Terracotta Army, Xian China
"The Terracotta Warriors and Horses are the most significant archaeological excavations of the 20th century", so goes the tourist-driven Chinese blurb, but it might just be true. Spending a couple of hours wandering around the site outside Xian (where work is still ongoing) is a fantastic glimpse at China's past and the kudos that was given to its former Emperors.
But we did have to laugh at the ego on Qin Shi Huang, first Emperor of all China, and his decision (more than 2,000 years ago) to start work on his mausoleum in his own lifetime, complete with over 7,000 pottery soldiers, horses, chariots and weapons! Hope the photos give an indication of the size of the place - it covers an area of over 16,000 square meters. Enjoy!!
Trracotta Warriors, Pit No 1
In Xian (and later in Chengdu) we met a couple of Dutch volk who as you know are Marty's favourite bunch of people, so hi to Hans and Ellie!!! You should be well on you way to Kathmandu by now, so hope you're still having fun!! And Hans, hope you have recovered after the hot-pot experience in Chengdu!
Another highlight was visiting the pandas in Chengdu, especially the baby ones which are totally doted over by the staff just like real babies - complete with cots, nappies and bottles of milk! Strange but very cute (although Susie was convinced they were really people dressed up in panda suits!).
Us and the Pandas, Chengdu
On our last night in Chengdu we went to a Sichuan Opera performance, one of the oldest traditional opera styles in China. Along with songs and traditional musical renditions, the actors specialise in 'face changing' - have a look here to see what we mean http://www.mixhostel.com/mixtour/sichuan_opera.htm. Marty's photos also show many of the performers.
Fire breathing, Sichuan opera, Chengdu
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