Xian and the Terracotta Warriors

 

Xian is one of the oldest cities in China and is the oldest of four great ancient capitals of China.

With a population of 8.5 million people this city is most commonly known for the Terracotta Warriors but as our G Adventures tour was allowing us 2 full days in the city I was excited to see what else Xian had to offer.

The overnight sleeper train from Beijing took around 12 hours and I had a restless nights sleep. I perhaps caught about 5 hours on and off. Thank goodness for earplugs and eye masks.

Arriving into Xian's central station at around 9.30am we then caught a mini bus to our hotel which was fairly basic. However after a post sleeper train shower we discovered the drainage system was not the greatest and our bathroom soon flooded and we were soon joined by lots of stagnant water and creepy crawlies that had come up through the plumbing. 

Thankfully our lovely tour guide Leah helped my roommate Isabelle and I to switch rooms. This time to one with semi decent plumbing.

Leaving the hotel at around 11am  we went for an orientation walk around the city. We firstly arrived at the Drum and Bell Tower which sits side by side in central Xian and were built during the Ming Dynasty. The Drum tower contains, yeah you guessed it a drum which was apparently beaten at dawn and sunset to indicate to the local people that the day had begun/was over.

From here we walked to the Muslim Quarter which was a chaotic hubbub of food stalls and souvenir vendors. It reminded me of being back in India. The smells and noises were intense and the whole street made me feel a little claustrophobic. There was just too many things being deep fried and skewered on a stick,  however it was an interesting insight into everyday life for the people of Xian.

After lunch we had the chance to hire bikes and cycle 14km around the city walls. The city wall in Xian is surrounded by a moat and contains the old city in a large square area.

Setting off on two wheels I got talking to one of the late arrivals on our tour, James. After regaling the story of his lack of Chinese Visa for the next two hours we talked and talked and talked. It became clear that we had a huge amount in common and even took the exact same Peru trip last year and had the same tour guide. James was soon to become my best friend on this trip and the person I shared my best China memories with. I never got bored of being in his company and laughing about old 'FRIENDS' quotes. 

I love it when life brings a new person into your world.

Xian was very grey and cloudy during our stay so the visibility was quite poor from up on the wall but the bike ride was lots of fun. The red Chinese lanterns along the wall certainly brightened up an otherwise grey view.

That night we ate a traditional Dumpling banquet. From boiled, steamed to fried there seemed to be an endless rotation of more and more dumplings arriving every few minutes. Some were even shaped into little ducks.

The next day we were woken up at 6.30am by music coming from the streets. The tune was loud and felt almost ceremonial, as if we should wake up and welcome some important figure to the city. It felt very communist. After 15 minutes of the same tune it finally stopped and we later found out that the music is a call for local people to exercise. I think if I heard that every morning from my home I would be one grumpy person in a morning.

After checking out of our hotel it took 90 minutes by bus to the site of the Terracotta Warriors. The site was first discovered by farmers in 1974 and turned into a museum five years later in 1979. By 11am it was already starting to get busy with bus loads of tourists so we set off straight away into Pit One. Walking through the doors you feel like you have stepped into an airport hanger. The site is 230m by 62m in size.

Pit One is the largest of the sites and holds around 6000 warriors and 50 chariots.The warriors were built holding weapons made of bronze and wood which didn't stand the test of time. So now the army look like Lego men holding empty weapons.



The warriors were built for Emperor Qin to be protected in the afterlife and is such an incredible site to take in when you appreciate that these were all constructed in 221 BC and that every single warrior is different in some shape or form. Whether it be the way their hair is tied, or their face or their body armour. Simply amazing and this place was a definite China highlight for me.

Pit Two and Three are slightly smaller in size and excavation work is still on going. The detail on the horses in Pit Three are just amazing. We learned though that Pit Four was never fully completed as the rebellion started and the site then lay undiscovered until nearly 2000 years later.

After the site we had lunch at a local restaurant before heading back into Central Xian for our second overnight train.

At the station we were able to load up on supplies for the long train to Shanghai and I bought a few cans of beer and some snacks. 

Now trying to be a smart arse and save about 10p I bought some silver cans of beer not being able to read what the writing on the cans said and thought 'hey these will do'. Silly old me bought rice beer and whilst still alcoholic it was probably the worst beer I have ever had in my life. It tasted like sick but thanks to my lovely new friends they are kindly shared their normal beer and we settled into a night of card playing, tales of drunkenness and lots of laughs.

Spot the cans of sick beer :(

Thursday night on a sleeper train to Shanghai is definitely a party train and the atmosphere was so much fun. 

If I thought I had a rubbish nights sleep on the way to Xian though, then that was nothing compared to the sleep I had on this train. The driver kept pulling the trains horn all throughout the night. Even the ear plugs failed to block out the noise. However I was soon to be in Shanghai and nothing was going to rain on that parade. Not even having 3 hours sleep. 

Thanks for reading, back soon.

Nic x