Terracotta memories

Despite decades of travel, every so often I visit a place that delivers a “pinch me” moment. An experience so profound I’m in awe of it long after returning home. China’s world-renowned Terracotta Army is one such precious moment. Garry and I were lucky enough to visit this mind-boggling heritage site near Xian on 20 October 2003.

Our day started with an early morning visit to the Great Mosque of Xi'an. This proved to be a rather ramshackle affair with decaying stone buildings and dishevelled gardens. The complex opened in 742AD during the Tang dynasty. However, most of the structures visible today date from a restoration completed in 1384 AD.

We then went for a walk along Xi’an city wall. This is an extraordinary structure. The old city is completely surrounded by a 14 kilometre long series of imposing stone walls. These massive fortifications are 12 metres high and 15 metres wide. They trace a 36 square kilometre rectangle around the old city, separating it from the modern central business district outside.

The walls were built more than 637 years ago during the Ming Dynasty. When completed they were surrounded by a moat and featured intricate drawbridges, arched gateways and a series of guard towers. While the moat has long gone, the walls, gates and towers remain today. 

We kicked off our brief wall walk from the South Gate, the oldest and grandest of the wall’s four main gates. Then, with the help of the hotel concierge, we made our way by private taxi to the Terracotta Army Museum, approximately 40 kms from the old city.

The Terracotta Army was discovered on 29 March 1974 by a group of farmers digging a well approximately 1.5 km east of Emperor Qin Shi Huang’s tomb mound. The mound itself has never been opened. However, its terracotta companions have been extensively excavated, a work in progress that continues unabated today.

Four main pits approximately 7 metres deep have been excavated. Each is enclosed by an enclosed steel atrium that protects it from the weather. It appears that the soldiers within were laid out as if to protect the tomb from the east, the direction in which the emperor’s conquered states reside.

The largest pit, known as Pit 1, extends more than 230 metres and is 62 metres wide. It contains the main army consisting of more than 6,000 life-size figures. When it was originally constructed, it featured 11 corridors, about 3 metres wide, that were paved with bricks and enclosed by a wooden ceiling supported by large beams and posts. According to Wikipedia, this design was also used for the tombs of nobles and would have resembled palace hallways when built.

The entire site was then covered by more than two metres of overburden and thus remained hidden for two thousand years. Over the centuries the internal structure collapsed as the timbers decayed. However, since its discovery some of these filled corridors have been excavated and their rows of terracotta statues painstakingly restored from shattered fragments. 

Words simply cannot convey the size and scale of this excavation, nor the majesty of such an impressive ancient edifice.

The other pits on display proved equally memorable. I particularly liked Pit 2. It has cavalry and infantry units as well as war chariots. It’s thought to represent a military guard. Pit 3 is the command post, with high-ranking officers and a war chariot. We later learnt that Pit 4 is empty for reasons still unknown to scholars. 

Some of the site’s best-preserved finds have been put on display at an onsite museum. It houses several impressive examples of the warriors, life-size terracotta horses and a restored chariot. Again, words simply cannot describe how magical this entire experience was.  The Terracotta Army is one of those unique tourist attractions that really does exceed all expectations

As I reflect on this day, I still marvel at the fact that I was fortunate enough to return a decade later to share the experience with my parents. This was one of a bucket list of travel adventures I enjoyed with my father during his final year of life. Both he and Mum were blown away by the size and scale of this incredible archaeological site.

My return visit also came with a hidden benefit. During the first visit with Garry, I’d set the default resolution far too low on my digital camera. Sadly, this resulted in images that were rather small and grainy. For my return visit the camera’s resolution was set much higher.

We walked for miles that day before returning to collect our luggage and head for the airport. Our flight to Beijing left shortly after 8:00pm. We finally made it to our hotel shortly before midnight.  My company put us up at the Traders Hotel, centrally located in the Chaoyang Central Business District.

However, our stay in the capital got off to a bad start. When we opened the door to our hotel room, we discovered it hadn’t been cleaned. We were presented with a bed unmade and piled high with towels and crumpled sheets. After a long day, we didn’t enjoy dragging our luggage back down to the lobby, arranging a new room, and setting off to try a second room. It would be fair to say I lost my cool In reception.

