Wonderful Xi'an

It was another incredible, jam-packed day, but what wonderful things we experienced. Anyone who visits China MUST see Xi'an!

Our first stop was the Terra Cotta Warriors, often regarded as the 8th Wonder of the World. It consists of three pits displaying the amazing reconstructed warriors. As mentioned yesterday, China's first emperor, Qin Shi Huang, ordered the construction of an army of 8,000 life-sized terra cotta warriors to protect him in the afterlife. The attention to detail on each statue is just
mind-boggling. From the lines on the palms of hands, to facial expressions, to lines on the bottoms of shoes, each statue was life-like. We saw a short film about the Warriors' history before seeing the exhibits, and learned that invaders had crushed many of the statues and set them on fire. They survived. The statues originally were colored, but exposure to oxygen wiped away the paint. About 2,000 pieces have been restored. They were generals and soldiers of all kinds, and many had openings in their hands for weapons. Horses and chariots also were recovered in the pits.

We were very fortunate that the farmer digging the well who discovered the warriors was on hand to autograph the books we bought. One of the pits is currently closed for renovation, but several of its objects were moved to another hall.

We had an exotic experience at lunch today, tasting tiny glasses of very potent pomegranate and also snake wine (I passed on the latter, which was housed in a jar with a deceased snake). The restaurant was part of the museum.

We then journeyed to the East City Gate and had a wonderful Feng Shui lesson. Most of us broke down and bought statues for good fortune, family, luck and love. These statues are created by Feng Shui masters and benefit the Gate. We then had a lot of fun bicycling along the wall for an hour. The wall is quite wide in some - about two city lanes of traffic. The road, however, consists of bricks and is quite bumpy in some parts. So it was quite the wild ride. I then had the very humorous experience of a Chinese man requesting to have his photo taken with me. Must have been the highlights that gave me away as a Westerner.

Then, we were off to a massage parlor for some pampering. Two of us found it quite painful, while the other two really enjoyed it. And then we were off to dinner and a show at the Shaanxi Grand Opera House. Dinner consisted of 19 dumplings. I had vegetarian while the rest had many different kinds of meats and fish, with many shaped into fun designs including ducks, monkey faces and baskets. The entertainment featured a most beautiful display of dancing, music and singing, with gorgeous costumes and backdrops. The Masked Warriors, Spring Outing, the Quarrel between Ducks (with a man doing the most wonderful duck impressions), the Great Tang Rites and Music, and the Feather Dress Dance were among the performances.

We have a very long day tomorrow, needing to be checked out of our rooms by 8 a.m. We will visit another museum and the Wide Goose Pagoda, then take a 5-hour train ride at 3:30 p.m. Our next destination, Luoyang, will feature an intense stretch of volunteering, with several days spent at an orphanage.

The hotel here, the Bell Tower of Xian, is very modern and located in the heart of shopping and many street vendors. Very long kites, consisting of mini kites that seem to stretch for miles, are a common sight. Karen and I visited the Starbucks across the street tonight, and were very happy to have cappucino, a latte and delicious but very different desserts. Her dark chocolate eclair did not taste like the kind at home, and I had a green tea coconut treat. BTW, McDonald's and especially KFC seem to be everywhere in China.

Yao Ming is on many billboards in both Beijing and Xi'an, and some of the clothing stores here have live models in their windows. And Olympic fever is everywhere; Beijing hosts the summer games in 2008.

I don't think I've mentioned that Children's Hope International (CHI) has been fantastic about providing us guides and transportation throughout our visits. We also had the great coincidence of traveling on a tour bus Saturday with a family who is here to adopt their second Chinese daughter through CHI. The family lives in Vernon Hills, IL, and adopted Hannah in 2006.
She is a beautiful, energetic and extremely happy 4-year-old, and getting an older sister.

And finally, I know a lot of you were wondering if I'd have any issues with the treatment of dogs here. Every dog I have seen looks very well fed, even the strays. Beijing had many dogs being walked, and I also saw a lot of pet supply stores for them there, too. I have seen a few stray cats, but they also look to be in decent shape. So far, so good.

I hope the internet connection is good in Luoyang, but we'll have to see. Hope to write tomorrow night. Take care.

Chris