8th Wonder of The World!

A major reason I wanted to come to Xian was to see the Terra Cotta Soldiers. Anything above and beyond seeing the Terra Cotta Soldiers was bonus! On Tuesday, I got to see the “Eighth Wonder of the World” and the reason I was in Xian!

Before the Terra Cotta Soldiers we went to a Ceramic and Pottery Manufacturing Factory that is famous for making and selling clay Terra Cotta Solider replicas. Then we went to the Banpo Museum which preserved the Banpo Matriarchal Clan Village in Xian. After the Banpo Museum we had a Traditional Chinese lunch at a restaurant that was known for its “belt noodles”. At the end of the meal, a huge pot of noodles in broth was brought out. The noodles were 3 inches wide and yards long!

Since the Terra Cotta Soldiers are such a new discovery, it was very interesting to see how “touristy” Xian has become in such a short time. When driving to see the Xian Terra Cotta Soldiers that lie outside the main city of Xian by nearly an hour, we passed miles and miles of farm land. We were driving on bumpy roads, and I watched as fruit and vegetable vendors lined the streets. All of the buildings held very traditional Chinese architectural designs. Everything about “traditional” China was found on the way to the Terra Cotta Soldiers.

Then when we arrived to the actual Museum and preservation center, the area was extremely residential and touristy. The buildings looked more like an outlet mall than a great Chinese excavation site.

Upon entering the Terra Cotta preservation center, I felt like a little kid at an amusement park! I was so excited! The Terra Cotta Soldiers truly were amazing, and I learned a lot about them! Check out my “Terra Cotta Fun Facts!”

After the Terra Cotta Soldiers we went to visit the tomb of the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty. Then to conclude our tour we went to the Hanhauig Hot Springs. I had never seen or been to a natural hot spring before, and it was really remarkable. In the background of the ancient hot spring, was a bright green mountainside that had cable cars transporting people up and down the mountain. Peaking out of the mountain, I could see ancient temples decorating the mountainside. Since the water from the hot spring used to be used as bathing water for the emperors who lived there, we were able to see many ancient bath tubs that had been preserved.

In the middle of the courtyard, there was a fountain that spit out water from the natural hot spring that you could touch and wash your hands in. The water was really, really warm!