After sleeping soundly, we awoke at 5 AM to get ready for our flight to southern China. Lewis didn't want Room Service. The Front Desk indicated that breakfast began at 6 o'clock (we were expecting Kevin to escort us to the airport at 6:15), but they graciously said that we could sneak in early. They kept our luggage in the meantime. We enjoyed the entire restaurant to ourselves.
A smiley server inquired what types of drinks we wanted, and she fetched me a perfect latte. She also brought luscious grapefruit juice for both of us. Service with a smile. Omelets of perfect consistency were delicious, and the kitchen was consistently good at making bacon. Grilled/seasoned tomatoes, a cheese and a plate of salumi. Congee for us to share.
We waited in the lobby, and Kevin arrived precisely on schedule. His driver stored our luggage in the van, and we sped away. We were due for an unusual train ride!
22 countries have high-speed bullet trains… except the United States. For some odd reason, America boasts about its intelligence services, military, and money-making centers, but it fails at speedy travel. Yet, it has the biggest distances to cover! As seen below, China and the USA have similar sizes.
Yet, the speed of American railroads hasn't improved much since 1947. China leads the world in bullet trains.
Kevin was excited that we were taking the Maglev, an electro-magnetic train named the Shanghai Transrapid. Opened in 2004, it was the world's first commercial high-speed version, and it remains the fastest in the world. The futuristic vehicle uses two sets of electromagnets to levitate and glide frictionless over the rails.
The elevated station connects to the city's Metro system. Despite its popularity, it is clean and orderly.
Once again, automated glass doors keep people/things off the Metro tracks.
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As we ascended to the platform the for Maglev, we noticed that it won recognition in the Guinness World Book of Records! *The book is published by the Guinness Brewery. To see when we visited its famous facility in Ireland, please use this link:
The "airborne" train slid silently into the station. Our tour package included tickets on it to get to the airport for our flight to Xi'an. Lewis and I were excited to visit that amazing city. Kevin wasn't enthusiastic about the city, chiding that its only attraction is the terra-cotta warriors. That's what we wanted to see. We wished him and his driver farewell, and boarded the smooth-riding train.
A digital screen displayed the train's speed. Within moments, it accelerated past 139 km/hr, which is 86 miles-per-hour!
Without any shudders or clanks, the train raced ahead at 125 miles-per-hour (201 kilometers-per-hour)! None of America's trains go that fast... despite obscure/false labeling as "high speed" to lure riders. (That's because American railroads still stupidly rely on diesel locomotives, to keep America's greedy petroleum producers happy). Yet, that was the Maglev's "slow speed" that it uses within urban areas. For intercity routes, its "high speed" is a wow-worthy 250 miles-per-hour. Proving its amazing efficiency, we travelled 30 kilometers within 8 minutes!
To compare that to the detestable commuter trains in New York, please click this link:
Once again, the airport's Check-in and Security Screening were immaculate, efficient, courteous, and hugely superior to the airports that I used in Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago, Fort Lauderdale, Rochester, and New York City. We actually had time to relax at the Departures Terminal. A local guy was amused that two Americans were awed with a simple thing like an efficient airport. Lewis explained that we don't have them at our (overpriced) home in America's richest city.
We enjoyed a smooth 1,400 kilometer flight to the capital of the Shaanxi Province: Xi'an.
It is one of China's oldest cities and one of the Four Great Ancient Capitals. Beginning in 1046 BC, it was home to the kings of the Zhou Dynasty, followed by the emperors of the Qin, Han, Sui, and Tang Dynasties.
Landing in Xi'an, our new tour guide, Monica, was in a chipper mood and welcomed us to a city of 8 million people. That is nearly the population of Manhattan, yet Xi'an is not considered one of the prominent cities in China. However, it is considered the "cradle" of where Chinese civilization began, 3,000 years ago. The routes of the ancient Silk Roads started there in 13o BC, and they spread to connect continents.
