Toerke

The one and only mister Yang sits at a table and signs a book. In 1974, while digging a new well, mister Yang dug up a bucket with a head. A stone head. The stone head of a terracotta warrior, so is seemed after thorough archeological investigation. Mister Yang discovered the terracotta army and now sits at a table signing a book. It is absolutely prohibited to photograph mister Yang. I have a feeling a similar mister Yang with similar glasses will sit at the same table signing the same book tomorrow. Nevertheless, all the archeological blood sweat and tears have paid off. There are over 6000 stone figures escavated today. It wasn’t until 1994 that pit number three was opened to the public. That still remains to be unearthened. It’s all very impressive. Yet quite logical for someone who believed he was going to be emperor again in his next life thus needing a new emperial army. It’s the same dreamer that ordered the building of the Great Wall. That doesn’t come as a surprise. At the clay workshop we are shown how terracotta figures are made, but more than that we are shown how souvenirs are sold. It’s 10% workshop and 90% souvenir shop. That doesn’t come as a surprise either.

At the Huaqing Hot Springs we look back at the emperial bathing parties. It is a complex of bathing pools, ponds and gardens, leaning against a beautiful mountain. We end this sightseeing day with a stroll around the Big Wild Goose pagoda. The stomach gets a dumpling diner, a Xi’an speciality. This city has a moslim district, with a great mosque – women in scarfs, men with white round hats. I didn’t know it existed, a Chinese Moslim. When I tell Millie about our Tibet tour plans her eyes open in awe and she squirms ‘Oh Tibet, that is such a holy place for the Chinese!’ I can’t help but wonder what a strange way to treat holy places but I let it go. There’s probably some subtle clue that I’m missing.