China - Xi'an - The Walled City & Terracotta Warriors

From the BaoGuo Monastery we took a bus back to Chengdu and then board another night train of 16 hours to Xi'an. I volunteered to stay with the smaller group and got rewarded with a bunk in the "soft sleep" carriage. These compartments only have 4 beds and a door. I actually was able to sleep for the first time on a night train. We arrived in Xi'an and I spend some time exploring the city.

"Mode of transportation" .... I caught this guy repairing his tuk tuk by just flipping it on its back. Could you do this with your car?

The "Muslim Quarter" was my favorite part of town. Small and narrow streets lined by shops, restaurants and food stands. It simply had a "real" feel to it, not the artificial fast erected buildings you see everywhere else.

This lady was selling steamed sweets. Honestly I still do not know exactly what it was, but it tasted awesome and was just RMB 1 (approximately 15 cents). She mixed some (white) powder (flour?) in a little form and added spices and raisins and other things and then simply steamed it for a little while.

This guy was welding big pots just on the street.

The Terracotta Warriors

The Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses are one of the most significant archaeological excavations of the 20th century. Work is still ongoing (very slowly) at this site, you might wonder why only 20 archaeologists are employed. For my untrained eye it seemed that the larger part of the site still remains to be excavated. The warriors are to"protect" the remains of emperor Qin in afterlife. Upon ascending the throne at the age of 13 (in 246 BC), Qin Shi Huang, later the first Emperor of all China, had begun to work for his mausoleum. It took 11 years to finish. It is speculated that many buried treasures and sacrificial objects had accompanied the emperor in his after life. A group of peasants uncovered some pottery while digging for a well nearby the royal tomb in 1974.

Pit 1 probably is the most impressive of the current excavation sites. Large numbers of soldiers and horses are lined up in formation.

It was hard to find a good position top photograph and the lighting was a little challenging, but I hope you can get a feel for it.

The warriors from a different view point. Unfortunately many figures have been destroyed and none of the original weapons and decoration is displayed.

It must have been an amazing sight in its original condition.

Warrior figures still partially buried.

These figures are from Pit 2, where a lot of excavation work is needed. The official explanation was that the government waited for new technologies to makes sure the colourful painting / coating of the figures can be saved.