Of my two stops in China, Xi’an was my favorite. I initially planned to go to Xi’an to see the renowned Terracotta Army. In 1974, farmers near Xi’an encountered evidence of larger than life figurines when digging a well. Ancient pottery had been found in the area over the years, but no one had any idea of the size of the find. It is now estimated that a total of 8,000 terracotta soldiers, each over six feet tall and unique – were buried in the third century B.C. by emperor Qin Shi Huang of the Qin (pronounced “chin) dynasty. Apparently, he intended to have a full recreation of his kingdom sent to the afterlife along with him. In a much more humane way than many cultures before and after him, emperor Qin Shi Huang opted to have sculptures created to usher his kingdom and servants into the afterlife with him rather than resorting to human sacrifice. Qin Shi Huang was the first true emperor of China. His dynasty may have been short-lived, but he set the stage for the Han Dynasty, one of the golden eras of ancient China.

Only about 2,000 figurines have been unearthed at this point. The Chinese government – in typical Chinese fashion – understands that there is no real hurry to complete the task of unearthing every last archaeological find and rather hopes that technology will continue to improve making it even more likely that better preservation will occur for the later finds. As time has gone on, pieces of chariots have been unearthed. There have been acrobats and gymnasts discovered. It was more than just an army. The army itself offers many insights into military tactics and technology of the time. Based on the location of the ruined figurines, much can be gathered about how armies would have been arranged for battle. The buried army is facing West, as the Qin dynasty’s enemies would have come from that direction. There is a vanguard, and there are flankers and a rear guard. There are different kinds of archers with crossbows. There are chariots and a few cavalry, though not many, as cavalry were not yet an important military arm. Each statue has a maker’s mark, and the detail in the depiction of the armor is interesting.

When visiting with a guide, you get a full description of how to interpret garments and hairstyles to determine rank and task in the army. There is a museum to help you interpret if you do not have a guide. There are three main archaeological pits on site, and a couple of other pits at a mausoleum site for the emperor a couple of kilometers away. It takes some hiking to get to the other location, and a lot more hiking to get around it. The mausoleum site is like a large park with a couple of digs within it. Most people pay 50 yuan apiece to ride this shuttle, but the walk was doable and I managed it. Nearly all of the tourists I saw the day I visited the Terracotta Army site were Chinese. I was mildly surprised to see how many people in a much worse economic position than me were willing to shell out the money to take this shuttle. I suppose it isn’t much different from Americans eating at restaurants and buying $3 Cokes from convenience stores despite living hand-to-mouth. I completed my economical visit to the Terracotta Army site by riding a public bus and subways back to the city center just as I had en route to the archaeological site.

The Terracotta Army was not my first stop in Xi’an, however. After a long flight delay and a late arrival in Xi’an, I hopped a Didi (Chinese ride sharing app) to my hostel. The flight delay had caused me to miss the last metro train to the city center by ten minutes. I found my way to town and paid a few more yuan than I would have liked, but it cost less than a similar private ride would have cost in America. My arrival was late, but it took me a while to wind down from the excitement of figuring out how to negotiate my way from the airport to town, and from walking a bit in the city center to the taxi. I went to bed late.

(Continued)