Xi'an

Xi'an

Xi’an is a city of universities. It is the ancient capital of China, first unified by Emperor QinShiHuangDi in 221 BC. This city was home to eleven dynasties among which the Han ruled longest and the Tang proved most prosperous. We are scheduled to attend a Tang Dynasty music and dance presentation this evening. Our hotel is inside the city wall and located in the Muslim quarter of the city. Once settled, we go to dinner at a local restaurant for a hot pot style meal. The individual small hot pots for each person are a new adventure in eating for most of us but we all enjoy the experience.

The following morning we travel by bus to the site of the Terracotta Warriors excavation. The site is enormous, covering over fifty square kilometers. We spent several hours wandering through the large excavation halls looking down into the pits of unearthed and repositioned warriors. The entire spectacle is overwhelming and leaves you in awe at the power of the individual who could command such a construction. It is of the scale of the ancient pyramids and has a similar other worldly aura to it. The excavation to date is miniscule compared to what it is estimated to be buried beneath the fields. Already it is called the Eighth Wonder, what will it be when it is fully revealed?

The evening entertainment of Tang Dynasty music and dance was like a variety show and left us well satisfied with our day. Tomorrow we fly to Tibet.