June 23, 2010 - Terra Cotta Warriors

Today was one of the most incredbible experiences I've ever had with People to People! We met Junpeng Yang before we went to see the Terra Cotta Warriors. I know, the name meant nothing to me before I made this trip, and it's not a name you usually hear. However, Junpeng Yang was the farmer who discovered the Terra Cotta Warriors on the property he was farming! He gave us a first-hand account of what it was like to make the discovery and was gracious enough to take questions afterwards. He is 82 now, and his health is failing, but he was full of energy today. Even with the interpreter, the excitement was evident and we could almost understand what he was saying by watching his gestures. It was an amazing experience that not many delegations are able to have.

The first thing we did today was go to the official factory where the replicas of the warriors are made. We were able to work some clay and fashion a warrior. It was a little strange working on the warrior. They had background music playing while we worked, and it was Christmas carols. That was a unique way to remember the experience!

Before we went to see the Warriors, we stopped by the Flying Goose Pagoda. There is a beautiful Buddhist temple there, with picturesque grounds and peaceful atmosphere. The temple was once the major attraction in Xi'an, before the Warriors were discovered. We stopped by the garden to the side of the temple to see the Happy Buddha and rub his tummy for good luck.

The Terra Cotta Warriors were made to protect the emperor in the afterlife. There are thousands of these life-sized figures of soldiers, generals and horses. They have been found in three pit areas. Pit 1 is the largest and holds the most warriors. Only one warrior, the kneeling archer, was found intact. The rest have been reconstructed over time by archeologists. They continue to work on the discovery today.

Dinner was another exceptional experience. We went to a dinner theater for a dumpling banquet and entertainment. The banquet was unbelievable. First we were served the usual over-abundance of food in traditional Chinese style. Then, they brought 10 different types of dumplings for us. There was a good variety of meats and fish, and the last was a walnut dumpling. Yum!!

We celebrated two delegates' birthdays at the banquet. Naeem's birthday is today, and Connor Timmons' is tomorrow. They played "Happy Birthday" and brought them a Chinese traditional noodle bowl to celebrate.

The entertainment was tradtional music and dancing from the Tang dynasty era. The costumes were beautiful, and the music was captivating. All in all, it was a great ending to a wonderful day.

The delegates who previously had difficulty finding phone cards were able to purchase them, and are being encouraged to call home to their loved ones who miss their voices.