Those caravan routes were the first of their kind! They hugely influenced societal development, mercantile trade, and cultural ties between the East and the West. Crisscrossing the equator and continents, the land-and-sea routes were the only ones available for exporting silk, spices, precious metal, agriculture, brews, and pigment for painting and fabric dying. The ruler of China granted permission to use the route. UNESCO rates the Silk Road as a fundamental key of human civilization.
Originally named Chang'an, it was the imperial capital for 10 dynasties. Interestingly, the first Chinese dynasty was named Qin, and the last was named Qing (both sound practically alike). Sometimes Fate has a sense of playfulness!
Interestingly, the Great Seal of China was created by the Qin and used throughout China's imperial eras.
As a native, Monica gave us the upsides and downsides of her hometown. The downsides were phrased in polite ways—to show how she was steering us clear of obstacles—and were mentioned to compare them to the improvements. It was a great presentation!
*That's OK; their athletes do well in other sports and Olympics.
Her driver wasn't talkative, but he was good-humored. During the hour-long drive to the mountainous region where the statues were discovered, we answered their questions about life in America and New York (both the state and city). We arrived at the sprawling ongoing archeological excavation site in the Lintong District. It is named the "Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor". Understandably, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The smell of wood fires from farmers' hearths mixed with the smell of those farmers burning corn stalks in their fields.
The exhibits are housed in large sleek buildings—some resemble airplane/zeppelin hangers. In 1974, a farmer was digging a well. In his search for groundwater, he struck pieces of pottery. It was colorfully painted as body parts and faces!
We watched a video that explained how modern-day master craftsmen took YEARS to replicate the amazing techniques used to make those beautiful clay figures. Those ancient craftsman didn't have modern tools, technology, or lighting. A specific mixture of ingredients is needed to create that type of pottery. The earthenware bodies must be assembled carefully. Heads are made separately, to allow the open necks to be steam vents for the bodies during baking. When fashioning animals, the craftsmen used the tail-ends as vents. In ancient times, the kilns used wood for fuel and were kept burning 24 hours a day, cooking each batch of terra-cotta for a week! After painting, the heavy but fragile figurines had to be transported and positioned into place, then armed with weapons.
Above, notice how even the bones of the hand are visible! Astounding! Detail were lavished on animals: goats have beards, chickens have nostrils, sheep have varying ears, and horses have teeth. Tap each image to make them larger.
Monica said that younger generations prefer to move outside the city wall for bigger/newer apartments. She also admitted that she lived in an older building that was still administered by the government. On a certain day in November, the government "turned on" the heat for all its residents. Most citizens do not have their own heat/air-conditioning. It is centrally provided. There is no way of adjusting the level of heat, so Monica explained that many citizens dress in varying layers or open windows to get the right temperature in their homes. Despite living in America's wealthiest city, Lewis and I suffer from that situation in our prewar building in NYC. Pricey apartments in thousands of prewar buildings do not have thermostats; heat is centrally activated by the superintendent using old furnaces that still belch black smoke. It looks like this...
Monica was shocked because that seemed like a third-world issue. We agreed.
Her driver dropped us off at the Garden Hotel, in the city's Yanta District.
We realized that our hotel didn't have air-conditioning at that time of the year... only varying degrees of heat. In fact, as we strolled the streets, Lewis was surprised that none of the stores sold cold beverages. The water, juice, and soda was sold at room-temperature. The refrigerator cases in the stores weren't turned on. Only dairy products were kept chilled. Speaking in Mandarin, store clerks explained to Lewis (as I stood impartially by and smiled sweetly) that local people don't want cold beverages during the chillier months.
On the flipside, the shopping malls are amazingly well-lit, with animated laser-light images on the roofs of passageways.
Our hotel was a near lots of restaurants. Monica gleefully pointed out the Pizza Hut, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and Subway Sandwich eateries... "just like in America". We never eat that food, and we avoid "fast food". We prefer local fare when visiting a place. Before she drove off, Monica gave us a dining suggestion. But it looked a tad untidy, so we explored the cozy alleys and found a lovely restaurant. I don't recall the name. It had a juice bar and barista coffee counter. In the picture, I'm looking at all the bookshelves, holding vintage radios, typewriters, and cameras.
