Xi’an, the even more ancient capitol of China was our second stop. After a relatively easy flight we arrived at the airport and were picked up by a happy little chap the hostel had sent. Driving through the ramshackle “towns” we began to become less and less convinced that coming to Xi’an had been a good idea. The mist had settled and the places we were passing through were supremely depressing (think the endless concrete high-rises of the Eastern Bloc). But then, low and behold, the famous Bell Tower emerged and we had arrived at what would arguably be the most enjoyable city we would visited.
Xi’an is interesting because it lies in the centre of China on the border between the Buddhist section and the Muslim section. Because of this, there is an extremely active Muslim Quarter just down the road from where we were staying and after we’d got settled (lovely room, absolutely perfect position) we went for a visit. For the first time in one and a half years I had a donner kebab. It wasn’t even intentional, I simply liked the smell of what some woman was cooking on the street and asked for one. It cost me 1 RMB (about 6p) and it was lovely. Unfortunately I couldn’t find this lady again, nor did anyone else seem to be making them. Sad face.
The rest of the street was equally as interesting, although poor Hannah didn’t find much to eat as most of it was lamb. The fried figs were nice though and the candied fruit sold in the candied fruit market was unbelievable. It was like being in Charlie’s Chocolate Factory if Wonka had preferred a nice bit of pineapple to a Mars Bar. There was also, strangely enough, a shop dedicated entirely to video game collectables. Poor Hannah indeed.
On the second day we set out to find what we had actually come to see; the Terracotta Warriors. This, one of the modern wonders of the world, had been highly recommended from all quarters and was probably the sight I was looking forward to the most. To get to it we took a local bus (12 RMB, just less than a quid, for the hour ride) and were dumped on the edge of a vast car park. We started to walk. It had been snowing that morning and raining the evening before so the ground was awash with slush. Little did I know that my shoes had holes to rival those in a Columbine student’s chest. By the time we’d walked through the hideously abandoned “Tourist Village” I couldn’t feel my feet. It was freezing. It was actually well below freezing if you’re counting (about minus 4 or so) and this did not put me in a good mood. Still, I shook myself out of it and convinced myself the sight of 6000 terracotta warriors in perfect battle formation would cheer me up.
So we finally, finally got to the excavation pits. They were covered over with aircraft hangar-like structures and surrounded by various dull looking concrete exhibition buildings. With the thick mist and layer of snow it really did look abandoned and rather depressing. Anyway, we’d been advised by someone in the Beijing hostel to work backwards, go from pit 3 to 2 to 1 as they increase in size and quality in that order. So, we skipped the first two and headed to Pit 3. It was OK, a rather small area containing 68 soldiers, or so we were told. Nice. Next was pit 2 and the sheer size of the building housing it meant that it couldn’t possibly be disappointing. Indeed, as I neared the perimeter wall enclosing he pit I averted my eyes for a moment, preparing them for the amazing scene below me…
It was indeed big. Huge infact. Massive one might say. One might also describe it as “soldier-less.” Not a single intact warrior stood in the massive hole before me. It was profoundly disappointing. I had expected row on row of pristine terracotta warriors ready for war but all I got was some ancient timber and shattered pottery barely distinguishable from the earth it lay in. Over to the side there were several soldiers on display in glass boxes but these were merely a distraction.
So, with a sinking heart, we made for Pit 1; the big one, the one in which over 6000 soldiers were supposedly discovered. Again, like Pit 3 it was nice…but that was it. There were soldiers here, maybe a few hundred, but nowhere near the figures so often banded about. A sign reliably informed us that most of the soldiers had been destroyed during the Japanese occupation of China or moved into an onsite exhibition centre, which was of course, closed. Considering the conditions we’d seen and the time we’d taken to get there, it was a bit of a disappointment.
(This is the soldier-less Pit 2 by the by. See?)
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