Boat Launch!

Wow! What a perfect end to an amazing almost 1 year in China. Last Friday Eliot and the guys he has worked so hard with launched the very first boat out of the China factory. It was quite the event in Fuyang complete with camera crews and fireworks. Traffic was stopped along the river where they were launching due to a lot of spectators trying to figure out what this thing was they were putting in the water. The boat was christened by yours truly. I was quite honored that they had asked me to do it. This is a huge milestone for these guys and they should be so proud of everything they've managed to accomplish in some very difficult circumstances. Thanks you guys for letting me be a part of it, it meant a huge amount to me.


~At 6am and already 80 degrees~


~Setting it up and getting ready for the splash~


~Trying not to sweat on the boat~


~There's something really unsettling about seeing something this big suspended in the air~


~John, the Chinese company owner, staying cool~


~Of course Champagne~


~And it floats!!~
(big sigh of relief from those responsible)


~First run out on the Fu Chun river, way to go guys!~

Xi An and the Terracotta Warriors

So as our last full weekend in China we really wanted to make the most of it (next weekend we'll be busy packing and getting ready to shove off to South Africa). We have wanted to go and see the Terracotta Army, but have just never been able to find the time to go. I remember my grandma telling me about it when I was a little girl after their trip to China, and not even being able to comprehend what she was talking about. Why would anyone bury a bunch of statues in the ground? Since then she's always had a small replica of a Terracotta warrior in her house, so when we knew we were going to be living in China I've been thinking how cool it would be to go and get our own Terracotta Warrior. It seems like one of those trips you really have to plan for. But we decided to just go over a weekend and kind of cram it in so to speak.

I'm so glad we did.

The sight is completely breathtaking. Even just standing above the first pit, trying to wrap my head around what had transpired here, made me a bit dizzy (it could have been the heat and humidity but I'm pretty sure it wasn't). The Terracotta Army is one of those things that you truly have to see to believe, and even then it doesn't feel real.

A brief rundown: 2000 years ago in around 200BC, the self proclaimed first emperor of China Qin Shi Huang wanted to build an army around his tomb to protect him in the afterlife. There were 4 pits excavated to house the soldiers and cavalry, but only 3 were completed before the construction ended. They dug out large corridors, placed the figures in them and then put large wood planks over the top. On top of the planks they put down mats and then covered those with clay, all to try and preserve the soldiers.

The soldiers themselves were built out of clay, and the bodies are believed to have been built in 3 parts. They also believe that they had 8 different molds for the heads of the soldiers, but clay was then added to them to create individual facial features. Every solider is unique, there are no 2 alike. Different armor, clothing and hairstyles were given depending on the rank of the soldier. After they were made they even went as far as to paint them. This is insane considering in the 1st and largest pit they believe that more than 8,000 soldiers are buried.

All this was underground and unheard of until 1974 when some farmers wanted to add a well to their land, started digging and found this…

My photos don’t even begin to scratch the surface of a truly amazing story. But here they are, enjoy!

On the bus, heading out to the pits!


Trying to get a good close up shot. The lighting in there was just not ideal for photo taking. They asked people to not use their flash. I took over 100 photos, but most came out blurry or too dark.


Pit #1, the largest of the three.


Dedicated soldiers


Pieces that still need to be put back together. Why does Humpty Dumpty come to mind?


So many.


Overwhelming.


This is where the statues are brought when they are pulled out of the pit to be reconstructed.


Being put back together.


Horses












This was in the 3rd pit which is believed to be the officer’s quarters. This was where all the logistics of battle were to take place in the afterlife.




So much still to do.

As for the rest of Xi An…

A really interesting city with a lot of culture and places to see. One of the few cities left that still has a wall surrounding it.


The Bell Tower.



Eliot


Kites in the sky.


The drum tower.






Sweets at the market.


The Market


Huge fountain show that goes along to music. Completely puts Hangzhou’s West Lake fountain show to shame.


Pagoda.




A fierce lion.

Happy 4th!

Well after almost a year in communist China I can really appreciate the 4th of July, or as Eliot likes to call it "The day we got rid of those damn Yankees!" Especially since right now my blog is still blocked by the notorious "Net Nanny" and I'm having to update through a proxy site. This year has really opened my eyes and we really are so lucky to be from a nation with so many freedoms. I hope everyone at home is having a wonderful day. Party safe, wish I was there celebrating with you. Miss and love you all.

Weekend in Fuyang

Ahhhhh…The weekend is over and already this Monday has started off pouring down rain. I’m trying to find things to do with myself now that I’m done with class, but the rain is seriously putting a cramp on my outside plans. I did manage to get a small bike ride in today before the downpour started.

At least I had a great weekend to be thankful for. We stayed in and around town this weekend, which was nice and low key. Friday night we had some friends, who haven’t been in Fuyang very long, over for dinner and then we all headed to our local pub Music House, where we remembered Michael Jackson and danced the night away. It was fun to go out. Eliot and I haven’t been going out as much recently. I think we’re both just a little burned out on the small town scene. There’s one bar that we’ve been going to for the last 10 months and needless to say, we’re ready for a change. Saturday night we headed to Hangzhou (the big city that’s an hour away from where we live) to watch the rugby match (my first time ever) on TV, between South Africa and Great Britain. It was definitely an exciting and physical game with the British leading most of the time and South Africa pulling it all off at the last minute.

On Sunday we really wanted to go see something around our town. There’s a Fuyang tourism website that has information about different places nearby and we read about a place called Tian Zhong Shan, or Heavenly Clock Mountain. It’s supposed to be an easy hike up a small mountain, with a lot of streams and small waterfalls. But, as with everything in China, there were no directions on how to get there; it only said to take a bus from Fuyang station. Knowing it was near Fuyang we really wanted to take the motorbike so we did a quick Google Earth search of the place, which gave us a rough location and decided to try and find it ourselves based off that.

Here are the photos of what we found:


~I may have too many pictures of bamboo.~


~The Mountain~


~Swings~


~Creek~


~Swinging Bridge~


~Lots of green!~


~Resting Dragonfly~


~Small Fall~


~Eliot~


~Boulders~


~Another Fall~


~Orange wildflowers~