10/13/07-Xi'an (Terracotta Warriors, Wild Goose Pagoda)

After breakfast, the morning was devoted to viewing the world famous Army of Terracotta warriors, horses, and chariots that were buried with the first Chinese Emperor, Qin Shihuang. There are three buildings, the first one is about 2 football fields long and 1 football field wide. It is the original site where the figures were discovered in 1974 by a farmer as he was digging a well. The building contains thousands of figures (warriors, horses, and chariots) made of terracotta clay. They were prepared by hundreds of artisans to protect the tomb of the emperor after his death and each one is unique. Unfortunately, many years after his death, the region was invaded by neighboring armies and most of the statues were damaged and the tomb covered with dirt. Extensive restoration has gone on to revive their original shape. Needless to say, the extensiveness of this room is awesome. Another building houses a 360 degree theater which shows a 30 minute film depicting the emperor, his times, the creation of the statues, and the eventual destruction of the site. It's very well done and worth the time. The last building shows unique individual figures that were found such as officers, entertainers, etc. It's also very interesting and also worth the effort to see. This whole venue was one of the a highlights of our tour. For pictures, click Terracotta Warriors.

After lunch (great as usual) we returned to the hotel for a short break. Then, it was off to dinner theater to see a traditional Tang Dynasty Music and Dance Show show at 5:30 PM. The performers were very talented, playing various flutes, drums, etc., and young women also danced in costumes worn hundreds of years ago. It was very pleasurable. For pictures, see the bottom of Tang Dynasty Show.

The dinner was mainly dumplings of every shape and filling imaginable. Delicious. We returned to the hotel and took a short walk to an adjacent shopping street, returning early to get ready for the next day.