For dinner, we slurped 3 amazing bowls of home-made noodles (some spicy and some garlic/savory). Xi'an is known for its piquant-tasting dumplings, and I got to try open-ended ones stuffed with chicken and pork. While they oddly charged $0.40 for napkins (the waitress bowed and opened a fresh mini-box of them at our table), the food and polite service were great.
After dinner, we strolled around the Square, where 20 people danced in the night air.
Some people flew kites, and everyone admired the glow of the Buddhist pagoda, built in 652 AD during the Tang Dynasty by Emperor Gaozong. Seen below, it is named the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda.
That pagoda is a national landmark and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Pagodas are always tall, tiered towers to demonstrate admiration to the deities who live in Heaven. They have eight sides. They first appeared in the 400s. The one in Xi'an suffered a partial collapse, and Empress Wu rebuilt it and added five levels in 704. It retains its original engravings by a baron named Yan Liben. It's a gorgeous part of the skyline.
Lewis and I slept soundly. The morning dawned beautifully.
The sun was beginning the brighten the autumn day, as we boarded an Air China jet.
Where I live, a local liquor store a grocery store take phone orders and offer free delivery (without a minimum purchase amount). So, I was able to conveniently multi-task before arriving home. Our first dinner back at home was served on the Narumi bone china that Shirlyn gifted us in Shanghai. She thought that the "sophisticated but fun" pattern befit us, and we love using them!
We learned that China's first dynasty was the Xia Dynasty, which is mentioned on ancient bone inscriptions. Supposedly, authority was granted to it by mythological deities who called themselves the Five Emperors, circa 3126 BC.
Chang'an was immortalized in the 1500s as the fabled "starting point" for the epic tale, Journey to the West. Nearly everyone in China—and many people with Asian ancestry—are familiar with it. It's very entertaining. It involves a Buddhist monk named Hsuan Tsang (Xuanzang) who truly made a pilgrimage on foot from China to India. His trek crossed wide deserts, gorges, and the soaring Himalayan Mountains. The legend focuses on his immortal bodyguards that were appointed by Buddha. The most powerful one is a monkey named Sun Wukong (the Monkey King) who accidentally absorbed magic and learned combat, transformations, tactics, and how to fly. Alas, his headstrong confidence rivaled the celestial deities in Heaven, so Buddha trapped him for 500 years. Buddha also directed a bodhisattva named Guanyin to find a person in China with integrity to carry the sacred sutra teachings from India to China, to educate the hedonistic population. She chose the monk, and the Chinese Emperor Taizong endorsed it. Buddha uses the journey as a chance for Sun Wukong to redeem himself. His allies are other animal spirits and a ogre of sand. During their trek, they repel swindlers, demons, sorceress sirens, and mythological gods. Miraculously, the friends succeed.
Lewis and I watched a televised version. Please use this link to learn something that we noticed about it:
*To see when Lewis and I visited regions in India where the legendary characters went, please use this link:
Monica's driver took us into the city.
Monica loved the city's preserved history, its lakes and gardens, and its canals—in existence since ancient times. Founded in 1600 BC, the city withstood millennia! Coming from Rome, the first missionaries of Christianity in China arrived there in 635 AD. While the Emperor decreed tolerance for the Christians and employed them in his imperial institutions, his clemency was not reciprocated by the Catholic pope who condemned the Chinese as ungodly (and tried to fight them to convert them). In its heyday of the 700s, it was one of the world's most-populated cities. It was the economic, cultural, military, and political center of China. Scholarly gentry and aristocratic families dwelled there.
During the Han Dynasty, the city was relocated three kilometers northwest, and it was encircled by 25.7 kilometers of walls and moats--equipped with 12 gates. That is where the Passion of the Cut Sleeve occurred.
