Where is Xi'an?

I leave Minnesota a week from today.   It’s actually really hard to believe.  I’m not ready.  I spent the better part of last week shopping for everything I might need: clothes for school, 3 pairs of shoes, summer reading list, luggage and gifts for my host family.  I’m not even done looking for host family gifts yet.  I’m supposed to bring things that represent Minnesota, but I’m more than a little confused.  Minnesota doesn’t have a lot of material goods that define it.  We’re known for our endless winters, mountains of snow, ten thousand lakes and their corresponding cabins, and the Mall of America.  I can’t very well put any of these things in a box and ship them to China with me. 

It’s been weird trying to explain to people where I’m going as well.  Xi’an is a huge city of eight million people. (And considering I’ve lived in a suburb my entire life this is going to be a rather abrupt change.) To put that in perspective, the Twin Cities has a population of 3.28 million. 

And yet, when I say I’m spending my summer in Xi’an, most of the time the next question is “So where’s the closest big city?” 

Um, that would be Xi’an. 

As a huge history buff (and an AP World History Student), I typically follow that statement with an explanation of Xi’an’s historical significance.  The city is most well known for the Terracotta Warriors unearthed there.  Over 8,000 life size clay soldiers have been discovered in 3 pits.  The soldiers were built to guard the tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China.  The Emperor had been so concerned with being immortal that he had drunk mercury to prolong his life.  (Interestingly enough mercury poisoning is probably what killed him.)  He also decided that his tomb would be incredible.  Although the tomb itself has never been unearthed, legend depicts it greatly.  Here's a website if you want to learn more about the legends surrounding the tomb itself: http://www.china.org.cn/english/culture/229549.htm

The terracotta warriors are in battle formation complete with weapons, uniforms and large clay horses and chariots.  The three pits show the different levels of the army. The first has the most soldiers, while the last is an officer's meeting room.  It's thought that the soldiers may have even been modeled from the real armies of China as every one is distinctly different. 

Xi'an however is so much more than just the burial ground of the Emperor who united China, ordered the construction of the Great Wall and burned many books on history and philosophy that disagreed with him.  Xi'an has over 3,100 years of history.  It was the capital of China during the Zhou, Qin, Han, Sui, and Tang dynasties and is known as one of China's Four Great Ancient Capitals.  The city was also the starting point of the Silk Road making it one of the biggest international cities during the Tang Dynasty (618-907).  The cultural interaction is still very prevalent today as there is a large Muslim  Quarter (about 50,000 Hui Muslims) and many universities with students coming from all over the world.  

After the mini history lesson, whoever I'm talking to realizes that I've somehow managed to avoid the point of explaining where Xi'an actually is. Well, Xi'an is the capital of the Shaanxi Province and is located in Eastern Central China.  It's on the Guanzhong Plain with the Qin mountains in the south and the Wei River in the north.  Xi'an is also not that far from Hua Shan, one of the five sacred Taoist mountains.  

Hua Shan: Isn't it pretty?

This explanation is often met with blank stares, but honestly I could ramble about my host city for ages.  I'm just that excited. It often helps when I mention First Lady Michelle Obama visited there recently on her trip to China.  I always find it really coincidental that I learned my host city while the First Lady was visiting it. Article about the Visit

I'm actually so excited although my two currently empty suitcases are certainly making me nervous.  

Zai Jian for now,

Laura