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China 2008

XiAn, Terracotta Warriors, flight to Chongqing Mar 28, 2008

China Trip

March 23-April 4, 2008

Viking River Cruises Imperial Jewels of China

March 28, 2008: Day 5: XiAn, Terracotta Warriors

Up at 5:00 am to stretch, shower, and repack, I heard Gary telling me to hurry to the window. I gazed out through the brown drizzle and saw an amazing sight on the highway overpass in front of our hotel. Two people on bicycles, each carrying 4 huge (probably 8’ diameter) red inflated Chinese “lanterns” (balloons) on strings had run into trouble on the busy highway. The wind or the turbulence from passing cars had begun to carry them across traffic lanes, and they were struggling to regain control. We snapped a picture as they remounted their bikes and began slowly to pedal again. We saw these types of “lanterns” on many buildings in the cities; I learned from reading “The Last Chinese Chef” that they are the symbols for a restaurant. I hope that restaurateur was appreciative of the risk taken by these delivery people! We saw many strange loads, often very precariously balanced, carried by bicycles on our trip, but this was one of the strangest.

We boarded our buses for the 1¼ hour ride to the rural site of the Terra Cotta Army of the first emperor of unified China, Qin Shi Huang. His reign over Qin was from 247 BC to the end of his life in 210 BC. The figures were constructed during his lifetime to take with him into the afterlife where he would reign again and also to guard his imperial tomb after his death.

Wikipedia tells us, “The terracotta figures were manufactured both in workshops by government labourers and also by local craftsmen. The head, arms, legs and torsos were created separately and then assembled. Studies show that eight face moulds were most likely used and then clay was added to give them individual facial features. It is believed that their legs were made in much the same way that terracotta drainage pipes were manufactured at the time. This would make it an assembly line style of production, with specific parts manufactured and assembled after being fired as opposed to crafting one solid piece of terracotta and subsequently firing it. In those days, each workshop was required to inscribe its name on items produced so as to ensure quality control; this has aided modern day historians in verifying that workshops that once made tiles and other every day items were commandeered to work on the terracotta army. Upon completion, the terracotta figures were placed in the pits in precise military formation according to rank and duty.”

The first pieces of the soldiers were unearthed in 1974 by two farmers digging a well. Imagine being hidden underground for 2200 years and then being unearthed! Quite a find.

We approached the site across a treeless plain. First we saw trees, then large concrete buildings. One resembled a domed “fieldhouse” arena, the other a large concrete palace with 2 towers with tiled roofs in a stylized version of ancient Chinese gates or forts. A third and fourth building on site were more typical modern government buildings. The courtyards were paved with concrete pavers.

We were told there were three pits. Pit 1, under the fieldhouse dome, was the first excavated and most massive in size and artifacts. It contained the main army, numbering about 6000 figures; foot-soldiers and charioteers. Wikipedia says, “The terracotta figures are life-like and life-sized. They vary in height, uniform and hairstyle in accordance with rank. The colored lacquer finish (no longer evident), individual facial features, and replica weapons and armor used in manufacturing these figures created a realistic appearance. The original weapons were stolen shortly after the creation of the army and the coloring has faded greatly. However, their existence serves as a testament to the amount of labor and skill involved in their construction. It is also a confirmation of the power the First Emperor possessed that enabled him to command such a monumental undertaking as this army's manufacture.”

The impact of seeing row after row of these figures in the pit was staggering. They seemed to be marching toward us from the length of 3 football fields. Each face and hairstyle and armor was unique in combination; no soldier was identical to any other. It was amazing how much work had been done here since 1974: the excavation, the buildings, the reconstruction and restoration of the ranks…absolutely amazing to me. We saw the fragments lying still in the soil, saw the reconstruction area where the fragments were so painstakingly reassembled into complete soldiers, and marveled that anyone would have such patience; that any country would have such resources of funds and manpower!

