Today the group arrived in Xi’an after an overnight train ride from Beijing. We immediately went to our hotel, the Bell Tower Hotel, located right in the middle of town and directly overlooking the famous Xi’an Bell Tower, the largest such structure in China. After a quick breakfast, the group headed off to experience the terra cotta warriors.
The first stop was at the provincial pottery factory. The group got a first-hand look at exactly how the terra cotta soldiers were produced. Once the brief tour concluded, the students flexed their bargaining muscles and acquired a wide range of items for their loved ones back homes—terra cotta remakes of all shapes and sizes. Given the contented smiles, I’m afraid that any sword or tapestry purchases are not likely to leave the students' hands as gifts!
After the morning shop-a-thon, we re-boarded the bus and went to witness the terra cotta soldiers first hand. The soldiers are spread over three enclosed “pits,” and while over 8,000 soldiers are known to have been placed there, about 1,600—and counting—have actually been rebuilt from fragments. We first viewed the largest pit, broke for a late lunch, then returned to the two smaller pits.
Upon returning to the hotel, students quickly freshened up and walked under the bell tower and across the street for an unexpectedly lively dinner featuring 18 successive rounds of increasingly creative dumplings, including shrimp, duck, pork, and…camel! The restaurant seemed to be a local hot spot for groups of eight or ten patrons to, um, partake vigorously in the local libations. Cheers were in order all throughout the restaurant, and I’m happy to report that the Duquesne contingent held their own!
Tomorrow the group will receive a tour of the town and the Big Wild Goose pagoda, then embark on a bike ride atop the Xi’an city wall. We will be treated to an early hot pot dinner so as to make our overnight train back to Beijing.
Best,
Professor Ryan
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