(Heather)
After our guide, Alicia, picked us up at the hotel in the morning, we first went to a local pottery factory that makes replicas of the warriors. We had a wonderful guide at the factory, who explained a great deal about the warriors, going into intensive detail about everything from the clay that’s used—terracotta, if you haven’t guessed!—to the firing process in the kiln. While the original warriors were carved by hand, replicas are, of course, made using molds and modern processes. The guide at the factory also took a great deal of time to explain the meaning of each detail on each warrior. For instance, the number of loops and bows on a general’s coat signifies his rank—some might even say the concept of a five star general was borrowed from the ancient Chinese people (our guide joked about Eisenhower). Likewise, the hairstyle of each warrior indicates rank & age—younger warriors are without facial hair; older warriors and higher ranking officials have mustaches and beards. Even small details are significant, such as the fact that the bun hairstyle of archer warriors is on the right side, so as not to interfere with arrows being pulled out of a quiver by the left hand and strung on a bow held by the right. The emperors found among the warriors, of course, are quite large and imposing, and wear robes inscribed with dragon patterns.
Thusly well-informed, we set off to see the actual site of the warriors (after some not-so- subtle pushing to buy all the things in what is the largest souvenir shop in Xi’an). Alicia led us through the maze like entrance, and into the first of three pits where the warriors are housed. The pits almost resemble airplane hangars—all used to be fields, and it was, in fact, a local farmer digging a well who discovered one of the greatest ancient treasures the world is privy to. The first pit is the largest, and has the most warriors—rows and rows stand in rank and file, guarding the tomb of Emperor Qinshihuang and helping usher him into the afterlife. Though grouped by rank and position—archers, infantry, cavalry, etc—each warrior is unique, and thought to be based on an actual person of the time. When originally found, the warriors were painted in vibrant reds, blues, greens, and yellows, but oxidation and exposure to light has unfortunately caused all but small remnants of the reds to disappear. Indeed, concerns about protecting and preserving the original paint have led to many warriors remaining buried, and large swaths of land in the area remaining unexcavated and/or inaccessible by the public.
The second and third pits are smaller, but equally interesting—one has a “meeting” space of sorts, where diplomatic warriors are housed, and one is largely covered, but very much shows the scope and breadth of the buried warriors. In two of the pits there are also terracotta horses that led chariots; the chariots were made of wood and thus have long since rotted away. (The horses were a favorite of my aunt’s when she visited the site several years ago). What is perhaps most miraculous is that the local farmer chose to dig in just the right spot all those years ago—a few miles to the right or left and we might still be unaware of the warriors’ presence. (Actually, the excavated sites reveal that there were tombs dug *just* in-between different columns of warriors—talk about cutting things close!)
After our visit to the warriors, we spent a few free hours back at the hotel, and then it was off to a traditional dumpling dinner. February 14th is the last day of the Chinese spring festival (and yes, it’s Valentine’s Day as well for all of you back home), and it’s traditional to eat dumplings—particularly sweet ones—on this night. We spent over an hour in the dumpling restaurant, where the tiny, juicy, luscious pockets of goodness just kept coming.
Saturday morning we packed up, said our goodbyes to Alicia, who was the most kind and wonderful guide, and flew (bumpily!) to Huangshan, which, in Chinese, translates to Yellow Mountain. We met our new guide Phillip at the airport, and he helped us find our hotel and then gave us time to wander in the old town area of the city. Huangshan is famous for its tea, which piqued the interest of Caitlin and me, and thus Phillip led the two us to a very traditional tea store, where we experienced the most fascinating tasting experience (the boys, alas, were off doing who-knows-what!). I felt quite important sitting in a beautifully decorated room tasting tea, especially considering that this was the store that Hu Jintao took Putin to for a tasting when the Russian leader visited China several years ago.
Watching the employee prepare the tea and porcelain for tasting was an experience in itself—it was like she was conducting a symphony with the graceful movements of her hands as she washed out cups, swirled heated water, and measured out precise and careful amounts of green, lychee, oolong, and jasmine tea. Yes, Erin Newton & Gretchen Donohue, there was definitely a poem in there. The tea was superb (Lipton actually sources most of its product from Huangshan, but they use the lesser, remaining tea leaves), the porcelain delicately painted and exquisitely beautiful, and Caitlin and I both left less affluent than we arrived. For those of you considering business school, let me tell you—the experience was a good model of how to sell a product.
Now, off to watch the Olympics in Chinese. That’s a cultural experience for you!
Thanks for reading!
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