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Chow Mein and Chopsticks, Part II
The Continuation of a Report from our Roving Restaurant Night Chairman
by Jim Plunkett

General Plunkett inspecting the Chinese troops

As you might recall, my last report found me in X'ian, ancient Chinese city southwest of Beijing which has become famous for the discovery of a series of tombs hiding a replica of the armed forces of emperor Qin Shihuang. This character was 49 in the year 210 BC when he finally went to heaven assuming his highly trained warriors, fully armed, would go along to protect him and eventually return to Earth. This recently denominated 8th wonder of the world is worth a trip to China in itself.

Discovered in 1974 by six farmers searching for water in a field a few miles outside X'ian, a museum complex has been built that is surrounded by a lovely park. There are three buildings. The first houses a bronze scaled model of one of 130 chariots unearthed. The details of the horses, garb, and carriage are fantastic, and the chariot has 7 kilos of gold adornments.

The other buildings house the tombs of the soldiers and army staff. There are 8,000 life size figures which were moulded by artisans. The heads of the warriors were individually sculpted after posing and later placed on the uniformed bodies. Detail is such that some of the warriors even have fingerprints. The horses show spirit and firm muscles, and the only thing missing are the arrows and arms that were stolen by a jealous general who violated the tombs shortly after the emperor's death. Qin's personal tomb is still untouched on a hillside not far away. Why? He had a river of liquid mercury installed around his tomb that emits deadly gases and continues to defy the most daring of archaeologists, who are awaiting modern technology to overcome this mortal trap.

We also visited the nearby ancient baths where the emperors bathed with their concubines in natural hot springs and sprawled about on thick tabloids of jade to refresh their bodies during the hot summer months. General Jian Kai Shi used this royal spa as his headquarters until his disgruntled generals rebelled against him for not taking a strong position against the aggressive Japanese. He was eventually the exiled to Taiwan by Chairman Mao.

Chinese anticuchos... scorpions, grasshoppers, strawberried and kiwi...yumm!

X'ian has so much to offer. This city of six million people was originally boxed in by a high, protective wall, and no new construction within the walled city can exceed this original height. Not far away is a famous Buddist pagoda called the Temple of the Wild Geese. Beyond in the beauty and history of this temple, which was built and destroyed several times over the years, there are some “royal” restrooms. Most of the public bathrooms I required during my trip were quite impressive and clean, but this one - with a fancy reception area with a large woodcarving on the wall, and a ladies and gents room - took the prize. I didn't get to see the ladies room but the one for gents was beyond expectations. Well lit, marble sinks in the washroom with highly polished floors, and automated soap, sinks, and paper towel dispensers. You can imagine what the toilets and urinals were like! A permanent employee is there to keep it spotless, and there is no tipping.

Downtown X'ian housed a flea market offering antiques, handicrafts, and a series of the most unique “cachivaches,” as we say in Spanish, at very attractive prices, all of which are subject to serious bargaining. Just outside the market we found the most famous Stone Forest, which was a sacred place where the scholars like Confucius guarded large stone tabloids with centuries of philosophies written in calligraphy for posterity. Rubbings from these carved tabloids were amongst the first forms of printing in the world.

We were invited to a small dinner-theatre during our last evening in X'ian. I was hauled up on the stage as a visiting gringo to dance with the performers and repeat a few phrases in Chinese that I didn't understand, but then again, it was all in the duties of a curious Restaurant Night Chairman looking for a new venue for a hungry group of ACAP followers. Tune in for our next adventure to Guilin, Shenzhen, Hong Kong and beyond!

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