Xi'an

Little dumplings shaped like what was in them. Are these pigs..... or cats?
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Xi’an: The Big World Goose Pagoda was a very interesting spot to visit, especially since we had a very good and talkative tour guide for that area. The city walls were cool, and the Tang Dynasty dinner show was very good. The city felt very safe, and the night market behind the drum tower could keep you busy for hours. The only thing that I was not impressed with in Xi’an was actually the terracotta warriors.  The story of the warriors and the crazy emperor was too much for me to comprehend as real. The farmer who discovered the site sits near overpriced books that he will gladly sign, and if you come back an hour later, it may be a different guy. If you ask who is this different guy signing books, they will say it is his “brother”.  The warriors do not look as old because they have been “restored”. To me they looked identical to the ones you could buy for US$600 at the museum shop. I wonder if any real carbon dating or other analysis has actually been done to determine if the age is correct. Even the shattered, half excavated statues looked like they were arranged. I don’t understand why the paint disappeared within minutes of being exposed to air. Doesn’t dirt have air in it? Why didn’t the wooden logs covering the burial rot away completely like wood does quickly when buried? I need to research it more. It is worth a visit, but to me (who is ignorant about archeological wonders of the world), disappointing.

Are the terracotta warriors real or fake????