A trip to China - Day 5 - From a splendid lunch in Xi'an to Zhangzhou and the Glory Grand Hotel

Day 5  The Terracotta Warriors and Horses

Lunch and then off on another high-speed train

We walked another umpteen miles from the exhibition to a Chinese restaurant that is going to serve us Chinese food again with a beer and a rather potent pomegranate wine that has a real kick.  It was definitely value for money at 60 yuan per person.

After lunch, it was off to the station for another high-speed train ride, this time for about two and a half hours, from X'ian to Zhangzhou dong.

It's the standard high-speed train ride and the usual seat switching because of weird allocation issues, so a little confusion reigns until the train departs at 5:59.

Once we were underway it didn’t take long before we hit the maximum speed



Twenty minutes before arrival, and knowing we only have three minutes to get off everyone is heading for the exit clogging up the passageway.  It wasn't panic but with the three-minute limit, perhaps organised panic would be a better description.

As it turned out, with all the cases near the door, the moment to door opened one of our group got off and the other just started putting cases on the platform, and in doing so we were all off in 42 seconds with time to spare.

And this was despite the fact there were about twenty passengers just about up against the door trying to get in.  I don't think they expected to have cases flying off the train in their direction.

We find our way to the exit and our tour guide Dannie.  It was another long walk to the bus, somewhat shabbier from the previous day, no leg room, no pocket, no USB charging point like the day before.  Disappointing.

On the way from the station to the hotel, the tour guide usually gives us a short spiel on the next day's activities, but instead, I think we got her life history and a song, delivered in high pitched and rapid Chinglish that was hard to understand.

Not at this hour of the night to an almost exhausted busload of people who'd had enough from the train.  Oh, did I forgot the singing, no, it was an interesting rendition of 'you are my sunshine'.

The drive was interesting in that it mostly in the dark.  There was no street lighting and in comparison to X'ian which was very bright and cheerful, this was dark and gloomy.

Then close to the hotel our guide said that if we had any problems with the room, she would be in the lobby for half an hour.

That spoke volumes about the hotel they put us in.

The Glory Grand hotel

Like all the hotels we're staying in, it has an impressive foyer.  You walk in and you think on appearances it's going to be 5 stars, and not the 3 and a half rating on trip advisor.

Pity then that it all goes downhill from there.

We have a corner room and no bathroom.

Have you ever stayed in a hotel that has rooms with no bathroom?  Yes, it's a first for us too.  Still, this is China and I suspect if you complain there's always a worse room to put you in.

For us, it's just going to be an amusing situation we'd bear and give it a one-star rating on TripAdvisor for the hotel.

And just a word of warning, If you decide to book the hotel directly make sure you don't get a corner room.

At least everything else was reasonably ok.  Ok, not so much, the safe doesn't work.

This doesn't augur well for the rest of the tour in this particular place.

A trip to China - Day 5 - Xi'an, and The Terracotta Warriors and Horses

Day 5  The Terracotta Warriors and Horses

Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum.

The first impression is the size of the car park and the number of buses parked in the lot, and a hell of a lot more outside up the road an off on side streets.  Obviously, it costs money to park in the parking lot.

The other first impressions; the numbers waiting to get in were not as many as yesterday outside the forbidden city, in fact, a lot less.

Be warned there's a long walk from the entrance gate where your bags are scanned and a body scan as well, before admittance.  This walk is through a landscaped area which it is expect might sometime in the future reveal more soldiers, or other artefacts.

At the end of the walk that takes about ten minutes, you can get a one-way ride to the second checkpoint, but we opted not to as no one else in our group did.

That walk is the warm-up exercise to an organised viewing of the exhibits after going through a second ticket checkpoint.  On the other side, we had to hand our tickets back to the tour guide which was disappointing not to end up with a memento of actually having been there.

So, on the other side in the courtyard, the guide told us the most important parts of the exhibition, that we should spend most of the time looking at pit 1, and then spent a little time in 2 which is only there in the first stages of excavation.  Then move onto the museum if only to see the replica chariots.

We do.

The chariots were small but interesting



The horses were better and intricately detailed



These are soldiers, perhaps complete examples of those types found in the end pit.



This is one of the archers.  You can tell by the way he wears his hair.

Pit 2

The excavation of this pit has only just begun, so it is possible to see where they have carefully removed the top cover, and you can see the broken parts of the warriors lying in a heap.