Alas, it was ruined by war. During the Sui Dynasty, the city returned to its original location and was rebuilt. In 618, Li Yuan, the Duke of Tang, proclaimed himself as the new emperor and began the Tang Dynasty. The city expanded to eight-times its size... rivaling Constantinople and Baghdad, and outclassing any city in Europe.
It encompassed Buddhist monasteries, Taoist abbeys, walled gardens, pavilions, pagodas, taverns, merchant districts, bazaars residential districts, colleges, military academies, bathhouses, a post office, governmental offices, diplomatic mansions, courts, a coinage mint, a so-called "Inexhaustible Treasury", stables, an entertainment district, a drum tower, a bell tower, food gardens, medicinal gardens, orchards, large ponds, graveyards, ice pits for "refrigeration", breweries, and a special garden to provide food for the imperial household.
Seen in the image above, you can observe how Chang'an created the model of future imperial cities... and "cities within cities". As a precursor to the Forbidden City within its Imperial City, Chang'an has its imperial palace positioned immediately north of its Imperial City. The Japanese modeled their ancient capital of Kyoto on Chang'an, but smaller. The Korean monarchy styled its capital of Gyeongju on Chang'an, too.
It's most-famous resident was its monarch named Wu Zetian (Zhao)... otherwise known as Empress Wu. She lived from 624 until 705.
As a military tactician and governor, her father helped Li Yuan seize the throne and create the Tang Dynasty. Li Yuan became Emperor Gaozu of Tang. He died, and his son ascended the throne as Emperor Taizong and repaid Wu's father by honorably adding Wu as a fifth-rank concubine in his harem. Wu was 14-years-old.
Despite her youth, her intelligence was valued by the emperor who appointed her as his Private Secretary for 10 years. She gained expertise with official documents, ledgers, budgets, audits, provincial reports, state-level strategy, and diplomacy. She saw terrible corruption in the government, and she noticed that overtaxed citizens lost productivity and morale to fund the idiotic overspending of the authorities. Emperor Taizong died in Chang'an in 649, and his son, Li Zhi, became Emperor Gaozong. Usually, all of the women of a dead emperor were expected to retire as nuns and live at temples or abbeys. Wu was sent to Ganye Temple, where the envious abbot was cruel.
However, the new emperor was infatuated with his father's concubine—having seen her beauty and skill in the imperial court and royal household. He visited her regularly.
Meanwhile, the empress was childless, and she hated her husband's Noble Consort because that woman bore children. So, she enticed him to bring Wu to the palace as his second-rank concubine... hoping to distract him from the consort's affection. It worked. Wu returned triumphantly to the Imperial Palace, and she gave birth to four boys and a girl.
Consumed with jealousy, the empress and consort sought to have her expelled and killed. They tried to murder her twice.
After her own bloodshed (and killing her infant daughter to condemn the empress), Wu defeated them, compelled Gaozong to depose his empress, and married him as the new Empress of China. She commanded that both women be executed, and she banished their families and courtly supporters.
Her husband was dim-witted and unconcerned with politics, so he gladly told his wife to manage everything. Women were only supposed to supervise the harem, so nobody expected her to be successful doing "man's work". Proving them wrong, she adeptly managed everything, and she instituted improvements. Her sons—including the crown-prince—were inept and could not outshine her. It was thankless and heartbreaking when they tried to dethrone her and torture her for phony crimes.
Chauvinistic officials despised her and repeatedly tried to blame and frame her for heinous offenses—including sorcery and treason. (Centuries later, the Catholic Church and several popes did the same thing to smart women via Witch Hunts and Inquisitions). One by one, Wu removed the men who were obstacles, including her sons. In retaliation for lifelong cruelty, she exiled both of her half-brothers. She knew that she was smarter than the officials, and she had to tirelessly outwit their false accusations and their attempts to incarcerate her.
In 659, the weak emperor issued an imperial edict that Wu was the ruler of the empire, which continued for 23 years. Gaozong died in 683, and their second son ascended the throne as Emperor Zhongzong. Wu became the Empress Dowager, but she remained dutiful to oversee China's development. Discriminatory ministers bribed the young man to oust his mother, and he tried to revolt.