Welcome to Xi'an

In October 2003 I travelled to China on business. At the time, my company had recently opened a network of offices in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. As regional director for Asia Pacific, I was travelling to meet some of our new team and pitch for local representation of a new global account in Shanghai. I was also in town to chaperone a US employee who was conducting an initial recognizance trip. At the time, he and his wife were looking to relocate from California to Beijing.

Garry accompanied me on the trip. As it was his first time in China, I tweaked my itinerary to squeeze in a few sightseeing activities along the way. This included a side trip to Xi’an to see the Terracotta Warriors, a tour of the Great Wall, a visit to the Forbidden City and a trip up the iconic Oriental Pearl Tower in Shanghai.

The Xi'an side trip kicked off our two-week stint in China. We flew directly into the city after transiting through Hong Kong, arriving at our hotel shortly before midnight on Saturday 18 October. We then flew to Beijing the following Monday for eight days before moving on to Shanghai for another four days.

Xi’an is an extraordinary place steeped in history. It was the capital of the Chinese Empire at various times over a period of more than 1,100 years. It is situated in the fertile valleys of the Wei and Yellow Rivers, traditionally known as the "cradle of Chinese civilization." The earliest evidence of human habitation dates back more than 6,000 years to the villages of primitive Chinese tribes.

Over 2,000 years ago, Emperor Qin Shi Huang, the first ruler to unify China, built his capital of Xianyang just east of modern-day Xi’an. The terracotta warriors surround Qin Shi Huang's tomb. They depict the emperor's ancient army and were buried with him in 210-209 BC to protect him in the afterlife.

The Han Dynasty that followed also established its capital near Xi’an, calling it Chang'an or "Eternal Peace". During this period, Chang'an was the starting point for the great trade caravans of the Silk Road. In the 5th century, the Sui Dynasty rebuilt Chang'an on the plain where modern Xian now stands.

By the 7th century, the Tang Dynasty reigned over the Golden Age of China, and Chang'an had become the largest and most cosmopolitan city in the world, attracting foreigners from all parts of Asia and beyond. In 1368, the ruler of the Ming Dynasty renamed the city Xi'an, meaning "Western Peace." I must admit that before we went to Xi'an I had very little appreciation for this remarkable history and, beyond the world-famous warriors, I knew nothing of its other ancient landmarks.

 

For our stay, my travel agent booked us into the Bell Tower Hotel in the heart of the old city. This proved a sage move. Our room included a full-width wall of windows that looked directly over the old city’s Bell Tower. Imagine this, as we entered our hotel room after a lengthy day of travel, we were greeted by the incredible view you see above. The scene was just as spectacular by day!

The Bell Tower is an impressive structure. It was built in 1384 during the early Ming Dynasty and sits in the very heart of the old city. Including its brick podium, the multi-story wooden tower stands 36 metres high. The podium itself is a perfect square measuring 35.5 metres along each side. For centuries a large internal drum functioned as a daily time reporting and news proclamation service. However, in more recent times, it’s become the symbol of Xi’an and is now considered one of the grandest of its kind in all of China.

We spent our first full day in Xi'an exploring the Bell Tower and other ancient landmarks including the Big Wild Goose Pagoda and Small Wild Goose Pagoda. We even climbed a series of narrow stone stairs inside the Small Wild Goose Pagoda to take in a view of the surrounding area and temple complex below. 

Unfortunately, as you can see from the photos we took, Xi'an was covered in a thick haze during our first full day in town. This haze is a combination of desert dust and smog generated by a growing population of more than eight million people. Sadly, in my experience, it's a ubiquitous hallmark of most Chinese cities these days.

The Small Wild Goose Pagoda was built between 707–709 AD, during the Tang dynasty. It was originally 45 metres high. However, an earthquake in 1556 destroyed the tower’s top two tiers. These were never repaired, thus leaving it at its current height of 42 metres. A rather unnerving crack that opened along its length during the quake also remains visible today.   

We also visited The Stele Forest Museum (also known as the Beilin Museum). This nondescript building houses more than 11,000 relics among which 19 are considered Chinese national treasures.  Some are stone steles and some are impressive stone sculptures. 

Its priceless artefacts include inscriptions from the Tang and Han dynasties that cover a variety of themes including Confucian teachings and the recounting of historical events. Fortunately for us, many of the more renowned steles included a plaque with a brief English description. We also had a local guide helping to interpret the more precious items.