Some parts of the warriors are more discernible closer up



These parts are carefully extracted and taken to the ‘hospital’ where they are digitised and the computer will match each part with the warrior it belongs to.

Pit 1

This has quite a number of standing soldiers that have been glued back together, but not necessarily complete and I notice a number if the statues were incomplete. And if they cannot find the missing pieces, then they are not added to or filled in.



The scale of the pit is enormous, and they have hardly scratched the surface in the restoration process.

What is there is a number of horses as well.



That's at the front of the pit, a long line of statues, and what is clear is the location of the well where the first fragments were found by a farmer.

There are about eight lines of soldiers, and some lining the sides.

Midway down there is a large area currently under excavation



At the back is the hospital where the soldiers are reassembled.  There's nearly a hundred in the various stages of rebuilding.  These days the soldiers are rebuilt using computer imaging.



The hospital area is where they are put back together



And these are some of the statues in various stages of reconstruction



Another two views of the size and scale of the reconstruction project





The coffee shop is also a sales centre, but there are too many people waiting for coffee and too few places to sit down.

A trip to China - Day 5- Xi'an, and The Terracotta Warrior Workshop

Day 5  The Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses

The brochure says: The highlight today is a visit to the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum. Unearthed near Xi’an, the thousands of life-size sculptures of soldiers, chariots and horses are considered a world wonder. With different facial expressions and weaponry adorning each soldier, the Terracotta Warriors were believed to have been created to accompany the Qin Emperor into the afterlife. This site is among the top archaeological excavations of the 20th century. You will definitely be amazed by the scale of the Terracotta Warriors Army.

This the first stop of the terra cotta warriors tour, is the Terracotta Warriors Reproduction Factory, the place where they make the replica soldiers as souvenirs, as well as a lot of other distinctively Chinese goods.

The Terra Cotta Factory

First, after passing through the gateway you notice a half a dozen other buses, and then when you drive down to the end, there was another bus that just arrived before us, disgorging passengers.

As we are getting off we have a tour guide specifically for this place waiting.  Just as we finish getting off another two buses had arrived, ready to unload.

We have to wait for the group before us, to see the ovens, and take photos with the headless terra cotta replica soldiers.  Then it’s our turn.

I'm not sure whether it is of much interest to learn that takes 30 days, at 900 degrees, to fire a full-size soldier in an oven before its fully hardened, and will last 2,000 years.  Still, it's the thought that counts.

I'm not sure the fact that they use coal to create that heat helps all the good work they're doing to reduce pollution.
                   
Outside they have a number of full-sized statues, some representing the warriors that we will soon see at the site, and some are without heads so that we can take photos of ourselves as a warrior.



Next, we go inside and get a demonstration of how the soldiers big and small are made, out of the same clay, we're told, like the originals.  Maybe I got my numbers wrong because I think it takes 30 days for the clay to air dry.  Of course, the smaller ones take less time to air dry before they are fired in the kiln



We eventually bought a general, and if what we're told is true it should be still around long after our planet had been destroyed.  Aliens, if they come visiting are going to be very surprised to learn the only people lived on the planet were Chinese soldiers.
               
Next, we are taken through to the big-ticket items, those ornate and highly polished portable screens, the ones with countryside scenes, flowers, and people that are highly polished and look exquisite.

There are also much larger statues


   
But you need to be very wealthy if you want one, or a tabletop filled.



You can also buy one of these warriors in jade, though I shudder to think how much that would cost.



There are also big and small tables, ornate cabinets, and other wooden based products that Australian customs loves to confiscate because it's wood.  And the prices for these, too, are very expensive.  Nice to have but so many impractically trying to get them home.

Failing to raise any interest there he moves on.  More groups are arriving all the time, so maybe someone has a spare 50,000 to 100,000 yuan to spare.

We get 40 minutes to wander around, but all we're interested in is a turtle and some small figurines for our granddaughters, which turn out to be pandas.  I think you can see the reason why we picked pandas.

At the end of the allowed time, it is a pleasure to get out into the fresh air, slightly tainted by diesel fumes, after inhaling that eye-watering aroma of shellac.

A trip to China - Day 4 - It's time to leave Beijing and go to Xi'an

 This is the bus we had in Beijing

 Beijing train station.

This place is huge and there are so many people here, perhaps the other half of Beijing's population that wasn't at the forbidden city.

