The China Diary: Day 5, Xi'an
The Terracotta Army
No trip to Xi'an, the Ancient Capitol of China, would be complete without seeing the Terracotta Warriors.
At the foot of Lishan Mountain is the mausoleum of the first emperor of China, Emperor Qinshihuang. Buried near his tomb are thousands of statues of soldiers made from terracotta clay.
Discovered by a common farmer in the outskirts of Xi'an, this amazing wonder is breathtaking.
From a distance, all the soldiers look to be the same. But with careful examination, you can see that every single soldier is different. There are different facial expressions, physical stances, etc. They were made as replicas of real soldiers from the Qin Dynasty.
The crowds and the tourism make it a little unpleasant during the heat of the summer months, but it is something you Have to see.
This particular soldier is the only one that has been excavated in one piece and is still fully intact. Also, it is one of the only pieces on display that still shows remnants of the original paint color. You can see remnants of the red paint on the back of his armor at the tail. Most of the other soldiers lost their original coloration due to oxidation upon excavation.
Every year they uncover more and more soldiers, excavate more of the land and discover more buried treasures.
If you're ever in Xi'an. You HAVE to see this amazing wonder of the world. It will take your breath away!
Big Wild Goose Pagoda
Originally built during the Tang Dynasty this large Pagoda is another site to see in Xi'an as it's tall structure and beautiful gardens are hard to miss.
There's an ancient legend behind this Buddhist Pagoda. Back then, there were two types of Buddhists, ones who ate meat, and ones who didn't. One day, a group of Buddhists had trouble finding any meat to buy. One of the Buddhists looked up and saw a flock of geese flying above. He prayed that they would soon have meat to eat. And right then, at that moment, the goose that was leading the pack, it's wings broke and it came crashing down in front of them. The Buddhists were startled! They then saw that as a sign from God that they should be more pious. They then vowed to stop eating meat and built and named a pagoda in memory of the goose.
The Real Muslim Street versus the Tourist Muslim Quarter
The Real Muslim Street is tucked away and hidden inside the walls of Xi'an. It's a great place to venture to see the Muslim influence on the Chinese people and their culture. It is a street market with restaurants lining the street, and some beautiful mosques. For the food, I wouldn't recommend eating anything off the street, you don't know how long it's been sitting there or whether it's cooked fully. Either way, just be careful.
The Muslim Quarter is more of a tourist shopping trap. There are two sections to it, the food street, and tucked away in the alleys are the tourist shopping streets. The food street has treats from kabobs and fresh made taffy, to dumplings.
The shopping street is a little dark alley with tons of different vendors with all the souvenirs you could think of. From the ancient art of puppets, to fidget spinners, keychains, jewelry, ties, purses and more. It is definitely worth a trip to try and haggle to get some great souvenirs or gifts.