On to Xian

Wall of Death Chinese style

In Beijing we saw a Kung Fu Show which the grand children would have enjoyed, and an acrobatic show which was quite amazing. Highlights included twelve girls riding one bicycle and a motorbike finale when five motorbikes circled inside a giant metal ball at the same time, somehow not running into each other in the process. We were surprised to see that people often arrive late for these shows, talk loudly and use mobile phones throughout, then leave as soon as the show ends.

We said farewell to Nancy, our Beijing local guide, a very entertaining young lady who had some great turns of phrase. She referred to the traffic jams as "the morning traffic show". She often summed up the pros and cons of Chinese life by saying "everything has two faces". We will remember that one as the tour progresses.

We had a short plane ride to Xian, the start of the Silk Road and the home of the Terracotta Warriors. For Neville, our oldest travelling companion, this was to be the highlight of his trip. He had seen a programme about them on Tomorrow's World, presented by Raymond Baxter, so he had waited a long time. First we were given a taster of what was to come when we visited the Shaanxi Provincial Museum. This gave a good overview of the different dynasties though how much we will remember when we get home is another matter.

Tonight's meal was a Shui Jiao Dumpling dinner when we sat in tiers at the theatre and were served steamed dumplings in many shapes and flavours. After this feast we sat back to watch a show of music and dancing, representing the Tang Dynasty, more acrobatics, wonderful costumes and a musician who whistled a serenade to the audience.

Our first stop this morning was to a ceramics factory where they make copies of the Terracotta Warriors. These are "real" copies not the copy copies sold much cheaper on the black market, or so we were told. You can order a life size model and substitute your own head, get it shipped home then put it in your own garden. Although it would look great in Whitecraigs we thought we would pass on that one.

At last we were at the site of the warriors, found by farmers digging a well in 1974. We met  the man who found them, Mr Yang, and he signed our book, or was he a copy too? It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was built very quickly to house the warriors and continue excavation and renovation. Not everything has been unearthed as they immediately lose their colour when exposed to air and they hope that in the future there may be ways of preserving them intact. Many were destroyed by invading armies and have to be re-assembled piece by piece. It was truly worth the trip and Neville was delighted to be there.

Our evening trip was round the Muslim Quarter of Xian, reminding us we were at the beginning of the Silk Road then on to an area which was a showcase for modern Xian, gardens, dancing waters, music, statues and pillars with moving pictures on the surface.

On our last morning in Xian we explored the ancient city walls, then an internal flight to Wuhan and a coach trip where we joined our Yangtse river cruiser.