China 2007

We had been granted an extra thirty minutes to recover from a long day prior, and I sucked it up. In fact, I didn't even bother with breakfast. Our first long, bumpy drive dropped us in a small, government-run terra cotta warrior reproduction factory. Everything there was much too big and expensive to buy, but we listened to an interesting explanation about how the sculptures were molded and fired. Someone pointed out the kiln, which was a gigantic stone building that rose far above the display room. We were advised to buy these things at the museum, where we could barter the price down much lower.

Sometime that morning, also in the middle of nowhere, we pulled up to a small sign that said "Banpo Neolithic Village", a museum and archeological site in one. We entered a large, dark building. In the sections of dirt that lay exposed, surrounded by pathway and railings, were imprinted footstep, post holes, kilns, bones, and other remnants of a lost civilization, many thousand years old. There wasn't much action, but, hey, that was saved for the evening. We read signs referring to cards placed around (like a crime scene) and listened to our guide explain the way of life of these people, as assumed by the findings. It was pretty amazing what they could reconstruct from a few holes in the ground, a little pottery, and some skulls.

After some lunch, we were ready for the big thing. The Terra Cotta Warriors - nearly eight-thousand standing six feet tall, devoid of any un-earthy color - are the pride of Xian. We started small, with "pit three": a small, exclusive room of the emperor's tomb for the generals and commanders. Most of the terra cotta figures had been damaged, and only a few that had been fully reconstructed stood facing the once-sealed doorway. We watched a panoramic movie next, that told us how the warriors had been damaged by a peasant uprising shorty after their seclusion, and also how they had been discovered by a local farmer. Also, they had once sported colorful suits and shiny weapons, but those had long since gone. We moved onto the second pit, the cavalry men. The room was dark and dry, not good for observing much. There were horses and chariots, for the lead men, and a few display cases showed off remnants of color. Finally...

We worked our way through a swarming "museum", past the mobs clogging the doorway. Guards and cameras were everywhere. Finally, we broke through: line after line of well-lit, but dull, terra cotta warriors lined up into the distance. It was so... real. As we neared the back of the room, a five-minute walk, full warriors turned to broken pieces half-excavated, and finally just into piles of dirt. The place was so hot and so crowded that I didn't feel like sticking around any longer than the camera required, so I sat outside and watched people mess around with their instruments. We caught up with the bus and set off the the hotel.

After a few of hours of napping, basking in the sun of a gazebo by the lake, and so forth, we got dressed for dinner. I tried on a Chinese silk jacket I had bought in Beijing, but it was too hot and didn't go well with my pants and shoes. I donned something more appropriate but still fairly traditional, and went out into the lobby. Unknowingly, Mollie had dressed up with Mrs. James' reward of one dollar in mind, but I no longer matched. Still, we went on. We boarded the bus in slightly fancier clothes than usual and went downtown. We were ushered into the dinner theater by doormen in full Tang royal guard garb, helmets and all. Our tables, to our astonishment and happiness, were right at the front, right up against the stage. Dish after dish was served to us in pure bliss. We slopped down the rice wine until Mrs. James wouldn't let us get any more. After an orchestral prelude, the acts came on with a bang. Hundreds of lights illuminated dance after dance, song after song with crazy instruments. It could have been a show choir act, for all the glamour.

We returned to the hotel a little tipsy, and some people got more food. But most of us packed and slipped off to bed, as we had gotten back very late from the show.