The Qing dynasty lasted only 15 years, but it is very important because it was the first to unify China. During this period common methods of writing, weights and measures, etc. were established that are still in use today.
Today we started out at the terra cotta warriors, who guard the tomb of this emperor. This is a world heritage site. It's the largest museum in China built at the site of discovery. It's about an hour from town. The site is as excellent as you might imagine. We were able to take pictures because the archeologists are away at this time. I particularly enjoy the fact that the site is a work in progress. The discovery continues, and it lends an air of excitement.
We headed back into town and visited the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, which is one of China's best examples of a Tang-style pagoda (squarish). It was built to house the Buddhist sutras brought back from India by a monk who studied there for 17 years. Upon his return he was offered a governor position, but declined. He spent the last 19 years of his life translating scriptures with a crack team of linguist monks. The word pagoda come from an Indian term togoba. During the troubles in recent history, religious places were closed or destroyed unless they were actively used. Most monks were forced out. One persevered at this location, in the face of great trials. He is interred here as a hero, and he is the reason an active monastery is located here now.
We had lunch at a local restaurant. The kungpao chicken had a vinegary, perfumey sauce, with peppercorns as well as red peppers. The broccoli and tofu came with a salty gravy, mostly on the tofu.
We next visited the Little Goose Pagoda and the city museum. The top of this pagoda was shaken off in the middle of the 16th century, but it still has 15 progressively smaller tiers. There is a garden area filled with authentic old stone posts which were originally located ouside houses and used for tying horses.
The city museum was a find. The have some wonderful treasures in the permanent exhibit: ceramics, figurines (many still painted), Ming-dynasty seals and jade artifacts. I have never seen so many high quality pieces of this type together. Of course, as Vanessa pointed, out, we are in China. :-) There is a large scale model of Xi'an when it was in its prime. Each large block had a wall around it. Everyone must be inside their living place each night. The authorities knew exactly where each household was located. They used this information for conscription to service, such as for the military and tomb-building. Upstairs was another exhibit of gold and jade objects.
Our last stop was the Great Mosque. It is one of the largest mosques in China, and reflects both Arabic and Chinese features. It is said to have been founded in the 8th century.
One gets to the mosque by walking thru a pretty-well organized market.
Our guide informed us that over 90% of the people in China are Han, and they are subject to the one child policy. There are also 55 minorities. the Chinese Muslims may have 2 children. Some minorities, such as the Turkish-speaking Chinese and the Tibetans may have as many children as they wish.
The jewel today could not be anything other than the terra cotta warriors, but I also very much enjoyed the city museum. Tomorrow we are going to squeeze in a visit to the tomb of Emporer Jingdi before our departing flight at 11 am. Tomorrow will be our longest day as we travel home thru 4 countries on 3 flights (and cross the date line again).
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