Getting into the station looked like it was going to be fraught with danger but the tour guide got us into the right queue and then arranged for a separate scanner for the group to help keep us all together

Then we decided to take the VIP service and got to waiting room no 13, the VIP service waiting room which was full to overflowing.  Everyone today was a VIP.  We got the red hat guy to lead us to a special area away from the crowd.

Actually, it was on the other side of the gate, away from the hoards sitting or standing patiently in the waiting room.  It gave us a chance to get something to eat before the long train ride.

Departure is at 4 pm, and the trains leave on time.  As it is a high-speed train, stops are far and few between, but we're lucky, this time, in that we don't have to count stations to know where to get off.

We're going to the end of the line.

A train ride with a difference

To make the 5 and a half hours go quicker we keep an eye on the speed which hovers between 290 and 305 kph, and sitting their with our camera waiting for the speed to hit 305 which is a rare occurrence, and then, for 306 and then for 307, which happened when we all took a stroll up to the restaurant car to find there had nothing to eat.

I got a strange flavoured drink for 20 yuan.

There was a lady manning a trolley that had some food, and fresh, maybe, fruit on it, and she had a sense of humour if not much English.

We didn't but anything but the barrel of caramel popcorn looked good.

The good thing was, after hovering around 298, and 299 kph, it finally hit 300.

We get to the end of the line, and there is an announcement in Chinese which we don't understand and attempts to find out if it is the last station fall on deaf ears, probably more to do with the language barrier than anything else.

Then, suddenly the train conductor, the lady with the red hat, comes and tell us it is, and we have fifteen minutes, so we're now hurrying to get off.

As the group were are scattered up and down the platform, we all come together and we go down the escalator, and, at the bottom, we see the trip a deal flags.

X’ian

This time we have a male guide, Sam, and have a few hiccups before we head to the bus.  Some of our travellers are not on his list, but with the other group.  Apparently a trip a deal mix up or miscommunication perhaps.

Then it's another long walk with bags to the bus.  Good thing its a nicely air-conditioned newish bus, and there's water, and beer for 10 yuan.  How could you pass up a tsing tao for that price?

Xi’an is a very brightly lit up city at night with wide roads.  It is very welcoming, and a surprise for a city of 10 million out in the middle of China.

As with all hotels, it's about a 50-minute drive from the railway station and we are all tired by the time we get there.

Tomorrow’s program will be up at 6, on the bus 8.40 and off to the soldiers, 2.00 late lunch, then train station to catch the 4.00 train, that will arrive at 2 hours later at the next stop.  A not so late night this time.

The Grand Noble Hotel

The Grand Noble Hotel, like the Friendship Hotel, had a very flash foyer with tons of polished marble.  It sent out warning signals, but when we got to our room, we found it to be absolutely stunning.  More room, a large bathroom, air conditioning the works.

Only one small problem, as in Beijing the lighting is inadequate.  Other than that it's what I would call a five-star hotel.  This one is definitely better than the Friendship Hotel. 

In the centre of the city, very close to the bell tower, one of the few ancient buildings left in Xi’an.  It is also in the middle of a larger roundabout and had a guard with a machine gun.

Sadly there was no time for city centre sightseeing.

A trip to China - Day 4 - The Forbidden City

The Forbidden City

Now we're walking to the Forbidden City, and it seems like we're walking for miles and we're practically exhausted before we get started on the main tour.

There are tour groups everywhere in the large courtyard outside the gate, most likely getting a lecture on the last of the Chinese emperors about that time Sun Yat Sen proclaimed the new China around 1912.  It was a tale of intrigue, interwoven with a 3-year-old emperor, and a scheming concubine who becomes the Emperor's favourite, enough to bear him a son and successor.

Bribery and corruption at its best.

But, back in the courtyard, we are ready to go in and follow the tour guide who has switched from her amplified microphone to a whisper device we all wear in our ears.  She talks and we listen.

We all make it through and regroup on the other side. This is where the fun begins because we are about to meet a large percentage of the 80,000, they let for the day.

It seems to me they have all arrived at the same time, although by the time we get to the entrance gate, it is very well organised, bags are scanned, people are scanned, and you're in.  

From here, we have to cross one of the seven bridges leading to the outer courtyard.

From there it is one pagoda after another with buildings that surround the edge of the whole Forbidden City, as does the moat.

By the time we get to the second courtyard, it was time to have ice cream as a refresher.  Others head up to another exhibit, and it's just too many stairs for us.

After this, it's a walk through another courtyard, heading up and down some more stairs, we go and see the museum, with priceless relics from past emperors.

