Xian: The Ancient Capital of China
For my train trip to Xian, I reserved a “soft sleeper”, which is one of four soft beds in a “private” compartment. I shared the room with three Chinese business men who spoke very little English. Needless to say, we smiled a lot, but didn’t say much. The best thing about taking sleeper trains is that you don’t “waste” your time traveling during the day. Going to bed at 10:30, I was woken by the attendant at 5:00 so I could prepare to get off at Xian. Thirty minutes later, I emerged from the Xian train station bright and early to find a sleepy city that hadn’t seemed to be away yet.
Instead of taking a taxi which would have cost 10 yuan ($1.50), I decided to take an auto rickshaw (the same type that had been such an experience in India). The driver was obviously poor and illiterate, so I figured I was helping him instead of giving a taxi driver the business. After a slow, excruciating ride, he wanted to charge me 30 yuan! I gave him 25 and chalked it up to a bit of charity.
After finding my hostel, I explored the Bell Tower and the Drum Tower, which are located at the center of the old city. Built only a few centuries ago (if it hasn’t been around for 800 or 1000 years, it’s not considered old here), the bell was rang out to signify dawn and the drums were played at dusk, indicating the start and end of the day.
Islam in China
Even better than the Drum and Bell Towers, though, was my visit to the Muslim Quarter of Xian. Yeah, you read that right, the Muslim Quarter. Because Xian was at the beginning of the fabled Silk Road (or end depending on your viewpoint), it had a lot of contact with Muslim merchants, and consequently Islam spread into China.
*Historical Side Note* For those of you who are a bit rusty on your Silk Road history, the Silk Road was the trade route that extended through Central Asia and connected China with the Middle East and Europe. Although it was eventually called the “Silk” Road, many other goods such as Chinese porcelain, tea, and other valuable goods were exchanged for various goods from the Middle East and Europe. Most merchants did not travel the whole, perilous route, but instead went back and forth along a section of the route and traded the goods with other merchants who traveled different sections. Of course the price of the goods would increase with every exchange, so that by the end of the route, the silks and other merchandise would be much more expensive. However, for wealthy Arabs and European noblemen who were able to pay the higher prices, the silks and other exotic goods were worth having.
The Great Mosque and the Muslim population of Xian are striking reminders of the contact that China had with central Asia, and it is one of the few examples of foreign ideas influencing this otherwise isolated civilization. It was also fascinating to see the mosque because it had no resemblance to any mosque I’d ever seen before, instead looking like any other ancient Chinese temple. The worshipers and the inside, however, definitely had a Muslim look about them.
While I was there, I heard the Muslim call to prayer, which sounded similar to the call I’d heard in Turkey and India. However, when I ran into a person who was staying at my hostel immediately afterward, who speaks Arabic, he said that it was difficult for him to understand what was being said. They were definitely speaking Arabic, but with a thick Chinese accent!
It was quite an introduction to the ancient capital of China.
The Terracotta Warriors: the Main Attraction
For anyone who comes to Xian, the Terracotta Warriors are one of the main attractions. As usual, the World Heritage Tour website is a great way to check them out. As usual, Wikipedia’s entry on the Terracotta Warriors has a fairly good page of descriptions with Creative Commons pictures that can be used for non-commercial use without violating copyright law.
A quick overview: If you are too lazy to click on the links above, I’ll give you a short background of the site, though I HIGHLY recommend checking out the sites above.
The warriors were found accidentally in 1974 by some Chinese farmers who were digging a well. Since their discovery, thousands of warrior sculptures have been uncovered. Each statue is unique, and no two faces are the same! The warriors were created during the reign of the first Chinese emperor to unite China, named Shi Huangdi and were placed in his tomb to act as his guardians and army in the afterlife. Shi Huangdi was also the first Chinese leader to begin construction of the Great Wall of China. Although he was a brutal ruler, he holds a special place in Chinese history as the first emperor and builder. Shortly after his death, his empire fell apart and a raging army sacked his tomb, destroying many of the terracotta warriors. What we see left over today are the remnants of his tomb and the impressive army of warriors that were made so that he could continue his rule after death.
During my trip to see the warriors, it was obvious why they are such a popular attraction. Housed on a campus that looks like it could be an evil lair in the next Austin Powers movie, the warriors are displayed in their original pits where a visitor can appreciate the massive undertaking while a few have been displayed in glass casings that allow the visitor to see them in a more up close and personal way. You can literally feel the history under your feet as you gaze down into the enormous pits or face to face as you examine them up close. It is overwhelming to imagine how much time, effort, and how many resources it took to create such an elaborate tomb. It is also exciting to ponder how many more treasures are buried round the world that will eventually be found. We are still finding evidence that will improve our understanding of history.
Of course, they are boring unless you have a little fun too! Even though it cost 10 yuan, I had to have my picture taken as a terracotta warrior and goofed around with a fake terracotta warrior outside of one of the shops! It was a great place to visit, and I hope that you all have the opportunity some day. Until then, check out the World Heritage Tour website and take a look around for yourself.
I’m off to explore more of Xian. I’ll check in soon with more stories, and hopefully more goofy pictures! 
Hi Mr.Roberg,
I checked out those websites and I really liked the video that shows the Terracotta Warriors, I felt like I was right there! Over April vacation my family and I went to Disnry’s Epcot in Florida. In Epcot they have World Showcase, where it is like your traveling all over the World. They have a mini Germany, Japan, China, France, and more countrys but each one seened exacly like the real country. While visiting ‘China’ we went in a Chinsese temple/museum and they had some of the Terracotta Warriors there!! It was pretty cool to see something a few thousand years old and I really liked how different each Warrior was different. Too bad they did’nt have fake Terracotta Warriors at the gift shop like they did in the acual China! Anyway what was it like to stay in the ‘Soft Sleeper’ with people that don’t even speak your language? How do you think thay thought of you?
-Katrina
I’ll have to check out the Disney place. It sounds fun. I would be interested in comparing the spots to the “real thing” now that I’ve been here.
As for sleeping in on a train with strangers, I’ve had no problems in India, China, or Europe. Sometimes there are people who speak English, and sometimes there aren’t. Last night, I just traveled by “hard sleeper” (which isn’t much harder than a “soft sleeper”, and softer than the “hard sleeper” in India) and talked to two Chinese people. One was a young man who liked basketball and watches the NBA and the other was a young middle-aged woman who wanted to practice her English. They were both very nice. When we had trouble understanding each other’s pronunciation, the man would take out his cell phone and use a program to translate.
In the long run, traveling by sleeper train is not only a great way to “meet the locals”, but it accomplishes two things at once - sleeping and traveling! I much prefer train travel over anything else, except for maybe a cruise ship.
Thanks for checking in.
why are you complaining about giving 5 dolars to a person who is poor when they give you a ride
Dear Jon,
I think you make a good point, in a sense. It would seem that $5 is not a lot for a ride. The problem is that the story gets lost in translation. I know it is hard for Americans and other Westerners to imagine, but the cost of living in developing countries like India and China truly are staggeringly low. A loaf of bread is under $1, a bottle of Coke is 50 cents, and a full meal in a restaurant costs less than $5. Now take into account that an official actual taxi would have cost $1.
It is not the actual $5 that I took offense to. I know that I had a choice to take the taxi instead, and have a standard charge when the meter was turned on. But that was the point. I figured that I would help out a poor gentleman by going with him instead. When charged me 5 times what it would have cost to take a safer and cleaner mode of transportation, I was a bit disappointed.
I hope that helps explain what I was trying to say. Thanks for bringing up a good point.