[30th September - part 1]
poor xi'an, there's been a lot about our meals (we do love our food!) and nothing about the 'sights'!
sooooo...we have found the guided tours a mixed blessing. the pleasure in visiting places is spoiled by the souvenir circus that surrounds everything plus the unscheduled stops. 'i need to sign something for my company' has to be the most blatant excuse as yet another jade workshop hoves into sight!
but...the xi'an city walls are incredible; forbidding, stark and very broad, dark and symmetrical. there is not the softness of the walls of canterbury or york. the big goose pagoda is...big! pity it was wet and we were trying to cope with grace's accent. the scriptures were introduced as 'sculptures' and i was glad i had swotted up from lonely planet. the muslim quarter was more fun- life as it is lived- and i effected a detour in the direction of the great mosque which yielded even better insights.
the hot springs are set beneath a mountain which was shrouded in mist but it was good to see some green after the constant urban landscape we have been living in for weeks. we were getting used to grace and again i dived off her proscribed route and asked questions!
the terracotta warriors are fantastic and despite the jostling for a viewpoint and the flashing of cameras and mobiles regardless of the signs forbidding it the silent ranks are awesome. i was pleased the experience was not sullied by souvenir sellers. as i took in the spectacle i had an overwhelming sense of the arrogance of the man who motivated their manufacture. he wanted eternal life after his death but with all the power he had attained in his mortal existance too.
the experience gets better as you proceed from pit to pit; from the masses to the individual, from the collective moulds to the craftman's detail. it is thought that each face is modelled on a member of the imperial guard. it is also believed that there are many more waiting silently in battle formation under the ground to be discovered one day.
it is advertised as the eighth wonder of the world and i'm truly grateful that i dragged lou across china to see it!
1 comment:
Hello you two! Sorry not to have written anything back to you, but for the past few days I haven't been able to access the Gagnac website, which is how I have been linking up to your blog. Have found it now by googling you, lol! Will sit and have a good long read later on to catch up, with a cuppa. Lots of love, Gwen xxx
Post a Comment