Day 4 in China: Xi 'an

On Day 4 of our trip, we flew to Xi'an.  We would have less than 24 hours there so we made the most out of our time.  We left the hotel in Beijing at 4:30am so we could catch our 6:45 flight.

 We were to the Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum/Terra Cotta Warriors by 10:30am

 The Terracotta Army or the "Terracotta Warriors and Horses" is a collection of terracotta sculptures depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China. It is a form of funerary art buried with the emperor in 210–209 BCE and whose purpose was to protect the emperor in his afterlife.

The figures, dating from approximately the late third century BCE, were discovered in 1974 by local farmers in Lintong District, Xi'an, Shaanxi province. The figures vary in height according to their roles, with the tallest being the generals. The figures include warriors, chariots and horses. Estimates from 2007 were that the three pits containing the Terracotta Army held more than 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses and 150 cavalry horses, the majority of which remained buried in the pits nearby Qin Shi Huang's mausoleum. Other terracotta non-military figures were found in other pits, including officials, acrobats, strongmen and musicians.

Reading about the terra cotta warriors is neat, but to see them in person was really impressive.  The amount of detail each statue has is amazing.  The amount of time and effort this excavation process takes is unbelievable.  

 The "Warrior Hospital" where they show a few works in progress

 A life size puzzle

 Knealing archer:  

A statue of a knealing archer is the only example of one they found fully intact.

 "General"

 Next up was an hour drive back into the city, and a visit to the Da Yan Pagoda(Giant Wild Goose Pagoda)

 Some of us didn't wake up from our naps in the car!

 Calligraphy lesson

 Old and new characters for Woman and Man

 Writing their names

A quick refuel at Haggen Daz...Whit continued to sleep and then we were off to our last stop.

 Xi'an City Wall Scenic Area:  It is a defense system built to protect the city with only 4 gate areas.  Today, more entrances and exits have been put in so traffic can pass.

 We got there about 5:30, so the sun was starting to go down.

  A few relay races.......

 One last Kung Fu pic!

 Our flight wasn't until 12:15am, so we went to the airport and had dinner.  Then, we checked into the hotel for 2 hours.  Justin had a conference call and the rest of us napped/relaxed.

It was a great day of sight seeing, but an early morning flight and midnight flight made for a very long day!!!

We got back to KL this morning about 6:30am.  We packed a lot into just a few days in China, but I am so glad we got to see all the sights we did.

Life is Good with Chinese Adventures!!