Terra Cotta Warriors
Pit 1One thing I didn't realize before, but that you can see is that the bodies were made separate from the heads. Notice the headless body in the bottom center of the photo. The hole you see in the center of the photo is from a modern well. Amazing that this farmer dug the well without discovering the warriors, but another farmer, while building a well, did.
The main reason most tourists visit Xi'an is to see the Terra Cotta Warriors. They're certainly a wonder. I feel like a broken record saying this, but the sheer breadth of them is awe-inspiring. The workmanship and creativity is remarkable. Each warrior is unique. Amazing detail was given to the various hairstyles, clothing and nationality distinction. One thing I didn't realize was that the warriors were housed and covered with dirt. Each row of houses are connected, and the roofs looks similar to those of the hutongs in Beijing. Within the houses, row after row of soldiers and horses and chariots (disintegrated over time) stand. It's remarkable. Archeological work still continues on the site. Many of the warriors fell over and were broken over time, as earth pressed down on them. Archeologist are piecing them together. (As you can see in the pictures just above this text.) Currently there are three pits, but there are certainly more to be discovered. It will be interesting to see what else is discovered in the future.
I don't understand why we weren't asked to be models.A huge complex of shops and restaurants has been built up around the terra cotta warriors. (The Chinese jump at any opportunity to make money.) But it seems the site couldn't support the infrastructure. Small stands and carts still line the wide walkways but most of the actual buildings are vacant. The above pictures demonstrates what we saw all over China. Gray buildings, with cracked facades, faded posters, dirty windows. They just look worn out. And yet, on the same site a huge new building is being built. Maintaining what they have seems to be secondary to building new. This is the side of China that seems scary and unsustainable. Building new buildings creates jobs, but it also strips the country of resources and scars the landscape. I couldn't get over how worn out the buildings looked all over China. And yet they didn't appear to be that old.
That being said, the new buildings are exquisite, our hotel, for example.
One of the advantages of visiting a developing country is that the prices for a five star hotel are equivalent to a mediocre hotel in the states. As a result our travel agent booked us five star hotels in Xi'an, Chengdu and Shanghai. (We booked our own hotels in Beijing and Lhasa, so no five star there.) Staying at the Sofitel in Xi'an was a cultural experience in and of itself. I have never been so waited on. There are people to take your luggage, walk you to the elevator, turn down your bed and close your curtains at night. Our hotel room was 1 1/2 bath! Which was particularly amusing as it's likely the HOUSE we buy in Seattle will only have one bathroom. The hotel staff gasped when we asked for directions to the Muslim quarter. What you're going to walk? Oh, I can get you a taxi, I can call a taxi right now!
The breakfast buffet was incredible with breakfast items from all over the world. We got a new pair of complimentary slippers each day, and there were both terry cloth and silk robes available. My hair has never felt so wonderful as after using the L'Occitane shampoo and conditioner. Our “living room” had a velvet settee and a Chinese urn adorned our bathroom. We thought we'd order out our laundry, until we realized our small bag would cost over $100. Sheesh. It seems that if you're staying at a five star hotel people assume you're flowing with money, and they do everything they can to be downstream of you.
We had stunning hotels like this in Chengdu and Shanghai. I've got to admit, I'm a big fan!
Pit 1
I don't understand why we weren't asked to be models.
