Watched a documentary 2 days ago, on History Channel Astro. Seemed to be watching an awful lot of documentaries nowadays. Anyway, History Channel is one of my favourite, worth spending time there, if only they don't repeat so many times!!!
Anyways, I digress. Coming back to the topic at hand, I was watching a documentary on the first Emperor of China, Shih Huang Ti of the Qin Dynasty, and it brought back the memories of my visit to Xian some 4 years ago.
Watching the show gave me a sense of nostalgia as Xian is truly a magical place.
At first I thought it was just another tomb or mausoleum filled with dusty statutes. This would have indeed been the case had I not come across a book in the hotel library which gave life to these terracotta statutes. ( The hotel we stayed in was Sofitel - now that is another long story - such a fantastic place, and we were upgraded to a suite, courtesy of our friend who was GM there!) Anyway, our friend the GM allowed me to 'borrow' the book out on our exursions and it gave such an insight to the tombs.
At this point, I think it is fair to say that most printed material about the terracotta warriors are in Chinese, which I cannot comprehend, so finding something in English that is so concise is priceless.
Anyway, I discovered that there are ways to tell the ranking of each soldier and even the area they are from by examining the armour they wear and the way their hair is done up. Even the studs on the armour tells a story. Of course, most of the statutes are in the enormous pits and no on is allowed to walk near them but there were a few on display on a small ' museum' and although they were in glass cases, you can get up close and examine them. I was never so intrigued by statutes before !!! Poor hubby (who had no interest) and guide had to wait for me. (PS. the guide seemed to know nothing compared to what I can find in the book!)
The actual tomb of the Emperor was believed to be underneath a earthern pyramid ( looked like a hill to me!!) in the nearby area. We actually had the chance to go up the 'hill' on horseback. It was nervewracking as there were no obvious trials ...only the guides and the horses seemed to know the way. Many a times, my horse slipped on loose stones and it was really very very scary. But at the top of the hill, the view was magnificent! The tomb is yet to be excavated as the Chinese government have not found an entrance and they did not want to excavate blindly. Also, they have a problem of preserving it once it is opened.
I remember the Jackie Chan movie, 'The Myth' which was loosely based on this tomb. Legend has it that underneath the tomb was a lake and rivers of mercury. Tests conducted have shown a high level of mercury in the ground in these regions, so maybe it is true!
Anyhow, I do hope that I can visit again , especially when they open the tomb. Don't know why but I do have a kind of fascination with the Terracotta warriors after that visit. The legend is so intriguing! And oh, one not so pleasant memory is that someone tried to 'molest' me at the pit. I was wearing a sleeveless T and some guy tried to stroke my arm!!! Urgh...luckily can hide behind hubby.
Xian is very nice, food was good , especially the Muslim barbecued meat - chicken and lamb. Never tasted anything like it! Hotel was awesome, plus the fact that we got a private limousine and guide and a suite, and access to the club lounge, courtesy of the GM...that just adds up to the overall charm! Food at the hotel, in particular, the Japanese food was out of this world. Great memories!!! :)
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