It has been a while since my trip to China, (1997) but Xian is worth the trip even if you would see nothing else.

The story of how the artifacts were found is just amazing. A farmer, who was plowing, uncovered a head. He took it home and his parents made him take it back because they thought it would bring bad luck. Fortunately, someone who heard about it convinced him to dig further and that is how this startling discovery came about.

The farmer's reward from the wonderful Communist government of China: a wheelbarrow! However, he now sits in the gift shop at the site and if you buy the book about the terra cotta soldiers, he will autograph it for $1.00!

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Wonderful photos and descriptions! Thank you!! I have always heard about those buried statues and would love to go there some day.

Was this a cruise or a land vacation?

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I went on a 10 day land tour from a very well known company. It was LAX to Beijing, 4 days in Beijing, then Beijing to Xi'an, 2 days in Xi'an, finally Xi'an to Shanghai and 2 days in Shanghai. Including airfare from LAX, airfare from Beijing to Xi'an and Xi'an to Shanghai and back to LAX, staying in some of the nicest hotels I've ever been in my life, having a national guide with us the whole 10 days, also having an additional guide for each city as well as a bus driver, almost all meals, 2 nighttime shows and admission into each museum, park, etc. the cost was only $1,300 per person.

I think that China is one of those places of mystery that if you ever get the chance to go, you should do it. It was an experience beyond my wildest imaginations. I had an image of China in my head before I went that turned out to be completely wrong. It was way different and much better than I ever could have imagined it to be.

If you get a chance to go in the next few years before China really changes, it'll be money well spent.

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