Xian

2 may 2012

Yum..... veg dumplings and steaming hot soya milk for breakfast.

Spent this morning at another excavation site seeing the remains of another emperor's preparation for the afterlife. This one was an emperor from the Han dynasty so the relics were much more a reflection of daily life: animals, birds, everyday people, chariots and carts. In many ways this was even more interesting than the Terracotta Army as you got a much clearer picture of what life must have been like in this period of Chinese history.

 Decide to walk round the whole of Xian on the city wall this afternoon. It's a brilliant way to see the expanse of the city and to get a glimpse of the incredible amount of building work going on outside the city walls. I met a bunch of very hip students in a great cafe whose owner had a dressed poodle - all very Tokyo like...... except for the sandwich we were served complete with plastic gloves. I was there to have my first Chinese lesson - hopefully some of the useful phrases will stick for a few days at least!!!