Fourth stop: Xi'an
Our primary sightseeing destination for this trip is the terracotta army in Xi'an. After the layover in my hometown and the side-trip to Fenghuang, we headed to Xi'an on the high speed train. The second day we were in the Museum of Qin Terracotta Warriors and Horses.
The size of the excavation pit is so immense it defies the senses. It is hard to imagine this is only one of the many pits (most of them unexcavated at this point). The Emperor Qin Shi Huang really did build an army for the afterlife. The following shot is of No. 1 Pit, the largest excavated so far.
(Click on each image to see the high-resolution version)
The first three rows of soldiers are the "diehards", who would charge to the enemy, often to their own peril.
It is said that each warrior is modeled after a real person, and each is unique. I did not find any evidence to dispute this.
It is also said that every Chinese (men at least) can find one warrior that resembles him. I looked hard, but did not find my exact likeness.
The entire pit is fenced off, but some terracotta warriors are closer to the tourists, allowing for close-up pictures.
The pits open to tourists are No. 1-3, Pit. 1 being the largest. At Pit No. 2, there are some nice specimens of the terracotta warriors in glass cases for exhibition.
While going from one pit to another, I noiced that there were a few birds busily flying around, with nesting material in their beaks. This is no longer a new bird for me -- they are Brown-breasted Bulbul (黄臀鹎) which I had seen it in Fenghuang. Nevertheless, they offered photo opportunities I could not refuse.
I did get two new birds here and later at Emperor Qin's Mausoleum, though these are of lower quality.
It started to rain when we got back to Xi'an. We managed to visit the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, a temple built in 652 AD to hold the sacred sutras brought back by the famous monk Xuanzang. But now just outside the pagoda, there is a very large array of fountains, which they light up and play music that's synchronized with the sprouting water at night. I am not sure how Xuanzang would feel about such worldly bustle.
We had planned to stay in Xi'an for almost 3 days, allowing plenty of time to go places, and we planned to go to Hua Shan. Unfortunately the weather turned cold, windy and rainy the next day. We had to change plan and go to Famen Temple instead. The new complex was completed just in 2009, which is said to resemble a pair of opened praying hands.
Famen Temple is said to host four of the Buddha relics, the only finger relics at that. But in some confusing terms, it is also said only one of these are the finger relic, the other three are only "associated relics" and they became sacred because of the association (so what are they? I cannot figure out). The following is one of these pieces.
But I must say the Buddha statues in the temple are generally of good taste and they are very serene looking.
In the rain I did get a few bird pictures. I had seen the White-cheeked Starling (灰椋鸟) earlier on this trip, but here I got the best picture of it.
On our last morning, the weather became superb again, but what a pity that we had to leave! We managed to climb up the city wall.
In the moat around the city wall, I saw a few waterfowl, one of these, the Ruddy Shelduck (赤麻鸭), is a handsome bird (and would be a new one for me). But these appear to be domesticated, so they do not count.
I did see a new bird on the city wall, though. This is a Common Swift (普通楼燕). There were many of them flying rapidly in the sky cathing insects to eat. They are exceedingly hard to photograph for their rapid and erratic flying pattern.
We managed to squeeze out just enough time to visit the Muslim Quarter in the city.
The Muslim Quarter is known for its authentic regional food, and trust me, we got our fill.
No. 1 Pit
Diehards
Warrior
Warrior
Warrior
Warrior (a chariot driver)
Warriors
Warriors
Warrior Portrait
Warrior Portrait
Warrior
Warrior
Warrior
Warrior
Brown-breasted Bulbul (黄臀鹎)
Brown-breasted Bulbul (黄臀鹎)
Brown-breasted Bulbul (黄臀鹎)
Brown-breasted Bulbul (黄臀鹎)
Brown-breasted Bulbul (黄臀鹎)
Grey-capped Greenfinch (金翅雀)
Meadow Bunting (三道眉草鹀)
Giant Wild Goose Pagoda
Giant Wild Goose Pagoda
Famen Temple
Buddha relic
Buddha statue
Buddha statue
Buddha statue
Buddha statue
White-cheeked Starling (灰椋鸟)
Xi'an City Wall
Xi'an City Wall
Xi'an City Wall
Chinese Goose
Chinese Goose
Ruddy Shelduck (赤麻鸭)
Common Swift (普通楼燕)
Muslim Quarter
Muslim Quarter
Muslim Quarter food
