2010-06-19 China - Xian

Today was our visit to the Terra Cotta Army site, another highlight of the cruise. We had seen reproductions of various sizes in shops everywhere, including some full-size jade reproductions at the Great Wall. It was a different experience to see the massed ranks of thousands of soldiers and horses that have been unearthed so far. We heard there could be as many as 6,000 figures, most of which are not even yet unearthed and pieced together. Apparently the excavation is still in progress, and will keep students and professors of archeology busy for years to come, first unearthing the broken figures, and then piecing them together. A 360-degree movie gave the history of Qin Shi Huang, the warrior king who had his army constructed more than 2,000 years ago starting in 246 BC. The official website, in addition to wikipedia.com, is www.bmy.com.cn according to our ticket. There is a lot of information, many images, and you can get it in English. The city's history goes back at least 3,100 years, and was the capital for 12 dynasties of imperial rulers.

We had extra time before our flight, so we were able to visit the Da Cien (or Da Yan) Temple with its Wild Goose Pagoda, built in 645 AD. According to the story, Xuan Zhaung traveled to India to obtain the Buddhist scriptures, and then spent about 10 years translating them to Chinese. Xi'an is the beginning of the Silk Road, where the silk goods started their journey to the Middle East and Europe. We saw a depiction of the life of Buddha, statues of the various deities, and enjoyed the art museum, where beautiful works of art were displayed and sold. Kiyomi was fascinated by the calligraphy done by the abbot of the temple, and almost bought it. She may yet, over the Internet, since they have an email address (susanna951225@yahoo.com.cn).

After our visit, we went to the airport for dinner and our flight to Chongquin where the ship Viking Century Sun was waiting for us. Chongquin was the capital of China during WWII, and the base of the Flying Tigers. I wondered if it was the Chunking of dried noodle fame. We went directly to our stateroom for a shower and good night's sleep.