Oh, my analytical mind…

Yesterday we saw the Terracotta warriors. It was overwhelming. There are over 8,000 terracotta officers, calvary men (with horses), archers and infantry men that were buried in 210BC! There are three pits. No two of the soldiers or horses are the same: there were no molds, they were done by hand. It is truly a wonder. And archaeologically, very exciting. There was no record of this army before it was stumbled upon by a couple of farmers digging a well in the 1970s.

I cannot believe that this was done over 2200 years ago. For example, a cross bow trigger (sorry for the low quality of the photograph):

Apparently, the pits serve public interest in the day and the archaeologists work in the evenings.  In the back of pit one was their area to reassemble the destroyed figures:

Such a complex and wondrous puzzle!  It reminds me, morbidly, of my forensic anthropology class, where Dr. Kimmerly talked of reassembling skeletons found in mass graves.  Putting all the hands in one place, the skulls in another… working tediously to make thousands of parts into hundreds of wholes.

Leaving the warriors, we visited a bell tower.  It stands directly in the center of Xi’an, and was even moved once to maintain this when the city’s layout changed.   The view from the top shows how Xi’an keeps to its deep historic roots in their modern architecture:

We had eaten a late lunch and decided to wander in the nearby Muslim Quarter before dinner.  The roads twisted like a labyrinth, the sky overhead obstructed by canopies over the shops which stood in all empty space, spilling on top of each other and into the street, where no cars could pass.  Is that a run on sentence?  Anyway, I found a mysterious object that I plan to give to my most mysterious friend for use in a cryptic plan that he gave to me in the past.  I doubt he has any clue what I mean, which makes the whole mess quite delightful.  Our journey through the maze of alleys ended at a mosque.  It was beautiful but strange, to see the blending of two distinct cultures.

We were there when one of the day’s prayers commenced, and it was interesting to see the Chinese men all bustling to the structure at the back of the complex, throwing off their shoes and rushing to meet the other worshipers.  All white hats and strange, song like chants, they prostrated, knelt, stood, and laid down again.

On the way back out of the area and to our van/dinner, we passed a small tea shop.  Anne collects teapots so we went inside and the apparent owners started pouring us cup after cup of delicious tea.  I am grateful that Qingliang bought some, I would have felt awful leaving without a purchase, but I simply don’t need anymore tea!

(A man steeps yet another cup of tea for our enjoyment)

Dinner was fabulous, the best I’ve had since arriving in China.  It was called “hot pot” and was rather like fodue.  Except instead of oil, we cooked our own meats and vegetables in boiling water.

It was delicious, I wish I could describe it!  The woman in the front in Qingliang, she was great.

So this morning we arose at 5:30 and were on another plane, bound for Chengdu, by 7:30am.  We came to Chengdu for one night, in order to go to their famous panda preserve.  We saw so many pandas!! Learning about their habits, I grow doubtful that their low numbers are due solely, or even mostly, to human beings.  They live completely solitary lives, save one time a year when they may or may not mate.  When they do, it hardly ever works.  When it does work, they eat freaking bamboo!  They can only get 20% of it as nutrition, so their life LITERALLY consists of eating as much bamboo as possible, and trying not to move too much.  I don’t understand.  I have no attraction to these creatures except that they are cute.  They are not noble or intelligent or amazing… they are stupid.  I feel it is rather ridiculous to go through so much trouble to save a species that has no interest in saving itself.  These things happen, extinction.  If it is our fault we should do our best to stop it, but I am apt to believe that this is not the case, and altering nature to STOP extinction seems just as wrong as altering it to cause it.  Is this evil?  My point is cold and scientific, I know. Sorry.  But they are also severely adorable, which makes me want to save them all.  Does that make it the right thing to do?

(baby panda– illegal picture.  I turned off the flash.)

(nap time, wherever it happens)

(playful fighting)

(Group nap– how they get nonsocial creatures who are biologically programmed to have their own territory to sleep like this is beyond me.  But I like to look at it!)

After the pandas (which I did enjoy, I am just less impressed with their lifestyle and admirable qualities than I thought I would be), we had dinner and returned to the hotel.  We were all falling asleep on the way home, and it is time.  Tomorrow we fly to Chongqing to start our river cruise.  This should be most relaxing and I am intensely looking forward to it.

I am 70 pages from finishing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows and I can barely bring myself to look at the book.   I can see what is going to happen, basically.  One can never be sure with this, though.  Rowling’s writing style is decent but her plot is genius, I love it.  You start to think you know what is going to happen and then it does happen but not nearly how you thought it would.  It is so difficult to finish a series, really.  I was thinking about it, and I love British series.  Narnia, Hitchhikers’ Guide…   When I finish them I feel sad for a week.  I will have to do it, though.  Right now.

Goodnight, and wish me luck, please.