Xi'an was ancient capital of the first emperor. It's actually a fairly
interesting town but everybody goes mainly to see the hall of the
Terra Cotta Warriors, which are indeed spectacular. I shot some great
panoramas of them.
While in Xi'an our tour operator arranged a bribe for the local police, so
we were escorted everywhere by a police car with sirens flashing. We
ignored traffic lights and traffic. Must be nice but I felt guilty.
Xi'an also has a large Muslim population, so we visited a Mosque.
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From the side, a row of reconstructed warriors sits at the front
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Wild goose pagoda, a stone temple in Xi'an
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First view of the main chamber of the warriors
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Another view from the front
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Detail on some of the warriors. Each one is different
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Right down the front line of the warriors
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Detail on some of the front warriors
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This man was holding reigns
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Some of the king's horses, put back together again
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Horses and chariot driver
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Some of the original colour is still visible
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No two are alike
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Detail on some of the warriors at the end of the chamber
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Example of warriors in their shattered state
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Shot in black and white, the Terra Cotta Warriors seem almost real
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Pile of shards. This is the original state. All warriors had to be reconstructed
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A horse in shards
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Soldiers in shards
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Detail on the headquarters, another pit where most of the officers were found.
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Wide shot of the headless headquarters
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In Xi'an, the tour company arranged to bribe the police to give us an escort with sirens wherever we went. We felt a bit guilty, but were glad not to face the Chinese traffic.
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Lighting candles at Buddhist temple
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Study of a young monk
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Two monks debate. "Clearly the Enterprise could defeat the Death Star! Captain Kirk always wins!"
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Wild Goose Pagoda
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Nice line of street lamps on Xi'an street
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Mix of modern and the old in Xi'an
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Chinese Muslims gather to sing
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Detail at Chinese Mosque
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Corridor to singing Muslims at Xi'an Mosque
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