In the stone sculpture room, one of its most famous exhibits is a pair of Stone Rhinoceros from Xianling Mausoleum. These creatures guarded the tomb of Li Yuan (the first emperor of Tang dynasty who ruled between 618 - 907 AD). Each animal is carved from a ten-ton bluestone and has a life-like expression on its face. The image above was sourced from the Internet as I forgot to take any of our own photos.

Much to our surprise we were also invited to sit on a stone Bixi. This is a mythical dragon with the shell of a turtle. For centuries the Chinese have used Bixi sculptures as decorative plinths for commemorative steles and tablets. The locals often rub them for good luck. Therefore, by straddling this mythical beast, I've supposedly set myself up for life.

Perhaps the most fascinating thing we witnessed during our visit was the copying of some steles. We watched as people wiped ink across the surface of a chosen stele before taking a print of it using enormous sheets of parchment paper. These rubbings are then sold to visitors in the museum's gift shop.

Follow this link to read about our visit to the Terracotta Warriors.

When in Rome

Here’s more about the vacation in Rome that Garry and I enjoyed in 2003. You’ll recall that our first full day in the City of Seven Hills involved a lengthy walking tour of its central districts. On the following day, we focused our attention on the Vatican City. This included visiting its acclaimed Vatican Museum, the Basilica of St Peters, and the colonnaded expanse of Piazza San Pietro. 

As all good tourists do, we explored all of the Vatican’s most popular sights including Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel ceiling, the spiraling Bramante Staircase, Madonna della Pietà and the crusader-plundered Egyptian obelisk in the heart of Piazza San Pietro. Naturally, I raced down the Bramante Staircase for a classic “look at me” photo opportunity.

Our visit to the Sistine Chapel was my second. I’d seen it previously while backpacking in Europe in 1990. However, at the time, a fresco of The Last Judgment which fills the chapel’s west wall was hidden by a canvas shroud as it underwent restoration. During this second visit, I finally saw Michelangelo’s spectacular fresco in all its glory. 

It was well worth the wait (and undoubtedly was a far better experience post-restoration). Likewise, the majesty of the chapel’s iconic “Creation of Adam” ceiling left us in awe. Gazing up at one of the world's most replicated religious paintings really is one of those “pinch me” moments. The photo above simply doesn’t do it justice.

However, our most memorable moment of the day happened while soaking up the view at Piazza San Pietro.  As we stood under its curving colonnade, one of Rome's notoriously ubiquitous pigeons chose that moment to dump a load on my head.  I swore like a drunken sailor, and as I did, turned to find a sweet old nun bearing witness to my colourful expletives.

Our final day in Rome saw us exploring the Coloseum from top to bottom and weaving our way through the Roman Forum's extensive ruins. I'd missed some of these ruins during my first visit as a backpacker and thus was able to cross more off my tourist bucket list. Highlights included the bowels of the imposing Flavian Palace and the dusky bowl of Circus Maximus forever immortalised by Charlton Heston's spectacular chariot race in the 1959 movie, Ben Hur. 

We also took an excursion across town to climb the Spanish Steps. This sweeping symmetrical staircase, considered Rome's traditional meeting place, was immortalised by Audrey Hepburn in the 1953 movie, Roman Holiday. Although it's somewhat ironic that these days local authorities do everything they can to dissuade people from lingering on the stairs. Sitting on them currently attracts a 400 euro fine.

We rounded off the day with another visit to the Trevi Fountain. I’d like to note that, for the record, we tossed a coin into its midst to ensure we’d return someday. However, twenty years on, our wish has yet to be fulfilled. 

Our European holiday finished with a five-day stopover in Singapore. Here I spent time working before finally returning to Sydney.  We flew in on 18 July, did the tourist thing over a weekend, and then flew out again on 23 July. 

While I worked Garry made himself comfortable by the pool at the Merchant Court Hotel in Clarke Quay.  He also joined me and Text 100's Singapore staff on Tuesday evening for a traditional Black Pepper and Chilli Crab feast. The team took us to one of its favourite crab venues, Jumbo Seafood in the East Coast Seafood Centre, where I've dined many times over the years.