We watched a movie that re-created the construction of the figures and the wooden building that sheltered them, then portrayed their destruction: Wikipedia says, “There is evidence of a large fire that burned the wooden structures that once housed the Terracotta Army. It was described by Sima Qian, who said that the fire was a consequence of a raid on the tomb by General Xiang Yu less than five years after the death of the First Emperor. According to Sima Qian, General Xiang’s army looted the tomb and the structures holding the Terracotta Army, as well as setting fire to the necropolis and starting a blaze that allegedly lasted three months (though no other recorded great fire in history ever lasted more than seven days). Because of this, only one statue has survived intact: a statue of a kneeling archer. Despite the fire, however, much of the remains of the Terracotta Army still survives in various stages of preservation, surrounded by remnants of the burnt wooden structures.” Many of the figure’s heads cannot be found; historians theorize that the marauders took them as trophies.

The second pit has not been as fully excavated and is probably smaller in scope than Pit 1. It housed the cavalry and infantry units as well as war chariots. Pit 3 is the command post. The figures are larger, more ornately coifed and armored, and each commands more space than do the closely ranked foot soldiers of Pit 1.

We were served a lazy susan lunch of local dishes (Sichuan) in the restaurant on site. Many were based on noodles rather than rice. The cuisine here relies more on wheat and corn than rice because the climate is drier, the land less steep. In the restaurant, 2 chefs were demonstrating the making of noodles. One was “throwing” noodles: pulling and stretching the dough into long strands. The other was shaving slices of dough directly into boiling broth with a special chisel. Neat to watch!

Our last stop at the site was in the museum, where ¾ size bronze figures that had been excavated from closer to the Emperor’s tomb (a mile away) had been brought for display in glass cases. They were very lifelike and interesting. Unfortunately, the building was crowded with large groups of very pushy Chinese tourists, who literally pushed me away from the cases in a large wave. I could not handle it and left the building as quickly as I could.

This was not the first time I had been overwhelmed by a horde of Chinese tourists. During our Mediterranean cruise, we had all been annoyed by the seeming lack of understanding of common courtesy of Asians whenever we had to wait to enter places. They seemed to have no understanding of “waiting one’s turn” and standing in line. And when we were navigating a narrow pathway around a lakeside pavilion at the Summer Palace on this trip, I nearly reached the screaming stage when a group of natives who had been behind us suddenly surged forward, pushing and shoving their way through what had previously been 2 polite single files passing in opposite directions! Evidently someone had brought this difference between Chinese and Western crowd demeanor to the attention of the Chinese central government, because Francis told us, that in preparation for the Olympics, the 11th of every month (for “1 to 1”) had been designated “Queuing Day,” on which the citizens were expected to practice “standing in line.” May this lesson spread throughout this country and throughout the world as they travel !

We boarded our bus and rode about 1½ hours to the XiAn airport, where we boarded a Sichuan Airlines flight to Chongqing. We were served candied peanuts and a Sprite during our 1 hour flight in very small cramped seats.

We arrived in Chongqing at 5:30 pm to tropical humidity of 75-80 degrees. The bus ride from the airport and through the city to our ship took about 1 hour.

Chongqing is a very pretty city of 31 million people. It was very green and very hilly. Everywhere I looked, buildings of at least 25 stories soared to the horizon; sometimes in 2 layers as one would be built at the foot of a cliff and a second on top of the cliff. I remarked to the tour guide that earthquakes must not be a worry in this area, and he smilingly said they’d not had one for over 100 years. What an irony that less than a month after we returned home, the area just 100 miles west suffered huge and devastating quakes that killed thousands and leveled so many buildings! I often wondered whether all those tall buildings survived in Chongqing.

Finally we see the Yangtze! It is at low stage, so the bus could drive down the access road to water level. Apparently at some times there is a climb down many steps. We did, however, have to negotiate a long series of rickety gangplanks across the shallows and mudflats before we reached the ship. The last obstacle was a floating barge of Chinese vendors, complete with a very loud and strident Chinese drum corps and 2 dancing dragons. The dragons would pose with passengers for a fee.

We skipped the pictures and boarded the boat. We were profusely welcomed by all we encountered, found our cabin, dropped our carryons, freshened briefly, and made our way to the dining room for 7:00 pm dinner. A western menu was offered in addition to Chinese cuisine. I ordered the halibut, and it was delicious. Our cabin is nice, with a little balcony, typically sized for today’s cruiseships. We unpacked, settled in, and were in bed by 10:00 pm.