Xi'an

Xi'an

We awoke at our normal 6am and got ready for another day of exploration. After our hotel Breakfast we headed to our first stop the Big Wild Goose Pagoda.

The Wild Goose Pagoda also called Da Ci'en Pagoda which stands in the Da Ci'en Temple was built during the Tang Dynasty in 652 AD.  its use was to preserve a collection of Buddhist sutras (books), figurines and relics, brought to China from India by the monk Master Xuanzang along silk roads.

Our next stop was a government jade factory with attached restaurant...convenient.  We ate lunch at the restaurant then toured the factory, The pieces in here were absolutely beautiful.  Walking through we were shown the different types of Jade and how it is transformed into jewelry, vases, carvings etc. some of the piece were tens of thousands of dollars. After some time to shop we headed back to the bus for our next stop.

This is one I was really looking forward to.  I have seen them on TV countless times and always way in awe, the terra cotta Soldiers.   We arrived at the Terra Cotta Museum which is actual a very large archeological site. There are three sites which have been partly excavated. The first is the largest and most excavated at this time. The terra cotta soldier site is the tomb of Emperor QinShihuang which he had built for himself. The tomb was never mentioned in historical records until farmers digging for a well uncovered a terra cotta head in 1974.  At the end of the tour I was able to get a book on the soldiers and one of the two remaining living farmers which found the site signed it for me.

The Terra Cotta Soldiers are considered to be the Eighth Wonder of the World.  It is assumed that there are over 6000 soldiers and horses are buried within the tomb, each uniquely different. It became encased when invaders came across the tomb and set the ceiling beams on fire.  This along with time caused a large collapse caving in the tomb entrances until they were uncovered in 1974.

Our next stop was the Xi'an City Wall, one of the best preserved city walls in China. The wall is rectangular with a circumference of 9 miles. The outside of the wall is surrounded by a moat and the wall originally had 4 entrances, north, south, east, and west.  Now there are several entrances that run through it for traffic purposes. Atop the wall you can walk completely around, there are also rental bikes if you wishes to bike ride atop the city wall and admire the great views.

We then went back to the hotel to refreshen a bit and headed out for dinner which was at the Tang Dynasty Dinner Theatre.    This was a beautiful show. The costume flowed and had amazing beading and colors. I really enjoy the dancing and singing.  Dinner was good too. Exhausted we headed back to the hotel for some rest before we fly back to Hong Kong and ship tomorrow.

Xi'an has some great historical sites to see.  Unfortunately, it also has severe smog issues which limit the beauty, or at least seeing the beauty of this area.