The Terra Cotta Army

When we first arrived in Xi'an (7am Tuesday morning) a few of the group and I headed out for a lovely, scenic bike ride around the city. This scenic bike ride just happened to be on the city wall of Xi'an! 14km's of smooth, then bumpy brick road that surrounds the original city site, and was just a sniff of what we might allow ourselves to imagine for the Great wall when we walk some of that in a few days time. I quite like Xi'an, its still big and busy and crowded, but it has heart - and Starbucks, so I've had a decent-ish coffee.

I've also discovered that Xi'an is a great spot for shopping. I'm a little worried that when I get home my room will look like a well travelled and/or cultured teenagers room, as I can't help but buy some of the awesome scroll paintings they have here. They are so beautiful, but I have now banned myself from entering any more establishments selling anything that I can put on a wall.

The night life is not bad here either! Last night a small, but dedicated group of us headed out to a bar called 1+1. This place was the most unlikely find in China - and by that I mean it would be quite a swish place in Melbourne or Sydney! There were 5 levels of discos, lounges, VIP seating, karaoke, bars and dance floors, all surrounding a beautiful waterway that wound its way around the ground floor. OK, so maybe the water way would not be in Melbourne or Sydney, as there would be 20+ bodies flailing around in it by 9pm... But it was really cool, but our dedication soon waned when we discovered the pricing of a small beverage was also of Sydney standards - which is just not done in China, where 630ml beers can be had for a mere Y3 or 50cents.

Xi'an is also home to the Terracotta Army. I find it absolutely astounding that there was a HUGE pile of lifesize clay figures in the ground that was not discovered until a farmer and his mates decided to dig a well in 1974. That no-one knew about the story of Emperor Qin's massive undertaking to build an army to protect his soul in the afterlife is pretty odd, as it took about 11 years for the tomb and army to be completed. Even when the surrounding villagers revolted after his death, plundering the buried army, stories still did not flow on through time, so that when the site was eventually discovered, it was a complete surprise.

This Emperor Qin sounds a little egotistical if you ask me, but he was responsible for the first unification of China during his rule between 246-210B.C. and subsequently became the first Emperor of China and then ordered conscript labour for the building of the Great Wall of China as defence against nomad invaders. It was quite amazing to see these stoic clay figures, all with individual personality and ranking. More than 7,000 soldiers, horses, chariots and weapons were buried , standing in battle formation with Emperor Qin when he died suddenly in 210B.C. so that his military mastery could not be copied. In typical style, you can't get all that close, the site is still an active archaeological site, there are annoying barriers in the way of many of the photos you want, but I thought it was a really awesome thing to see, and highly recommend if when you're next in Xi'an.