Breathe In and Relax

I've been having problems getting blogs to post for the past few weeks. Let's see if this works!

I stepped out of the train station in Xi'an and immediately started doing two things: sweating and coughing. Though the heat was welcome after still-chilly Qingdao, I was less enthused by the almost-tangible pollution. Looking at the sky, I could see a gray haze enveloping the city. Thankfully, a breeze was present for our few days in Xi'an, cleaning the air enough that my coughing didn't persist, but I could always feel the grime sticking to my sunscreen-coated skin. At night, I blew my nose to find it gray and noticed my new white shoelaces weren't quite so white anymore.

            The air aside, I thoroughly enjoyed Xi'an. The weekend was peaceful and stress-free, a welcome respite from recent life in Qingdao. Other than visiting the warriors, we had no set plans in Xi'an so Saturday found us wandering around the city. We ended up in the Muslim Quarter, a maze of streets crammed with small stores selling souvenirs and artwork. Getting to an eye-catching store was often a process as the narrow streets were filled with rickshaws and mopeds, while the sidewalks were home to vendors and snack carts selling unleavened bread, nuts, prunes and more. Nestled deep in the heart of the Quarter was the mosque, easily mistaken for a traditional Chinese building if not for the sign.

            As evening approached, I hypothesized that the sunset might be beautiful (there is an urban legend that pollution accentuates color), so we climbed the wall surrounding the city. From the top of the wall, we had a good view of the city but not of the sun, which sank out of sight into the pollution cloud long before it sank beneath the horizon. Many people on bicycles passed us as we strolled (it's a popular activity to bike along the wall). I noted that while the rental places offered a helmet along with the bike, they were never taken up on their offer!

            On Sunday we joined fellow travelers from our hostel on a tour to the Terracotta Warriors. Actually, after learning the meeting place/time in case someone got lost from the tour, we purposefully lost the tour and went to explore on our own!

            The first emperor of the Qin Dynasty, Qin Shi Huang, conquered neighboring states to unite China for the first time. He codified the legal system, created an administrative system, standardized a written script, and supervised the connection of walls into the Great Wall. The emperor took the throne when he was only 13, then immediately began construction on his tomb. Over 8,000 life-size clay statues of warriors, chariots, and horses were created to defend his tomb and help the emperor rule another kingdom in the afterlife. Each statue is unique, with individual facial expression and insignia.  Even more remarkable than the hundreds that have been unearthed is the knowledge that there are probably thousands more still buried.

            There are three main pits, each of which has been covered with a large roofed building and outfitted with viewing areas along the perimeter. We began in Pit 2, an area that has just begun to be renovated. Along the edges of the pit, the initial findings can be seen: a broken horse's foot, the cracked edge of a tunic, a disembodied head, a graveyard emerging from red dirt.

            Pit 3 is smaller, almost completely uncovered and host to more complete figures. Four horses stand proudly while soldiers guard against the ganders of death. Pit 3 was my favorite because it was small enough to walk around easily and see all sides of the statues.             Pit 1, the biggest and most daunting in terms of sheer scope. The building that houses Pit 1 is easily the size of a football stadium; only 1/3 has been uncovered so far but even that much is impressive. Gazing down at the tomb, rows and rows of men at attention stare blankly back. The array made me wonder just how terrified the emperor was of death to build thousands of clay warriors that could symbolically protect him.

            I also wondered how in the world no one remembered this undertaking occurred! China has a well-documented history, but the making of the Terracotta Warriors was forgotten, only discovered in 1974 when a team of farmers began to dig a well and discovered it. For interesting facts about the discoverers and what they are doing now, see: http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23411521-curse-of-the-terracotta-army-how-those-who-discovered-relic-suffered-ruined-lives.do

            Sunday evening we went back to the Muslim Quarter to buy small statues of the soldiers, as well as pick up other gifts. The role of barterer fell to me and I was ruthless, demanding a fair price instead of the tourist price. My tactic is to speak in Chinese and be polite but firm, offering the price I am willing to pay and not budging while the seller steadily comes down. Eventually it reaches a point where the seller tells me they can go no lower, so I say "I understand, thank you for your time" and walk away. When they call me back (it works every time), I know I've gotten the deal. I also know that they won't sell anything if they don't make a profit so all the grumbling is for show and I've likely gotten closer to the price a Chinese buyer would get instead of the price a random white tourist pays.

            The craziest bargaining story is that of the hunt for statues. I can't say what kind, as I got two and am giving one as a gift to my dad (Sorry, Dad, it's a secret!).  I'd been looking at the statues at several different places, where the average price was 85 RMB. I decided I would be willing to pay 50 each and set out to make it happen.

             I ended up at a small store run by a small woman in a head scarf. After "browsing," I casually asked how much it would cost to buy one statue and was told 150 RMB, an outrageous price compared to other stores. Nevertheless, I began the bargaining. "Will you give me a discount if I buy two?" She got out her calculator and punched 250. I shook my head, explaining that I was a student and didn't have much money. I then offered 100 for the pair and was met with more head-shaking. The dance continued, with her coming down to 200 and me declining. Eventually, she found a smaller version of the statue and offered me 100 for the small pair, but I stood my ground. I tried to leave once (as a tactic) but she forcibly stood between me and the door, offering 150. I punched 100 on the calculator again and when she shook her head, I decided to leave for real.

            The tiny woman blocked me again. I tried to shove my way to the door as she gripped my arm to hold me in place; Madison tried to come to my rescue, grabbing the older woman's free arm to propel her away from me. I ended up dragging the surprisingly-strong woman along with me ("Fine, 130! 120!"), eventually utilizing some self-defense training to twist my arm out of her grasp. "Ok, 110!" she hollered as I neared the door, then sighed and got a bag. I smiled, recognizing that even though my heart is pounding and my arm is sore, that I had gotten the better end of the deal. The woman gave me the bag and I gave her 100 RMB. She then demanded 10 more and I fought back, "I always told you 100!" Thankfully, a younger employee had come out of the backroom to watch the end of the transaction (the loud part) and decided that I was right. On the street, I couldn't breathe for a minute, but not because of the pollution! After calming down my fight-or-flight response, I went on my thankfully-uneventful shopping and pleasant weekend in Xi'an! You better like this statue, Dad!