Terracotta Warriors and Muslim Quarter

In Australia we don't have any man-made structures that are really old. China, on the other hand, has many such old places to visit. So, in the sweltering heat of the day we visited the Terracotta Warriors of the Qin Dynasty, followed by an evening exploring the Muslim Quarter within Xi'an's City Walls.

Terracotta Warriors

Xi'an is famous for it's Terracotta Warriors unearthed in March 1974 by local farmers digging a well. The warriors with horses and chariots were built for Emperor Qin on his death. Once brightly painted, the centuries (and probably lots of tourists) have greatly faded the warriors, who now have that typical brown ceramic appearance.

Three pits are in the process of being excavated, all of which share the same basic structure. They are about 5 metres below the present ground level. Within the pits the terracotta figures are placed in corridors divided by earth-rammed partitioned walls. The corridors were originally paved with pottery bricks on which the warriors were placed. The roof is constructed of thick rafters and covered with layers of fibre mats and tilled earth. Sloping roadways of rammed earth lead into and out of the pits. The pits were designed to totally conceal the Terracotta Army.

The largest and grandest of the pits is Pit 1, estimated to contain 6,ooo warriors and horses. This pit measures 230 metres from east to west and 62 metres from north to south. The pit containes the earliest brick wall ever discovered in China.

The U-shaped third pit, discovered in June 1976 and considered the "command centre" of Pits 1 and 2, conatained only 68 warriors, 1 chariot and 34 bronze weapons. The second pit, larger than the third pit, appeared largely unexcavated. And over 40,000 weapons have been unearthed so far. Some weapons are chrome-plated to obviate the destructive effects of corrosion. An information placard stated, "The chrome-plating technology was invented by the Germans, Americans in 1937 and 1950, but it had emerged in China 2,200 years before. How amazing it is!".  

The site of the warriors was about an hour out of Xi'an. Entry cost 90 RMB. On site, there was also a museum to peruse.  

Muslim Quarter

Comprises a number of narrow and bustling streets in the vicinity of the Drum Tower. The main strip is called Beiyuanmen which runs north from the Drum Tower.  It is home to Xi'an's Hui population, one of China's many ethnic minorities. We found a number of things to do in the Muslim Quarter.

Taste the local food - Sample food and snacks from the local Hui restaurants and street stalls. They serve anything from lamb skewers, to a bread and lamb dish, to "Chinese hamburgers" where the tender meat is taken from a large bubbling pot, to pastry-like snacks and peanut brittle. At the entrance to the Muslim Quarter you can find a large market specialising in dried fruits.

Buy a pet - At night we came across a guy selling crickets in little cages. If you're not in the market for a cat or dog, a cricket maybe just what you're looking for.  

Visit the Mosque - The Great Mosque of Xi'an is nestled in the back alleys of the Muslim Quarter. It dates back to 742AD in the Tang Dynasty and is a blend of traditional Chinese and Islamic architecture. On our first attempt to visit we arrived at closing time at 8pm. We returned the following day, Wednesday. Entrance fee 25RMB which includes a little guidebook in both Chinese and English. Early to mid-morning was an ideal time to visit as there were few tourists around. People were happy to have their photo taken. We met some Hui people who lived in the dwellings around the mosque, in addition to a group visting from Ningxia Province north west of Xi'an.  Prayer time, well, the one we were present for, was held at 1.10pm.  Here, you can hear the call to the prayer and peer into the dimly lit prayer hall. The grounds of the mosque were well presented and were pleasant to stroll around.  

Go Shopping - the narrow alleys of the Muslim Quarter, particularly around the mosque, are packed with vendors selling souvenirs. You can get anything from T-shirts to Mao paraphernalia to America's Most Wanted playing cards with Saddam Hussein staring back at you from the box. We picked up some elegant scrolls and ink drawings from one of the many calligraphy stores. The shop we patronised even had illustrated scrolls appended with verses from the Bible! In the main street you can buy more up market clothes, including tailor-made traditional Chinese dresses.