China is huge, so getting roughly to the middle takes a long time. High speed trains are reserved for the east coast so to get to Xi’an we split the trip into two overnight legs. Also, due to the Expo, tickets out of Shanghai are sold out quickly, unless of course you want to stand for 36 hours rather than getting a seat or bed on the train.

China has had multiple capitals and Kaifeng falls on the list of one of the Seven Ancient Capitals. But, like most other old things, it has gone through multiple reconstructions. It still keeps it’s city walls, temples, a mosque, and a church! Not to be missed is the Iron Pagoda, which isn’t really iron at all, but covered in brown glazed tiles that make it look like iron. We climbed up as far as we could, the stairs just ended into a wall that we guess was near the top. There were great views from other windows, but never a viewing platform. The narrow, steep, unlit, two-way staircase easily made it onto our list of things that would not happen in the US (lawsuit for sure!). We spent the rest of our extended layover exploring the city and eating at the night market.

After our second overnight train, we arrived in Xi’an early enough to check into our hostel, eat breakfast and sign up for the Terracotta Warrior tour that was leaving the same morning. The army was originally found when a farmer was digging a well. Amazingly, the place has stayed hidden for 2,000 years and has come a long way from a corn field into a full fledge tourist zone complete with Subway sandwiches and KFC, a little depressing I must say. The warriors that are on display are housed in three separate pits. What surprised us most is that all of the men and horses were broken and the iconic pictures you see are the ones that have been puzzled back together. Also of interest is that each man is unique and that the statues were made in at least five part: solid legs, hollow body, solid hands and solid head. At the time of burial, they were all brightly painted in shades of red, blue and green which can be seen on only a few of the men.

Xi’an, being one of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China and considered the eastern end of the Silk Road, has lots to see and do. We spent one day exploring the Bell Tower, Drum Tower, The Great Mosque and the surrounding Muslim Quarter. It is interesting to see how Chinese and Muslim cultures merge. From Arabic on Chinese Fans to minarets disguised as pagodas, and waitresses stressing that it is a Muslim menu, it was quite interesting. We spent another day walking the city walls, all 14 kilometers. It’s pretty neat that they maintain the walls and we found evidence that a major brick laying effort was conducted in 1984. It was interesting to see the different sections of the wall and city. The southern part was the most restored and provided most of the background information. The east and west sides didn’t offer a lot except views down into some of the huge construction zones. We counted at least five cranes actually working in just one block, and on a Saturday. The north wall had cloth covered sculptures like you might see in a parade or fair lining the walls. We weren’t really sure what they were doing there.

World Cup was the only thing we ever saw on TV and it was fun to be in a bar where the Chinese were cheering for Germany. Big screens were set up all around town even though China wasn’t participating in the tournament. After four days, we are onto Xining on yet another overnight train.