China Day 10 -- Xian

We made it to Day 10! No one has died as yet, no one was arrested, and no one joined the rebel forces against the Chinese government. Four thousand pictures taken at this point, 3,527,958 Tsingtaos consumed, and five paper fans purchased. Two of my 10 fake Rolexes have broken, I see that I have packed too much, and Tums have become prized real estate.

But, so far, so good, and we are still hanging in there, eating Chinese food, getting on and off the bus, buying water, learning to deal with the vendors. In case you're wondering just where we are, I found a "you-are-here" sign. By the way, this cool lighted globe cost $2,400, just to tell you that you are in China.


Remember Guilin and the comment about the Twenty Yuan note? I found one and here is the picture. Yes, it would have been better to have shown this with my Guilin/Li River posting, but this site is a low-rent, bottom-drawer operation. Anyway, check out the Li River on the cash.

OK, at this point, we have a big day: we are going to a temple, the lacquer factory, and then on to see the incredible Terra Cotta Army. (I mentioned that yesterday, in Day 9 we toured the lacquer factory, but I was wrong; it is today.)

On to the temple. Buddhism is the main religion in China. The Buddha was born Siddhartha Gautama, a prince of the Sakya tribe of Nepal, in approximately 566 BC.



Here we are at the Happy (or Laughing) Buddha. He is based on an eccentric Chinese monk who lived in the time of the Liang Dynasty. His image graces many temples, restaurants, and amulets. Rubbing his belly is said to bring good luck, although I think that this is a myth. I rubbed his belly and found that my belly grew by the end of the trip. Is it any wonder that the Happy Buddha is the Deity of contentment and abundance.

OK, off to the lacquer factory where they make exotic furniture with wood inlays. Very beautiful stuff. Very intricate inlays and bright colors.



After five waters and three Tsingtaos, it's time to hit the twall-ay, the WC, the pee parlor, the House of Wang, the wash/rest/bath room. Consistent with the rest of the joint, even the urinals are fancy.



Back to the lacquer factory, we walk around the furniture which was just awesome.



Everything was beautiful.



I should mention that Giant Pandas are everywhere in China; every store, every factory, every painting, coffee mug, tee-shirt, Olympic items, poster, print, and, postcard. The Chinese are very proud of their Pandas.



Time for a special lunch and then head over to the Terra Cotta Warriors. This is a much-touted dumpling lunch that I thought was fabulous.



On the bus ride to the warriors, we see some great stuff. Dad's back and Mom's chest make for decent protection.



Need insurance? Remember Du-Bang, the good hands people. Their slogan was "Like a good neighbor, DuBang is there." Wreck your sampan? Motorbike trouble? Rice paddies not producing? Call Du-Bang for the best in boat, auto, and farming coverage!



And now, it's time to see the Terra Cotta warriors: This shot is the classic one and taken by 7,546,295 people before us. Lots to say about the Terrcotta Army and a good source of info is here. Basically, you have about 8,000 clay soldiers, craftsmen, artists, potters, and servants buried with the Emperor, along with thousands of animals. All are intended to be available in the afterlife. Discovered in the 1970's these artifacts remained buried for 2,200 years!

Every one of the figures are different and represent every walk of life. Note the soldiers in the back since they are wearing the leather "body armor".



The museum is huge and consists of several pits where the excavations took place. Here's the body armor again indicating that these guys are soldiers.



Very interesting place and considered one of the most important archaeological discovery in modern history. Just think, if some old farmer had not been digging a well, this find may have been left undiscovered for another 2,000 years.

Taking this shot, I was telling Mellissa, "Jump into the pit! Roll around in the dust and then stand like you're holding a spear! It'll be funny. I'll get your picture! It'll be cool. Hurry, before the guard comes!"
She refused. Go figure. Women.

Heading out, thank God we had good directions on what to do.

So long Xian (for today, anyway) since tomorrow we travel to Beijing. Bei (Northern) and Jing (Capital) is huge, but I hear that we get to see the Giant Pandas at the Beijing Zoo. Looking forward to that.

I see this young girl as we leave. She sees me too, but tries hard to not look directly at me as I shoot the photo. Even as the flash fires, she stays still, pretending to not notice. Perfect.