A year later, Wu replaced him with a less-treacherous son as the new Emperor Ruizong of Tang. He was disinterested in administrative work, so she continued the workload of running the nation, expanding trade, starting diplomatic negotiations with faraway lands, and vastly improving agriculture, infrastructure, governmental spending. Once again, she lessened taxation on the peasants. She saved lives within the army by avoiding wars, yet that upset war-profiteers.
In 690, she mightily made history by conferring herself with the title "Celestial Emperor". Doing so told the world that she ruled the vast Empire of China as a woman, and she named that era the Second Zhou Dynasty. She designated the city of Luoyang as the new capital, and her 15-year reign was amazing. Her capabilities propelled her as China's only female Emperor, and she led it through a decade of prosperity, peace, and growth. Indisputably, it is a Golden Age in China's history!
The sophistication of her government was greater than the Byzantine Empire, Persia, India, and anywhere in Europe. She reformed the civil service examinations, and she granted jobs in the bureaucracy to men and women from poor families. As a dynastic achievement, she expanded China into new territories and exuded cultural influence over Japan and Korea. She issued edicts that textbooks be published to teach farming to villagers. Her openness to deal with Jews, Arabs, and Northern Europeans enabled the Silk Road to blossom with mercantile traders and immense profitability. She applied some profits to building grand Buddhist temples, and she improved libraries. She was a poet and artist, so she promoted literature and artwork throughout her realm, which continued for centuries. She decreed for campaigns to uplift the status of women, and her scholars published tales of exemplary ones. Her daughter and daughter-in-law got involved in politics. The citizenry esteemed her as an incredibly popular ruler. After a long life (especially in that era), she died at age 81. Eschewing glory, she decreed that her tomb should be simple. It was. Her far-reaching successes kept China afloat for decades after her death.
Alas, chauvinism was deeply ingrained in China, so the next generation of authorities erased evidence of her heroics. With backwards mentalities, they detested her as scandalous and outrageous. Just as they did with Empress Cixi, they colluded to say that Wu's successes were only from her seductions (and witchcraft)... not from skill. Only now are people rediscovering her marvelous qualities. Annual agricultural festivals occur on her birthday. 1,300 years later, new television dramas depict her fascinating life: multiple achievements while overcoming adversities and adversaries.
Learning about her life encourages new generations around the globe.
*To see funny images of Lewis wearing his homemade replicas of ancient Chinese hats, please use this link:
Evidently, Xi'an was the setting for famous Chinese literature, tales, and legends that are still known around the world.
Regarding other impressive trivia, the sport of polo began in the early part of the Tang Dynasty in China's mountainous region where Xianbei horse riders devised the rules. (Their tribes also gave women more equality: freedom and status). It was elaborated in Chang'an's polo field (which was smaller than today's size). Empress Wu enjoyed cheering for her son, who was an expert player. The sport was shared with the Mughal Empire of India, and that's where the British Empire became enthralled with it and spread it around the world.
More impressive, the game of football (only America calls it soccer) originated from the Han Dynasty in 2 BC. It was named cuju, but it was further developed by the Tang Dynasty's athletes. It morphed into the current game.
Nowadays, despite the sexily muscled legs of Chinese players, their teams are ranked low in the World Cup championships.
*That's OK; their athletes do well in other sports and Olympics.
By 750, the city had nearly one million residents! Monica informed us how warlords attacked the city in 880, so it was abandoned by the Tang government and fell into disrepair for centuries. The Tang collapsed in 907.
Her driver wasn't talkative, but he was good-humored. During the hour-long drive to the mountainous region where the statues were discovered, we answered their questions about life in America and New York (both the state and city). We arrived at the sprawling ongoing archeological excavation site in the Lintong District. It is named the "Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor". Understandably, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The smell of wood fires from farmers' hearths mixed with the smell of those farmers burning corn stalks in their fields.
