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Karen Visits China
We got to Xi'an after a full day or more.... of traveling from Portland, very late on Sunday night. Everything went very smoothly for all of us, it was a great experience.
Today was incredible. We started the day driving through the city, getting a sense for how vast and crowded it is. We then went to the old city wall, the only remaining intact city wall in China (it completely encircles the city with a moat too!). We rented bikes and rode around on the wall (about 9 miles). There were many historically significant stops along the way; it was amazing to see the city from up above along the wall.
After that, we had a traditional hot pot lunch, it was really good:)
We took a drive through the countryside to see the Terracotta warriors part of Emperor Qin's (?) tomb. His tomb took 38 years and 7000 people to build. The Terracotta Warriors are one of the most impressive parts of his legacy. It is nearly impossible to explain the magnitude and incredible artistry that went into creating the warriors.
When then went to dinner at the famous dumpling house flanked by the bell and drum towers. Our Chinese Administrative partners joined us for the welcome dinner. It was great to see all of them again and we learned a lot about traditional toasts and greetings.
We then went to the Muslim Quarter, which was really lively, definitely a hot night spot. With limited time and energy to explore it fully this evening, we will be making another trip back.
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