We would have liked to spend much more time in Lhasa, but it was time to fly to Xian where we arrived in the afternoon. There, Jon and Susan, having visited Xian and Beijing previously, left us to catch their planned flight to Shanghai and return to Adelaide.
Xian is a very significant archeological region in China, best known for the fabulous terra cotta warriors discovered in the 1970s by farmers digging a well. The warriors are part of a vast underground terra cotta army built at the behest of Emperor Qing to guard his tomb. Hundred of thousands of conscripts were involved in the construction that took decades to complete. Ironically though, within a year of Qing’s death there was a peasant revolt and the tomb was broken into and torched and the terra cotta warriors smashed. But over the past thirty years they have been pieced back together and are now displayed in the pits in which they were discovered. This is a great place, and a must-see destination on a visit to China.
Our time in Xian coincided with the date of this year’s Moon Festival and moon cakes were selling like hotcakes in all the stores. At one department store we saw an enormous moon cake encircled and guarded by 32 security officers with linked hands. The store manager said a few words, then the store staff carved off enormous chunks of the cake and distributed them to the excited and appreciative crowd.
Xian has a large muslim community and we had dinner twice at the muslim night market in the centre of town. The food here is excellent, particularly the kebabs.