With exposure to the air, the paint quickly faded. The farmer tried to yank out some pieces, but he realized that the statues were life-size! And extremely heavy. So, he broke one apart and carted the pieces to the local museum. That is the pivotal point of virtue, because he could've sold them on the "black market"... but he preserved ancient history.
Officials knew that the area was the grandiose burial ground for China's most-famously paranoid emperor: Qin Shi Huang. He was the first Qin emperor. He notoriously unified China's warring states, united the Great Walls, expanded China, survived three assassination attempts, sought the elixir of everlasting life, and died in 210 BC at the age of 49. He spent 38 years building his mausoleum and necropolis. Alas, all traces of its planning/layout/statistics vanished. That's because the emperor mass-murdered everyone who was involved in creating his underground "kingdom". That mass death of craftsmen is why the immense talent of creating such statues and structures died and wasn't replicated by future generations. A lost art. (Perhaps, folks with such talents were too afraid to use them!)
For comparison of talent/skill, earlier versions of terra-cotta "people" are on display. Dating from before the famously-excavated statues, they are much smaller, only 3 feet high, and are less detailed. Instead of being painted, they wore fabric clothes (hence the missing arms, which were wood—that disintegrated—because it allowed flexibility in dressing the figures).
Meanwhile, the bronze chariot statue below consists of 3,000 pieces!
To surpass his predecessors, Emperor Qin Shi Huang ordered life-sized figures—representing 3 entire battalions of 8,000 soldiers, charioteers (130 chariots and 500 horses), officer corps, archers, calvary, ministers, servants, entertainers, concubines, and a menagerie of livestock (to provide faux food in the afterlife), and horses. Similar to the ancient Egyptians on the other side of the planet, the Chinese believed that whatever was depicted/included in the mausoleum would appear with them in the afterlife.
Officials knew that the area was the grandiose burial ground for China's most-famously paranoid emperor: Qin Shi Huang. He was the first Qin emperor. He notoriously unified China's warring states, united the Great Walls, expanded China, survived three assassination attempts, sought the elixir of everlasting life, and died in 210 BC at the age of 49. He spent 38 years building his mausoleum and necropolis. Alas, all traces of its planning/layout/statistics vanished. That's because the emperor mass-murdered everyone who was involved in creating his underground "kingdom". That mass death of craftsmen is why the immense talent of creating such statues and structures died and wasn't replicated by future generations. A lost art. (Perhaps, folks with such talents were too afraid to use them!)
For comparison of talent/skill, earlier versions of terra-cotta "people" are on display. Dating from before the famously-excavated statues, they are much smaller, only 3 feet high, and are less detailed. Instead of being painted, they wore fabric clothes (hence the missing arms, which were wood—that disintegrated—because it allowed flexibility in dressing the figures).
Meanwhile, the bronze chariot statue below consists of 3,000 pieces!
To surpass his predecessors, Emperor Qin Shi Huang ordered life-sized figures—representing 3 entire battalions of 8,000 soldiers, charioteers (130 chariots and 500 horses), officer corps, archers, calvary, ministers, servants, entertainers, concubines, and a menagerie of livestock (to provide faux food in the afterlife), and horses. Similar to the ancient Egyptians on the other side of the planet, the Chinese believed that whatever was depicted/included in the mausoleum would appear with them in the afterlife.
Now, it gets really interesting! Chinese authorities realize that the open air will destroy the statues' paint, so they're not digging out the rest of the statues until better methods can be developed for their protection. Thus, it's mostly warriors that are viewable. Why warriors, instead of archers? Because, that farmer happened to dig down right at the front of the army. Talk about "Fate guiding you"! Below, is the marker that indicates where the farmer arrived. Imagine his surprise to be facing such a group!
Each one is human-sized, so the scope of their presence is gargantuan. At the entrance, visitors can admire the clay figures up-close, to appreciate that.
Covering 20,000 square-meters, the warriors stand in ranks in battle formation, as if awaiting orders. They even have flank guards and a rear guard.
