I woke up early Monday morning, eager to get on the bus to visit the Terracotta Warriors, about an hour east of the city, but first… breakfast. The bus depot was about a 45-minute walk from my hotel, but I decided to take the long way, winding back through the Muslim Quarter yet again to pick up some local breakfast foods.
I stopped at a jianbing stand on one of the side streets. Jianbing is a popular breakfast all over China and every city tends to offer its own take on it. Put simply, it’s a crepe stuffed with some variety of vegetables, meats, chili sauce, and a crispy fried cracker, then rolled tightly, similar to a breakfast burrito. The Xi’an style one I ordered contained no meat but was packed full of veggies and the chili sauce was spicy enough to wake me up quicker than a pot of coffee. In fact, the spice brought such a kick, I had to stop at another stall to pick up another Xi’an breakfast staple, one of a sweeter variety. Zenggao is sticky rice mixed with dates, raisins, and beans in a sweet sauce. Not the healthiest option, but the perfect choice to cool off my mouth and fill me up for a day of crowds, bus rides, and sightseeing.
The Terracotta Army is located about an hour’s bus ride northeast from the heart of Xi’an. Two buses fill up and leave about every ten minutes from the bus station and the line to board is stretched long with tourists. It took me about 45 minutes in line before I was able to board. The bus makes a couple stops at other attractions before reaching the Warriors, or at least a strip mall parking lot that is a 10-minute walk to the entrance of the museum.
Inside the main gates, there are three separate pits dedicated to the Terracotta Army. I make my way towards the first and largest. The first pit is the size of an airplane hangar. There is a walkway along the perimeter, with the warriors, unmoved from where they were excavated, about 10 feet below.
The Terracotta Army was commissioned by Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China, and built in the 3rd century BC. Construction began when Qin was only 13 and the objective was to build him an army for the afterlife as powerful as the one he commanded in life. Over 700,000 Chinese would eventually partake in the project of building this grand mausoleum. For over two millennia, the Army lay buried underneath one of China’s most important cities. It wasn’t until 1974 that the first pit was discovered when farmers were digging for a well.
Since 1974, over 8,000 warriors have been unearthed, as well as hundreds of chariots, horses, and nonmilitary figures. Only a small portion of the necropolis has been excavated to this point, though, due to the delicacy of the figures, as well as extremely high mercury levels. It is estimated that the total area could stretch to 100 square kilometers underground, and in that space lies Emperor Qin’s tomb, which is storied to be full of treasure.
Walking around, I was struck by the attention to detail. Garrisons standing at attention in perfect alignment. While over 2,000 years old, the soldiers look like they could have been built last week. They have often been called the Eighth Wonder of the World and it’s not hard to see why. Most of the figures in the first pit are soldiers, although there are a few chariots and horses mixed in.
The second and third pit paled in comparison to the first one, but they featured more exhibits explaining the history and construction of the Warriors, as well as the ongoing excavation. They also offered a variety of different figures to admire. After about 90 minutes, I had made my way through all three pits. The last thing to do was another bus ride; this time about 15 minutes to the burial site of Emperor Qin. As I’ve said, his tomb has yet to be excavated, but his choice of burial location couldn’t be more serene. Set in the middle of a park, it is on a hill surrounded by trees and overlooking a river in the distance.
After taking in the grounds of Emperor Qin’s Mausoleum, I boarded the bus back to Xi’an. Walking back from the bus station, I stumbled upon Ma’er Youzhi, a restaurant I recognized after having read about it making the city’s best Suantang Dumplings, another Xi’an culinary specialty. Suantang dumplings are soup dumplings, stuffed with beef and garlic and served in a broth of vinegar, chili oil, garlic, cilantro, and sesame. Obviously, I stopped in and ordered up a bowl. There was only one table available and two older Chinese gentlemen, who came in at the same time as me, suggested to make it a party of three. They quickly confirmed that these were indeed the city’s best dumplings, before getting lost in their own conversation.
The next day, I only had the morning before I would have to head back to the airport. I decided to start the day at the City Walls. The heart of downtown Xi’an is boxed in by City Walls that were built in the 14th century to protect against invasion. 600 years later, they remain one of China’s oldest, largest, and best-preserved city walls. At 14 square kilometers, the City Walls can be seen completely on foot or bicycle within a few hours. I didn’t see the entirety of the Walls, though, as the walk became a bit repetitive. Some of the highlights included a moat running along the south side of the wall, the flanking towers for archers, and the views offered of the city. Morning is definitely the best time to walk along the walls before the sun is high in the sky, and the top walkways of the walls were full of tourists, joggers, and old Chinese men practicing Tai Chi.
After trekking the City Walls for a couple of hours, I had time for one last meal before I made my way out to the airport and, luckily, I had unwittingly saved the best for last. Less than a block from my hotel was a little restaurant that always seemed to have a long line. In addition, it specialized in two more Xi’an specialties that I had yet to sample: roujiamo and liangpi. Much like jianbing, roujiamo is sold all over China. It’s often called the Chinese hamburger but is actually usually made with pulled pork or other meats, including donkey, which I’ve had a few times at a shop next to my work. Liangpi is a cold, noodle-like dish, often served with veggies and chili oil.
I took my spot in the cue and could already smell the pork from the kitchen. As I approached the counter, I could see the huge hunk of pork they were cutting off of for the sandwiches, with a juicy layer of fat covering the top. I got my sandwich and noodles and found a spot at the cafeteria-style tables. The first bite was absolutely perfect with robust flavors exploding in my mouth. The saltiness of the pork was met perfectly by the crispy, warm bun it was served on. The pork had a perfect mix of fat and lean meat. The liangpi was the perfect match to offset the richness of the roujiamo. In my time in Asia, this may be the best meal I’ve had and it cost less than $3.
It was hard to leave the restaurant. Despite being stuffed, I just wanted to continue to enjoy the taste of that pork roujiamo. I savored it as long as I could but eventually had to call my taxi for the airport and bid farewell to Xi’an.