6/17/25: Day 21 - Xi’an Day 2

Psalm 49:17 “For when he dies he will carry nothing away…”

Visiting the terracotta soldiers museum today was a good reminder of Psalm 49:17. When you die, you die. You cannot take your wealth, your position, or even your military forces with you.

That being said, this was an amazing experience. To see the details that we carefully put into each piece to protect the king’s tomb was astounding. The crazy thing is that once he was buried, he was forgotten. It was only by accident when farmers were drilling a well that they found all of this! 

The kids and I really enjoyed this stop on our trip. We have seen so much history, but this history is about 2,300 years ago! Come with us and explore these amazing pieces of history. 

Pit 1 - the largest of the 3.

Pit 2

The roof (the wavy thing) collapsed and crushed some of the soldiers. They have pieced back together some of them. 

Items from near the king’s tomb.

We FaceTimed Wayne so he could experience this with us. 

We found a delicious restaurant right near our hotel. The kids enjoyed it so much, they asked to have it for lunch today. They said they can now say they ate bears foot in China and people will believe them. 

After a nap and laundry, Juyi and I headed out to watch a light show at the Big Goose Pagoda. Along the way, we stopped by the Bell Tower and the Drum Tower. I have fallen in love with Xi’an and its rich history. From the Qin Dynasty this morning at the terracotta soldiers, to the Tang Dynasty celebrated around Xi’an, its a beautiful city.

The night photo distorted our faces, but we had just the one shot. I have enjoyed spending so much time with Juyi.

Ladies of all ages dress up in Tang Dynasty clothing. It must be a huge money maker around here! All day and night there are photographers taking their photos. I wouldn’t be able to handle the heat in these things! It was 102 today and they had on these multi-layer dresses with all the makeup on. I think it’s a wonderful way to participate and celebrate their heritage, it’s just too hot for me. 

Our time in Xi’an is coming to a close. Tomorrow morning we take a subway to the train station to head to Chengdu…Shan’s home town. 🩷