However, it was my antics that once again created the stopover's most memorable moment. During our Singapore Airlines red-eye to Singapore, I took a sleeping pill with dinner to help me sleep. However, I timed its consumption poorly.  By the time dessert arrived, I was struggling to stay awake. Then, much to Garry's amusement, while eating my ice cream, I passed out mid-spoonful.

Who'd have guessed that our humble Italian vacation would kick off another two decades of globe-trotting adventures? In the years since we’ve stepped foot on every continent while visiting almost 70 countries along the way.

A first time for everything

The first vacation Garry and I took together was in Rome in July 2003. At the time, I was in London on business and had booked a side trip to Rome on the way home. This was to be my second visit to the Eternal City, having first visited in 1990. On a whim, I invited Garry to join me in the eternal city. He thought that was a grand idea and booked flights to meet me for my final days in London.

Garry flew in on Friday, 11 July. I met him at Leicester Square tube station in the early morning and escorted him to my hotel. I was staying at the Convent Garden Hotel, a favourite haunt in my early years of business travel to London as APAC Regional Director. We then spent two days hanging out in central London before flying to Rome on 13 July.

Our flight to Italy started badly. We caught the Piccadilly Line to Heathrow on Sunday morning. However, we judged poorly how long the Tube would take. As a result, we arrived shortly after check-in closed for our scheduled flight. British Airways kindly took pity on us and moved us to a later flight departing after lunch. However, I had to give up my ticketed business class seat - a small price to pay given the circumstances.

Once in Rome, we based ourselves in a hotel booked by my travel agent. It was located less than five minutes walk from the world-renowned Trevi Fountain. This proved to be the perfect location. By the day the surrounding laneways hummed with tourists, then after dark, the locals appeared, bringing a myriad of tiny cafes, bars, and pop-up market stalls to life.

Our first full day in Rome was spent visiting and exploring sights on a self-managed, walking tour of Central Rome.  By the time we were done, we'd covered more than nine kilometres on foot.  

We kicked off the day with sights close by our hotel. First up was the immortal Pantheon in the Piazza della Rotonda. I’ve always been fascinated by this impressive Roman structure with its soaring concrete dome punctuated by a dramatic oculus opening. It was commissioned by Emperor Hadrian to replace an earlier temple. Almost two thousand years later, the Pantheon's dome remains the world's largest unreinforced concrete dome.

Inside the building is just as impressive. While its walls and ceiling are no longer ornately clad and decorated, the scale of the building still leaves you in awe. The sun streaming through the oculus adds to the experience, flooding its cavernous interior with natural light. The Romans were far more advanced than those of us looking back really appreciate.

From the Patheon, it was on to the Tiber River to walk across the historic St. Angelo Bridge, past the Castel Sant'Angelo, and on to Via della Coniliazione where we caught our first, fleeting glimpse of St Peters Basilica in the distance. We then followed the river before branching off towards Janiculum Hill.  In the sweltering afternoon heat, we made our way up Passeggiata del Gianicolo to enjoy the Roman skyline from the popular Belvedere del Gianicolo terrace. 

Our central city circuit continued with a stop at the Church of San Pietro in Montorio. This intimate chapel was painted by none other than Donato Bramante and Michelangelo. Although during our visit it was decked out beautifully in white flowers for a wedding. We later learned that it’s a popular wedding venue in part because a cobblestone plaza out front offers a picture-perfect backdrop of the city’s red-tiled roofs. 

We then crossed back over the Tiber and took a detour to climb the steps to Campidoglio. This elegant hilltop plaza was designed by Michelangelo. These days it's lined with museums and offers a memorable view of the Septimius Severus Arch and the Roman Forum.

We finished our day with a quick side trip to see the Monument to Victor Emmanuel II, complete a circuit of the Colosseum, and catch a glimpse of the Roman Forum at sunset. We returned to our hotel as darkness fell and the locals came out to play.  

Our evening was spent wandering the cobbled laneway of Via del Lavatore in search of the thinnest, crispest pizza crust in all of Rome. We eventually found our perfect slices on display in a small hole-in-the-hole pizzeria.

Looking back, 20 years later, I'm impressed by how far we walked that day. I'm equally impressed that we did it all without Google Maps or an internet-enabled phone. Instead, we relied on nothing more than a few maps and recommendations printed in a good old-fashioned Lonely Planet guide. The same dog-eared guide is still sitting on a shelf at home today.

Follow this link for more of our adventures in Rome.