The Ghost of China Past

Before this trip, we both developed a list of must-see places that we just had to check out during our 3 weeks in China. Due to Jody’s childhood dream of swinging through the jungle & digging things up, the Terra Cotta Army was added to the list. Needless to say, we decided to make the ancient capital of Xian a major stop on our Chinese tour.

With over 3000 years of history, Xian is one of the oldest cities in China. Considered one of the great four ancient capitals, it was the backdrop for some of China’s most powerful & influential dynasties. We arrived bright & early via train after a 15 hour overnighter from Datong. After checking into one of the nicest hostels during our trip, we were off to see what these Terra Cotta warriors were all about. Getting to this one of China’s wonders is actually quite comfortable & affordable despite being located an hour away. We hopped on a nice, air conditioned tour bus for only $1 and were there in no time. We met a great German guy named Felix and headed through bunches of tourist stalls & restaurants selling ticky-tacky stuff. I must admit, the first impression wasn’t that great because they force you to buy the entrance ticket (expensive) then walk 30 minutes through all this rubbish just to get to the place!

Discovered in the 70’s by a local farmer who stumbled upon stone fragments in the ground, the Terra Cotta army is now one of the most well-known archaeological sites in the world. It really needs no introduction, but I learned some interesting things I didn’t know before. First off, it’s now a surprisingly developed & modern facility split up into 4 separate pits that are still actively being excavated. In 246 BC, the newly ascended Emperor Qin (who was 13 years old at the time) started construction with the help of 700,000 workers on his future mausoleum! This same kid started construction on the Great Wall and greatly increased China’s power by amassing an army of 1 million soldiers. Quite a legacy for China’s 1st Emperor if you ask me! His burial site is protected by thousands of extremely detailed clay figurines in an effort to protect him in the afterlife. Current estimates put the numbers at 8000 soldiers, 2000 horses and 130 chariots with the majority of them still buried beneath the ground waiting to be unearthed. It’s an amazing find and even more amazing when you see it for yourself! So fascinating to see all the bits of clay armor, body parts & horses scattered around a giant pits waiting to be put back together in the most complex 3D puzzle ever! As we watched some workers excavate one particular soldier, we wondered how they figure out which pieces go to which people. I thought it must be impossible. Yet, all the assembled warriors look perfect & the warriors in the rebuilding process look on that same path. It’s an amazing undertaking which requires an unbelievable amount of skill. I though the excavation efforts were nearly as impressive as the army itself!

Originally, all the warriors were painted in contemporary military regalia giving them an even more lifelike appearance. However, nearly all the paint has eroded now leaving them with a dull, monotone appearance despite the amazing detail and uniqueness to each individual. Apparently, once exposed to oxygen for the first time, the lacquer curls in 15 seconds & flakes off in 4 minutes! Crazy!! Everything from the facial expressions to the hairstyles to the body positions & weapons is absolutely unique for every figure. Spectacular when you think about the grand scale of the project & the small fact that this was all done 2300 years ago! I enjoyed trying to figure out the ranks of each soldier. Some of the weapons discovered are actually authentic weapons used in battle that long ago! A lot of them are coated with chromium oxide preventing them from rust & deterioration after thousands of years. Incredible ingenuity.

We spent a good amount of time wandering around each pit and marveling at it all. It was a special place. The largest pit #1 was the most impressive with the majority of the assembled “foot soldiers” arranged in battle formation. I kept thinking what it must have been like for that farmer who discovered that first soldier. A little freaked out perhaps? Does he get any royalties from his amazing find? His farm is certainly no longer in existence due to the massive development of the site. It’s considered to be the greatest archaeological find of the 20th century.

Back in Xian in the afternoon, I really wanted to bike around the ancient city wall. We absolutely loved it! Re-constructed during the 14th century Ming dynasty, it is remarkably well-preserved. We rented bicycles for 90 minutes and slowly meandered around the 15KM square during sunset. Viewing the city from above was a unique experience. We relished the opportunity to relax in relative isolation despite being smack-dab in the middle of a bustling metropolis.
















After sunset, the wall was beautiful! All the lanterns & towers that lined it were brilliantly lit up. With the full moon above on such a clear night, it was another memorable experience for us in Xian!

After the warriors & biking on the wall, we were on a bit of a high. We strolled around the Drum Tower & Bell Towers which were similarly illuminated & impressive in their own right. Our destination for the evening was the Xian Muslim Quarter.

We enjoyed browsing & sampling Xian’s unique food scene. Homemade noodles & Shaanxi meat sandwiches everywhere! We played our favorite game at a local Muslim noodle shop. Randomly choose & point to one of the items on the all Chinese menu! Because of the impossible language barrier in some situations, how else do you order? Turned to be out to be one of my favorite meals in China (more on food in a later post).

We both really enjoyed Xian. I think it was my favorite city out of all the places we went! I wish we had spent some more time there. Our time in the city proper was limited due to our excursion to Mount Huashan yet there’s no way I regret that trip.