Monica explained that all of their missing weapons (which were REAL—probably to the dismay of generals who watched all that perfectly good weaponry get buried) were plundered by tomb-robbers. Looking at how tightly-packed the statues are, and imagining the wood-beamed roofs slightly above their heads, I can't imagine how thieves could've gotten between the statues (each statue weighs 300 pounds) to remove the weapons. It seems more likely that the weapons "vanished" after the ancient roofs were excavated in the modern era.
Apart from the apparent magnitude and majesty of their creation (like the film "March of the Wooden Soldiers"), the next thing you realize is that EACH STATUE IS DIFFERENT. They didn't come out of molds, like previous ones. Each figurine was hand-assembled, designed individually, and no two look alike (just like snowflakes). Lewis took a picture that shows how even the coattails differ between soldiers!
Apparently, the craftsmen weren't mass-producing them. The figures vary in uniform, hairstyle, mustache style, eye shape, size of eyes, earlobe shape, size of noses, lips, cheekbones, boot sizes, wrist sizes, fingernails, and body girths. Some have wrinkles. Some look post-pubecent.
After all of that work, they were meticulously painted: face, lips, armor, socks, trousers, neckerchiefs, et cetera (in pink, red, green, blue, black, brown, white and even lilac!)
Notice the square-toe shoes. They didn't look like that to provide stability to the statue; that is what ancient Chinese footwear looked like!
It is "accepted theory" that the craftsmen actually modeled each statue after a real person in the emperor's entourage! The emperor probably picked his most trusted/talented people and intended to "conquer the afterlife" with them. Then he killed all of them, ensuring a horrendous void in the real world of such talented souls. He sounds as ruthless/grandiose as the emperors who built the Great Wall and Forbidden City.
Reconstruction of the terra-cotta warriors has been underway since their discovery... piecing them back together like a jigsaw puzzle. Centuries ago, tomb robbers gained access to a small section of the buried warriors. In hate of the previous emperor, they smashed the terra-cotta warriors (perhaps in frustration at not finding the treasure-trove).
Reconstruction of the terra-cotta warriors has been underway since their discovery... piecing them back together like a jigsaw puzzle. Centuries ago, tomb robbers gained access to a small section of the buried warriors. In hate of the previous emperor, they smashed the terra-cotta warriors (perhaps in frustration at not finding the treasure-trove).
The treasure is supposed to lie with the emperor, beneath the huge hilltop that is central to all of the buried figurines. According to legend (published nearly 100 years after the emperor's demise), the tomb has a miniature model of the kingdom, with rivers of liquid mercury, and a celestial map of stars painted on the ceiling. China's government has not expressed intentions to unearth that tomb.
We watched a video that explained how modern-day master craftsmen took YEARS to replicate the amazing techniques used to make those beautiful clay figures. Those ancient craftsman didn't have modern tools, technology, or lighting. A specific mixture of ingredients is needed to create that type of pottery. The earthenware bodies must be assembled carefully. Heads are made separately, to allow the open necks to be steam vents for the bodies during baking. When fashioning animals, the craftsmen used the tail-ends as vents. In ancient times, the kilns used wood for fuel and were kept burning 24 hours a day, cooking each batch of terra-cotta for a week! After painting, the heavy but fragile figurines had to be transported and positioned into place, then armed with weapons.
Above, notice how even the bones of the hand are visible! Astounding! Detail were lavished on animals: goats have beards, chickens have nostrils, sheep have varying ears, and horses have teeth. Tap each image to make them larger.
Monica said that the Chinese government gave that farmer an income, home, car, and an honorary job at the site. His name was Yang Zhifa, and he was in one of the buildings, so we got to meet him! Tourists asked him to sign the books they bought at the gift shop. He is a modest celebrity.
After our awe-inspiring experience, we were driven to see Xi'an's historic ramparts. Built in 1370 by the Hongwu Emperor (founder of the Ming Dynasty), it is the most-intact ancient city wall in China. It still has its moat, which is serene.
