aroundtheworldwJudy: CHINA - in preparation for the New Year Spring Festival

Terra cotta Army at Lintong

More than 8000 terracotta warriors, 500 horses, and a great number of chariots stand silently guarding the region of the tomb of Chin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China at Lintong near Xian. Their presence is testimony to his power and magnitude in the year 210 B.C. The purpose of this terra cotta army was to protect the Emperor in his afterlife.

In this place the word awesome is most fitting.

We saw in the visitor’s center an elderly man, one of the peasants who discovered this archeological wonder while digging a well in 1973. The Chinese government continues

the amazing restoration of this site which was known to exist through legend but lost in it’s location.

Nearby were sophisticated bronze sculptures of a fanciful carriage and a team of horses.

XIAN

Xian’s old city wall from the Tang Dynasty, 618 – 907 BCE is a rare and complete city fortification. The rampart is decorated for the Chinese New Year Spring Festival. Looking down from the wall on the inside is the ancient city of Xian. On the outside are parks and people busy with their lives.

The air quality in Xian was appalling – they all called it ‘fog’ but our sore red eyes and sore throats made us think “smog” not “fog.”

City Wall decorated for New Year

Ramp to the old city

An elderly man's exercise in the park spinning a top using a whip.

Street vendor below in the old city.

Barbers in white coats cutting hair on the side of the bridge in the "new city"


Is that "fog" or is that "smog"?

Traffic, traffic, .... and traffic ..... everywhere, always.

We visited the Tang Theater and enjoyed a spectacular display of traditional Chinese dance.

Central City Bell Tower with Spring Festival street decorations ... and a charming Police wagon.

My dear friend Lee Pope came aboard in Shanghai --- while I was off leading a full-day Field Lab at the Shanghai Museum with my Collage Class. So much fun to share 3 weeks of adventure and fun from Shanghai to Xian to Hong Kong with Lee. We look forward to Vietnam and Singapore together.

Our Semester at Sea group visited an orphanage for children of incarcerated parents. The “orphans” and the SAS students played together and performed for each other …. And we all danced “Gangman Style” together.

"Call Me Maybe" performed by 7 SAS'ers

Muslim’s make up about 1% of Xian’s 8 million population. We visited the Muslim Mosque just at the hour of the call to prayer and later explored the Muslim Bazaar with the food, fabric, and trinket vendors - a great sensation.

This stall is NOT for the vegetarians - nor would this meat-eater even consider eating this street food.

This jolly vendor steams small pudding cakes.

Outside the grocery stores people are lined up to purchase meats for the holidays.

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Hong Kong

We rejoined the MV Explorer in Hong Kong for a couple chilly, damp and busy days.

The tram ride to Victoria Peak took us up into the thick clouds with zero visibility. It was much colder than we anticipated so we ‘just had to’ buy Chinese silk jackets and pashmina scarves to be warm enough. We enjoyed parading our new jackets back on the ship at Happy Hour with the Faculty and Staff as the ship left Hong Kong, headed next for Vietnam.