Xi'an and the Terracotta Warriors

Day 6 Xi’an

Backdrop in foyer

We arrived at our Hotel in Xi'an about 10.30pm last night.  It was a beautiful hotel with a most amazing foyer. Despite our late travels the previous night we were off again at 9am to probably our next most important destination after the Great Wall – the Terracotta Warriors. 

Xi'an skyscrapers

Xian is a completely different city to Beijing in appearance. There was much colour in the form of flowers, trees, and lighting.  There have been some massive changes in recent years and the number of high rise buildings here is incredible.  Where in England we may have rows of terraced houses here there are rows of 40-50 floor skyscrapers.  

The population is currently much lower than Beijing at 8.8 million but must obviously cover a much smaller area too.  Xi’an is in the Shaanxi province. It marks the beginning and the end of the famous Silk Road.  It is known as the cradle of Chinese civilisation and the heart of China and was a buzzing capital before everything moved northwards to Beijing.

Locals waiting to see the terracotta army

piecing together the warriors

and the horses

So to the Terracotta Army.  By now we have realised that you do not travel anywhere fast in China or that you can get away from crowds of people.  The centre created for the display of the Terracotta warriors was no exception.  However this did not detract at all from the sights that were to unfold.  Most people will have seen pictures of this army but until you are actually here and see the sheer scale of the army that Qin Shi Huang created to protect him in the afterlife you cannot really appreciate it.  The whole area and its treasures remained undiscovered until 1974 when some peasants drilling for a well uncovered an underground vault that eventually led to the discovery of thousands of terracotta soldiers and horses in battle formation.  Or should I say millions of pieces as the whole army was destroyed shortly after the death of Qin Shi Huang and has painstakingly been put back together by Chinese archaeologists.  This job continues today.

Leaving this sight we could see the hill where the mausoleum of the same emperor is located.  This mausoleum has still to be excavated. From historical records it is believed that this tomb is filled with precious stones, rivers of mercury and ‘tomb raider’ like defences against intruders. Whilst it has not be excavated probes have tested mercury levels which are about 100 time’s normal concentrations making it a poisonous and dangerous area to enter.

 We continued our drive through Xi’an where we noticed lots of lovely parks and some old style Chinese buildings as well as the aforementioned skyscrapers. Our next stop was the Shaanxi History Museum.  Whilst this is down in the guide books as a place to see Mike and I found it disappointing.  Perhaps it was because the main building was under renovation but there were only a few exhibits on display with little information for the British tourist.  So back to the Hotel for an hour to get changed ready for a night’s entertainment as tonight we were going to witness a Chinese show called the Tang Dynasty Show.  This was an evening of dance, song, and music that told the story of a concubine who worked her way into the emperor’s favour and eventually became the Empress herself.  It was a very colourful event and very different to British musicals – we all had a good time.