Just like in olden times, certain access points close at 6PM. Seeing the expanse of the wall was impressive. As you can tell, walled cities were well-made by the ancient Chinese. For comparison, in 1420, the city walls of London extended a mere 3 miles. Nanjing's walls went 20 miles, holding 3,000 soldiers. Nowadays, Xi'an city walls offer architectural beauty.
Monica said that younger generations prefer to move outside the city wall for bigger/newer apartments. She also admitted that she lived in an older building that was still administered by the government. On a certain day in November, the government "turned on" the heat for all its residents. Most citizens do not have their own heat/air-conditioning. It is centrally provided. There is no way of adjusting the level of heat, so Monica explained that many citizens dress in varying layers or open windows to get the right temperature in their homes. Despite living in America's wealthiest city, Lewis and I suffer from that situation in our prewar building in NYC. Pricey apartments in thousands of prewar buildings do not have thermostats; heat is centrally activated by the superintendent using old furnaces that still belch black smoke. It looks like this...
Monica was shocked because that seemed like a third-world issue. We agreed.
Her driver dropped us off at the Garden Hotel, in the city's Yanta District.
We realized that our hotel didn't have air-conditioning at that time of the year... only varying degrees of heat. In fact, as we strolled the streets, Lewis was surprised that none of the stores sold cold beverages. The water, juice, and soda was sold at room-temperature. The refrigerator cases in the stores weren't turned on. Only dairy products were kept chilled. Speaking in Mandarin, store clerks explained to Lewis (as I stood impartially by and smiled sweetly) that local people don't want cold beverages during the chillier months.
On the flipside, the shopping malls are amazingly well-lit, with animated laser-light images on the roofs of passageways.
For dinner, we slurped 3 amazing bowls of home-made noodles (some spicy and some garlic/savory). Xi'an is known for its piquant-tasting dumplings, and I got to try open-ended ones stuffed with chicken and pork. While they oddly charged $0.40 for napkins (the waitress bowed and opened a fresh mini-box of them at our table), the food and polite service were great.
After dinner, we strolled around the Square, where 20 people danced in the night air.
People went for strolls, jogs along the quay, and calisthenics in groups. The hotel packed a boxed breakfast for us, because our departure time preceded their dining room hours. I respected how Monica met us at the hotel, just to escort us to the airport. She didn't ride with our driver; she made her own way to the hotel just to spend an hour with us. That effort is a true demonstration of hospitality, and we treasured it.
When Lewis handed a gratuity to her, Monica gestured her thanks by putting her palms together. The gesture originated with Buddhism for praying and gratitude, and since most Chinese are Buddhists, it gained everyday usage.
When Lewis handed a gratuity to her, Monica gestured her thanks by putting her palms together. The gesture originated with Buddhism for praying and gratitude, and since most Chinese are Buddhists, it gained everyday usage.
I think Monica is a truly a jolly person who gives great customer service. The van arrived, with our friendly driver (whom we also gave a gratuity to), and Monica escorted us to Xi'an Xianyang International Airport. She happily walked us from the bouquet-adorned check-in counter to the "shoes stay on" security checkpoint. She bowed a goodbye to us, and we hugged her.
Once again, it was delightful to use a clean, spiffy, modern, and easy-to-navigate airport that didn't only serve "airport food". Tidy eateries provided authentic recipes.
Our homeward transpacific flight was less turbulent, and we were thankful for the shorter Customs line in New York (this time for "Citizens").
It was finally my turn to give the taxi driver an address, spoken in English. Ha ha. (I felt guilty that Lewis did most of the talking for us during our trip). Alas, the cab was dirtier than the vehicles we saw in rural China.
Where I live, a local liquor store a grocery store take phone orders and offer free delivery (without a minimum purchase amount). So, I was able to conveniently multi-task before arriving home. Our first dinner back at home was served on the Narumi bone china that Shirlyn gifted us in Shanghai. She thought that the "sophisticated but fun" pattern befit us, and we love using them!
We have many memories and inspirations for future travels and adventures! We are already planning our next one.
