Xi'an - November 2009
So we crossed the border from Hong Kong to Shenzhen and went straight to the Shenzhen Airport to catch a flight to Xi'an. We heard reports of snow and flight delays, but the flight boards on time. We end up sitting on the tarmac for about an hour before the flight takes off. After landing, we sit on the plane for another 45 minutes waiting for a bus to shuttle us from the plane to the terminal. Apparently, they didn't have enough buses to handle the back log of flights. Any way, we went from shorts weather to snow in the course of a few hours!
The airport is actually pretty far from the city, itself. It took about 45 minutes by taxi to get to the hotel. We went for dinner at the nearby Xi'an Restaurant and barely arrived before they closed the kitchen at 9pm.
The next day, we hopped on a bus and went to see the terracotta warriors.
The following day, we went to the Da Ci'en Temple (along with the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda) and the Shaanxi Museum.
The next day, we left for the relatively warmer weather of Shanghai.
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This wall of photos shows some of the many unique faces that make up the terracotta army.
If I remember correctly. these figures are from the Tang Dynasty.
According to a tour guide, this tree inside of the courtyard has special meaning. Wood in a square (困), in Chinese writing, means stuck or trap. This picture doesn't show the entire courtyard. It is completely enclosed with two gates on opposite walls. When the enemy breaks through the first gate, the Xi'an soldiers let some of the enemy through before sealing off the first gate. The enemy is then trapped inside the courtyard.
