Once Were Warriors

My next stop was Xi’an: once the terminus of the Silk Road. I took another sleeper train to get there and again I slept right through, although I guess it wasn't a quality sleep as I still felt exhausted when I got to my hostel at 7am and had to have a little “rest”...

That afternoon I went out to explore the local area, particularly the colourful and vibrant Muslim quarter, which was only 10 minutes from my hostel (I'd reverted back to hostels by this point as they have more English-speaking staff and much better local information!). These narrow lanes have been home to the city's Hui community (Chinese Muslims) for centuries. 

The centre of it all was a lively Islamic food market, where all sorts of sizzling and steaming street food was on offer. I even tried some sort of fried meat in fried bread thing, which was pretty tasty, even if the grease did dribble down my arm!

Prunes, Dates and Walnuts were particularly popular

Sizzling Skewers

Miscellaneous Steaming Stuff

Delicious Breads

I’d come to Xi’an especially to see the Terracotta Warriors: one of the most famous archaeological sites in the world. In 1974 local farmers were digging for a well and uncovered an underground vault that eventually yielded thousands of life-sized terracotta soldiers and horses, in battle formation, guarding the tomb of China's first emperor Qin Shi Huang (who also built and unified various parts of the Great Wall). It is thought that he expected his rule to continue in death as it had in life, so not only did he need his army to protect him, but the vault also contained officials, acrobats, strongmen and magicians! In fact an entire necropolis was discovered around the tomb mound, consisting of offices, halls, stables and more.

The tour began with a visit to a factory (=large shop) where they pump out thousands of models to be sold to eager tourists. You could even buy a life-sized version (I refrained).

Then it was on to the site proper, where we started with the most impressive area: Pit 1. This was housed in a building the size of an aircraft hangar and contained around 6000 warriors and horses: 3 rows of archers (kneeling and standing) followed by tens of rows of infantry (who originally held real weapons) and 35 chariots. Pit 2 contained a further 1300 warriors and horses and Pit 3 contained 72 (thought to be the command centre, due to the number of high-ranking officers found there). No two soldiers are the same: their expressions, hairstyles and even the tread on their footwear are unique.

Pit 1

Warriors and horses

No two are the same!

Pit 3: the command centre

A kneeling archer, for close-up inspection

I didn't know that much about the Warriors before arriving, but learned a lot and found it all quite fascinating. It was incredible to think of the lengths Qin went to and to wonder what else lies buried in the surrounding countryside. Many of the pits are yet to be excavated, as they are waiting for technological advances which will allow the figures to be better preserved (many of them still had their original paint but it quickly flaked off when exposed to the air).

After a nice lunch we visited the site of the Emperor's tomb, but since it has not yet been excavated, it was really just parkland. Still, it was nice for a stroll! 

Again, there were lots of really nice people on this tour - in particular a lovely (and incidentally quite handsome) Portuguese guy called Bruno. We got on well and ended up hanging out together throughout the day and then meeting up again later that evening. After a nice dinner we took a walk along the atmospheric Muslim snack street and finally, having failed to find any bars, went for a late-night coffee!

The next day we met up again to explore some of the city's other sights including the Drum and Bell Towers (historically the bell was rung at dawn and the drum at nightfall) and the Big Goose Pagoda (a Buddhist temple). We also employed a bit of teamwork to figure out the local buses and finally enjoyed a delicious dumpling lunch! It was a really nice day. 

The Bell Tower

The Drum Tower (through the smog!)

Drums!

Bruno at the Big Goose Pagoda

That evening it was time for my final sleeper train experience: Xi'an to Chengdu. At 15 hours it was the longest journey yet and unfortunately I was squashed onto the top bunk again and had my worst night's sleep yet!