Xi An + Yun Cheng (西安+运城) Trip (27/5/09-31/5/09) - Part 1
Although I'm very jehles of Su who visited Paris's Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame etc etc etc, anyway, we are equal because I get the chance to see Terracotta army of Qin Dynasty! Hahaha!
This trip is with the conjunction of 端午节 The Dragon Boat Festival, giving us quite a long holiday (almost a week!). This is something I like about China, they have public holidays on almost all chinese traditional festivals! (Of course lah, China mah... Aduihh...) Plus, we have a schoolmate accompany us during the journey as he was going to Xi An for his English test, so the teachers can be less worry about us.
It was quite a 'painful' trip though. Flights going out from Urumqi to anywhere in China are expensive, so we chose another transportation: train. We spent 30 hours going to Xi An 西安 and another 35 hours coming back to Urumqi. Summore, it's not a sleeping berth we purchased, it's a seat ticket as it is cheaper. Imagine our pain please.
The tourism routes arranged in Xi An is very convenient. Although they don't have monorail or LRT or anything like what we have in Malaysia, you can go anywhere easily by well arranged city buses and tourist buses with reasonable price. To make you less confused, it is advisable to purchase a map and study it.
Qin Shih Huang Ti greets us at the entrance
This trip is with the conjunction of 端午节 The Dragon Boat Festival, giving us quite a long holiday (almost a week!). This is something I like about China, they have public holidays on almost all chinese traditional festivals! (Of course lah, China mah... Aduihh...) Plus, we have a schoolmate accompany us during the journey as he was going to Xi An for his English test, so the teachers can be less worry about us.
It was quite a 'painful' trip though. Flights going out from Urumqi to anywhere in China are expensive, so we chose another transportation: train. We spent 30 hours going to Xi An 西安 and another 35 hours coming back to Urumqi. Summore, it's not a sleeping berth we purchased, it's a seat ticket as it is cheaper. Imagine our pain please.
The tourism routes arranged in Xi An is very convenient. Although they don't have monorail or LRT or anything like what we have in Malaysia, you can go anywhere easily by well arranged city buses and tourist buses with reasonable price. To make you less confused, it is advisable to purchase a map and study it.
Qin Shih Huang Ti greets us at the entrance
There is a chinese saying:"先拜皇帝再拜兵" (I hope I get it right) It means that we should see the emperor's tomb first before visiting the army, and the emperor's tomb is not so far away from the Terracotta army. However, visiting the emperor's tomb needs at least some basic skills about feng shui, or else you will be paying the entrance ticket to see a small hill and some greenary mountains and vast greenland which will end up boring and disappointing.
The chinese characters used on each and every building signs are the tradisional characters introduced by Qin Shih Huang Ti when he unified China. Those are the actual words used in few centuries ago. I can't even recognise some of the words. I'm a failed chinese.
This statue is a symbol of the unity between old and young generation. It is actually displayed during the opening ceremony of Beijing Olympic 2008, and it is a gift from Beijing. The girl doll, btw, looks quite creepy though.
They displayed some of the findings nearby the emperor's tomb in the display hall. The display above is actually the replica, the original version has been transfered to Beijing museum (if I'm not mistaken)
This is a very powerful umbrella/umbrella holder. The tourists including me gasped when the tour guide explained about the function and purpose of this umbrella. You just can't believe how many things this long rusty metal thing can do. I'm so regret I didn't record
it down! Argh!
This is the view come into your eyes when you enter the First Pit. All I can do is just Awww and gasped while listening to the tour guide's explaination.
Here is the repairing and maintenance section which is in the back of the pit. After they uncover the soldier, they will bring him up to this place to repair him into good shape. I use him for the soldier as I always believe they have spirit and we should respect them as a human being.
In some corners, we can see the seriously broken soldiers which some of them is awaited to be repaired while the rest will be left broken as it is too hard to keep in one piece.
The Second Pit 二号坑 has a smaller scale than the first. The position and stading location of the soldiers are more or less the same, including some command podiums. They have a few soldier statues displayed at the side of the hall too.
They displayed some of the findings nearby the emperor's tomb in the display hall. The display above is actually the replica, the original version has been transfered to Beijing museum (if I'm not mistaken)
This is a very powerful umbrella/umbrella holder. The tourists including me gasped when the tour guide explained about the function and purpose of this umbrella. You just can't believe how many things this long rusty metal thing can do. I'm so regret I didn't record
it down! Argh!
The First Pit 一号坑
It is the largest pit among three of them. The researchers and professionals have discovered over 6000 of the armies, all in different uniform, different facial expression, different hairstyle, and they even have different moustache and beard! How cool is that??
Even the standing position of the soldiers is specific too, as they have normal soldiers, generals, etc etc etc.
Do you know that the original terracotta army has colours? When they dug out the soldiers, the colours faded away with wind due to oxidation. Because of this, all we can see today is the dirt-color soldiers.
Due to the lack of technology and technique, they have buried about 4000 of them back, leaving the 2000 rest to amuse the tourists. I read in the news few weeks back, they started to dig again. According to some saying, they will try to preserve the original shape of the soldiers.
Even the standing position of the soldiers is specific too, as they have normal soldiers, generals, etc etc etc.
Do you know that the original terracotta army has colours? When they dug out the soldiers, the colours faded away with wind due to oxidation. Because of this, all we can see today is the dirt-color soldiers.
Due to the lack of technology and technique, they have buried about 4000 of them back, leaving the 2000 rest to amuse the tourists. I read in the news few weeks back, they started to dig again. According to some saying, they will try to preserve the original shape of the soldiers.
This is the view come into your eyes when you enter the First Pit. All I can do is just Awww and gasped while listening to the tour guide's explaination.
Here is the repairing and maintenance section which is in the back of the pit. After they uncover the soldier, they will bring him up to this place to repair him into good shape. I use him for the soldier as I always believe they have spirit and we should respect them as a human being.
In some corners, we can see the seriously broken soldiers which some of them is awaited to be repaired while the rest will be left broken as it is too hard to keep in one piece.
The Second Pit 二号坑 has a smaller scale than the first. The position and stading location of the soldiers are more or less the same, including some command podiums. They have a few soldier statues displayed at the side of the hall too.
This soldier was dug up this way, and he is the one and only perfect shaped army without any 'touch-ups'.
This hall introduced some of the armies found in the first and second pit, including the various level of soldiers and general. The soldier above kneels at the most front line, with arrows and bow. They displayed the statue of the most high ranking general too, but my picture is too blurry to show you.
This soldier is in the 'Standing with Bow and Arrow' team
The Third Pit 三号坑 has the smallest scale among the others. The findings in this pit is full of questions and mysteries, as the professionals themselves are still finding the answer for their findings.
This hall introduced some of the armies found in the first and second pit, including the various level of soldiers and general. The soldier above kneels at the most front line, with arrows and bow. They displayed the statue of the most high ranking general too, but my picture is too blurry to show you.
This soldier is in the 'Standing with Bow and Arrow' team
The Third Pit 三号坑 has the smallest scale among the others. The findings in this pit is full of questions and mysteries, as the professionals themselves are still finding the answer for their findings.
Some said it is the main command podium, but with some designs of horsecars and the landscape of this pit itself is full of mysteries.
Overview: The entrance ticket is quite pricey (RMB90 per pax). Overall, I'm satisfied and happy and glad. =) Don't ask too much for what you already have today.
Next part, I'll continue the story of this trip when I was in Yun Cheng, Shanxi 运城，山西.
Next part, I'll continue the story of this trip when I was in Yun Cheng, Shanxi 运城，山西.
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