There are areas like the outer courtyard, the inner courtyard, yet another courtyard, and the gardens where the concubines walked and spent their leisure time.  It is not far from the emperor's wives living quarters, though there's precious little left of the furniture, other than a settee and two rather priceless so-called Ming dynasty vases.

We get into the bad habit of calling all of the vases Ming dynasties.  Above is one of the inner courtyards there were living quarters, and that tree is over 300 years old.

Out through some more alleyways and through an entrance that led to the area where the concubines lived, very spacious, bright, and filled with trees, plants, and walkways through rocky outcrops.

The whole area was made up of living quarters and waterways, rocks and paths, all very neatly set out, and it looked to be a very good place to live.

This is an example of the living quarters, overlooking the gardens

 And there were several pagodas

From there its a quick exit out the northern entrance, and another longish walk to our bus, which arrives at the meeting point shortly after we do.

That done, the Beijing tour guide has completed her section of our China experience, and we're ready to move onto the next, but not before getting onto the high-speed train and head for X'ian.

And a new tour guide by the name of Sam.

A trip to China - Day 4 - Before going to the Forbidden City, it's time for TCM

Day 4 - The Forbidden City

This morning I get up early and get a few photos of the hotel grounds before breakfast.  After all, it is advertised as being spread over 335,000 square metres of which 200,000 square metres are of gardens in the traditional Chinese style

Roads through the hotel grounds were wide enough for the bus to reach our building

Even to the point where there was a roundabout

Tongrentang – Traditional Chinese Medicine

Before we arrive at the Forbidden City we have an appointment with the doctors at the centre for traditional Chinese medicine, or T C M.

It's the same people who tended to the emperor way back, and scored some land to build a facility to bring that medicine to the people.

The prices they charge, there is no way 99 per cent of the population could afford it, only us gullible westerners.  Still, it looks might work so I joined the list of gullible people to give it a go.

What was the diagnosis?  Heart, liver, apparently the same as everyone else, but he did mention thyroid which is not a common problem, so it looks like there might be a grain of truth to it to his medical wisdom.

We shall see.

What worries me is that all the pillboxes look the same, and as the writing is in Chinese there's no way of telling if they are or not.

There was a chart on the wall that accompanied the introduction to Chinese Medicine given by a Professor, or a Doctor, I was not sure which, who told us how everything was linked in groups, as shown above, what ailments were related, and how treatments were formulated.

I was glad, in the end, my problems were only related to the Heart and the liver, mostly because of my type of arthritis.

So much for T C M

A trip to China - Day 3 - Hutong, and a genuine Chinese meal

Hutong

The brochure says: In the afternoon, take the opportunity to join an optional tour (not included) to see Beijing’s 700-year-old Hutong’s (narrow lanes) area by old fashioned pedicab. You will also visit a local family living in a courtyard style home to experience the local customs including a delicious home-cooked dinner. 

The optional tour also includes a visit to Shichahai, a historic scenic area consisting of three lakes (Qianhai, meaning Front Sea; Houhai, meaning Back Sea and Xihai, meaning West Sea), surrounding places of historic interest and scenic beauty and remnants of old-style local residences, Hutong and Courtyard.  

First, we had a short walk through the more modern part of Hutong and given some free time for shopping, but we prefer just to meander by the canal.  

There is a lake, and if we had the time, there were boats you could take.

With some time to spare, we take a quick walk down one of the alleyways where on the ground level are small shops, and above, living quarters.

Then we go to the bell and drum towers before walking through some more alleys was to where the rickshaws were waiting.

The Bell tower

And the Drum tower. Both still working today.

The rickshaw ride took us through some more back streets where it was clear renovations were being made so that the area could apply for world heritage listing.  Seeing inside some of the houses shows that they may look dumpy outside but that's not the case inside.

The rickshaw ride ends outside the house where dinner will be served, and is a not so typical hose but does have all the elements of how the Chinese live, the boy's room, the girl's room, the parent's room, the living area, and the North-south feng shui.

Shortly after we arrive, the cricket man, apparently someone quite famous in Beijing arrives and tells us all about crickets

 and then grasshoppers, then about cricket racing.  He is animated and clearly enjoys entertaining us westerners.

I'm sorry but the cricket stuff just didn't interest me.  Or the grasshoppers.

As for dinner, it was finally a treat to eat what the typical Chinese family eats, and everything was delicious, and the endless beer was a nice touch.

And the last surprise, the food was cooked by a man.