For many years now, I have been building up a bucket list. Learn Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Italian, Gaelic, Portuguese, etc. Go to every Disney Park in the world. See the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Eat at restaurant in France that has three Michelin Stars. The list keeps growing with each passing day and I wonder if I will ever complete it; however, just recently, I checked a big one off that list on my trip to Xi’An (西安): I saw Emperor Qin’s Terra Cotta Army (秦陵兵马俑). These warriors were created to accompany and protect China’s first emperor in the afterlife. I would have never imagined just how many warriors there were, and how many were still in pieces, waiting to be put back together.
I was itching with anticipation as the woman handed me my ticket, I felt as though I was Charlie, and I was about to go in to Willie Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. The three minutes it took to walk from the ticket booth to the warriors seemed like centuries, to the point where I was sarcastically thinking that the warriors would be dust by the time we got to them. Finally, my friend, Lala, and I reached the first pit. We bought an audio tour and ran into the pit to see the terra cotta warriors. My mouth dropped to the floor as I saw the soldiers all lined up. The chamber, discovered in 1974, held over 6,000 terra cotta warriors and horses, no two looking the same, and all I a very particular military formation, grouped by rank. When we first entered the pit, I was amazed and was very happy with having seen the terra cotta warriors. So, one can imagine my surprise when I found out that there were three other pits to explore of terra cotta soldiers, chariots, and weapons! It was in the second pit that I saw a picture and realized that these figures had once been brightly colored. One would have never guessed that these figures had been painted, as the paint has almost completely faded away and they all looked to be a plain tan color. These soldiers are so amazing now, after having survived several dynasties, one can only imagine what a fantastic commodity they were when they were in construction and freshly finished by the thousands of artists the emperor had working on them. This item definitely warranted a spot at the top of my bucket list and I am so glad this is one item I won’t have to leave unchecked.
Xi’An has taught me just how much more of the world that I still have left to see. China has enabled me to check many items off my bucket list. I have been able to go inside the Forbidden City (紫禁城), see a Kung Fu Show (功夫演出), see the Peking Opera (京剧), see the Terra Cotta Army, walk around the bustling streets of the Muslim Quarter (回民街), visit the Great Mosque (大清真寺), see a dazzling fountain show outside the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda (大雁塔), watch a performance in a Drum Tower (鼓楼), venture to an enormous Bell Tower (钟楼), and next month I plan to go to the Great Wall (长城). China has also enabled me to have many experiences that I had not thought to put on my bucket list, and should have been on it all along. I was able to go to the Yonghegong Lama Temple (雍和宫), I learned to make dumplings (饺子), I have bargained with the toughest stall owners at the Silk and Pearl Markets (永安里秀水街，虹桥市场), and I have met a Chinese film director, Fan Popo (范坡坡). I am truly grateful for all the experiences that coming to China provided me with in just over two months of being here. Stay tuned to see which item on my bucket list I check off next in China!
By Casey Cunningham, Loyola University Maryland, TBC Communications and Social Media Intern and Spring 2016 Student
The past few weekends have been some of the most exciting of the entire semester, full of trips to the zoo, mountain hikes, ancient parks, and more! Our first trip out of many was a visit to the Beijing Zoo. I had mentioned earlier in the semester that I wanted to see some pandas, since I was in China after all, and our TBC friend Andy made it happen.
Spending a whole semester in Beijing, I knew I had to make the trip down south and check out Shanghai, and the city certainly lived up to the expectations. Everyone describes Shanghai as this super futuristic metropolis, and after spending a weekend there I understand why it has this reputation.