta Army. The Emperor was buried over 1 mile away with his concubines (they were buried alive).
It took us over an hour to get to the site. We stopped outside an had lunch at The Hong Kong Star Restaurant. Bill had Hans Beer (Chinese, not German) and I had a Coke Light. We shared dumpling soup and beef with noodles.
Outside the restaurant I see that I can buy an Asiatic bear pelt. This is the endangered bear that we saw in the park near Luang Prabang. There are other pelts too that I would swear are dog and cat. One looks like a German Sheppard... I could be wrong...
We bought our tickets and rented our headsets and walked through the park to the entrance.
We started off in Pit 1. It is located 15 kms East of the Mausoleum and is over 4600 m square. The army was destroyed 5 years after the death of the Emperor by rebels; they were smashed and burned. Don't quote me, but I think they did so to prevent him from making it to the afterlife.
The effort and detail here is incredible. Attention was paid to every detail, even the flooring. There are different tiles and designs in different locations. There were different types of soldiers and officers, they had different styles of armor, different weapons, different hair and hats, unique facial expression, there were different ethnic groups represented, different shoes, and so on. At first when you look at them (they are not up close, you are looking down at them), they all look the same. But when you look closer, through the camera lens, you can see the many differences. The soldiers stand 4 wide and there are 9 columns that separate them.
When it was built there was a roof over top their heads that was a wooden structure. It was covered with a mat and dirt in a weaved pattern. There are 5 entrances around the 4 sides of the pit for construction purposes. The warriors and horses were built outside and then moved in. When construction was completed, the openings were sealed with wooden pillars. There is a brick wall at the SE corner. This is believed to be the first brick wall in China.
They have some of the warriors on a raised part at the back. I thought it would be a good spot for a photo of us, but Bill did not think so. We wandered around some more instead... He is very impatient today for some reason...
We went to Pit 2 next. The pits are named by order of discovery.
Pit 2 is mostly unexcavated at this time; it houses the cavalry. The chariots were pulled by 4 horses. There was 1 charioteer who had lots of armor and stood with arms outstretched (controlling the reins). The was accompanied by 2 soldiers on either side who had long range weapons. It was their job to protect the highly esteemed charioteer.
Most of Pit 2 is not excavated. One area had calvary and the other area had archers (172 standing archers and 352 all together?) Some of my details are a bit off. The audio guide was incredible and had very good information, but you could only listen to the information once.
Along the side they have a standing archer, a kneeling archer, a middle ranked officer and a general behind glass enclosures. It was great to see them up close and observe the incredible details. It was pointed out that the kneeling archer has a bun in his hair on the left side so that he could pull out the long arrows on his right side, plus it is esthetically balanced too.
In one area of Pit 2 there is a part of a chariot (most do not remain, they were wood and had been burned). You can see the outline of the chariot and a wheel. There lies a broken soldier by the chariot.
We stopped to sit on a bench for a few minutes. We ate some pistachios to keep us going.
Pit 3 was discovered in June of 1976. It is U-shaped and is 520 meters square. It is much smaller than Pit 1 and 2 and only contained 68 figures, 1 chariot and 34 bronze weapons have been recovered. This area had major destruction.
The head quarters has a corridor hall, a porch and a back room. Deer bones and horns were found in Pit 3. It is believed that it served as a banquet hall, as a place of offerings and a place where war prayers were practiced. Deers were used because it is believed that they have pure spirits.
The museum was opened in October of 1979. It contains two miniature chariots that were found at the funerary pit in 1980. The funerary pit was 3025 meters square and is located in 1978. The chariots are made of a tin-bronze alloy with gold and silver. They were modeled after chariots and horses of the imperial court.
Chariot Number 1 has a standing charioteer. He has a long sword and a bow holder with feathered bronze arrows, a shield and an umbrella over top. This chariot has 2 wheels, the other has 4.
Chariot number 2 - the Comfortable Chariot is much larger. The chariot is covered with an umbrella and has a front and rear chamber. The driver is kneeling at the front and the passenger(s) would be in the rear chamber. In the rear there are 3 windows and a door that open. This was to moderate the temperature, for the ability of the passenger to have a view and it was for protection.
At this site there were 54 bronze arrows inside the arrow box and a bronze quiver. There was a horse whip and a bronze square pot with a lid and chain that looks like a flask. We could see that the metal techniques were highly developed; both chariots had delicately made harnesses and reins for the horses.
Both of these chariots weigh over 1,000 kg and have over 3,000 parts (or so we think the audio guide said). It is really amazing because they are not that big.
On the upper floor of the museum there is a room of World Heritage Sites. There are some good photos of places that we have been to and places that we still need to see!
We finished our tour and exited the park. We had to make our way through shops, restaurants and vendors before we returned to the parking lot. We were not bothered too much. Bill had to pay 10 yuan for a Coke though.
We found the 306 bus and were able to leave right away. It was another 14 yuan to return to the train station. On the way back I had some crackers to tide me over.
When we got back to the station Bill took some photos of the North Wall. I picked up a beef pita from the Muslims on the way. It was OK, but not as good as the one I had in Chengdu. On the way back to the hotel we found a spot to get our laundry done. I am not sure how much, but I am sure it will be much cheaper than the hotel.
We checked out the price of the internet at the Sofitel - 1 yuan per minute. So, we will not be using the internet here...
I had an iron brought up to the room and for the first time on our trip we ironed our clothes! Bill thought we lost Freddie, but he had just fallen off the chaise. Thank God!
We packed up our laundry and dropped it off. It is going to cost 60 yuan ($10) which is very expensive, but we do not have much choice. I did talk her down from 70 yuan...
We headed South West(ish) after dropping the laundry. We had dinner at a street-side restaurant that was cooking up shish kabobs. We wanted 3 chicken and 3 beef. We ended up with 3 chicken, 1 mini hot dogs (I ate and Bill would not touch) and 1 chicken wings. We also had a beer and a water. It cost us 25.50 yuan ($4+) which was ridiculously overpriced, especially since we did not even get what we wanted. We know better to ask the price first and I was not in the mood to argue... Ah well, you gotta pick your battles right?!
We walked to the Bell Tower and Bill took some pictures of it all lit up. There are tons of people walking around for 9:30 at night. We walked down to the lower mall - there is a Starbucks! They only have small mugs of Xian today, they will have more tomorrow. I ordered an iced tea without sugar for 18 yuan ($3). We wandered through the lower mall to the Drum Tower.
The Bell Tower and Drum Tower are called the sister buildings. The drum tower was built during the Ming Dynasty in 1380. The bell tower is the center of the old city. It was built in 1384, also during the Ming Dynasty. They are very imposing buildings and are beautiful when they are lit up at night.
Bill took some pictures of the drum tower and of the kites that were flown nearby. He also took pictures of the guys with massive telescopes on their cyclos.
Bill ordered some fries and a chocolate sundae to settle his stomach for 13 yuan ($2+). I don't think that would work for my stomach! I am in the zone. I carried his sundae while he ate the fries and I did not have a bite of either.
We walked underground to cross the street. I bought some mulberries for 5 yuan (less than $1) for breakfast. We spotted another Starbucks, so we went in and bought my mug for 90 yuan ($15). It has a warrior on it! I bought a whole wheat and carrot muffin to also have for breakfast.
We started walking toward the hotel and did not find a cab for a bit. So, we ended up walking the whole way back. Bill bought at Gatorade for 4 yuan (less than $1).
My feet were killing me when we returned to our room. I think we have been on our feet for over 9 hours today. How nice that our bed is turned down and I can just slide right in! Ahhh!