Part 6 of our June 2009 trip to China with the Speizmans.
Saturday, June 13 – Xian
The highlight and main purpose for visiting Xian was to see the Terracotta Army of Emperor Qin Shi Huang. I remembered being amazed by our first visit in 1988. I was eager to show Allie and the Speizmans and see what progress had been made on the excavations. We got a car and driver to take us to the tomb site nearly an hour northwest of the city.
One way or another, we could not avoid first stopping at a sort of visitor center but really mainly a gift shop that gave us an opportunity for cheesy photos and souvenir shopping. There were interesting bonus demonstrations on how the terra cotta army was constructed and a carpet loom.
The complex of buildings around the tomb were greatly expanded since we last visited in 1988. There was almost a Disneyland feel to the plaza but at least it was not completely overrun with tourist trap stalls. We went into Pit One, the main excavation site. The huge Quonset hut structure was much larger and more permanent than before. While I’m sure there were many more soldiers unearthed, I was struck by how many more were still obviously there to be unearthed and reconstructed. It was still a solemn and awe-inspiring sight but somehow not quite as overwhelming as the first time.
The most remarkable aspect of the whole site is that Pit One is just one small part of the overall tomb complex. There is much more for future generations to unearth and marvel at. As in 1988, I admired the self-restraint of China’s archaeologists and even the tourist bureau in not trying to plunder it all as soon as possible. Of course, the potential rivers of toxic mercury within the main tomb may have something to do with that restraint.
Later in the day we made a stop at the Shaanxi History Museum which had helpful explanations of Qin Shi Huang’s life, the construction of the tomb, and some of the finer pieces extracted. I was surprised the see the rendering of the sculptures in full color. They must have been quite a sight.
After a full day touristing we returned to our hotel. Allie, Sydney and Barb opted for another early night at the hotel but Rick, Faith and I ventured into the Muslim Quarter to seek out soup dumplings and a variety of interesting but not overly adventurous Central Asian delicacies. I remember the dumplings and various lamb dishes at one of the highly touted restaurants. We spent a long while wandering the crowded night market but did not brave much, if any, of the street food. I was struck again by the vibrant, capitalistic atmosphere much more reminiscent of Hong Kong than of the China we visited in the 1980s.
I remember we wandered through the Muslim Quarter a little too far for comfort, leaving the bustling area and getting into some rather dark and ominous streets. Our anxiety levels ticked up a bit until we were able to find a more trafficked area and a taxi to get back to our hotel.
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