Terracotta Army 兵马俑
November 17, 2024
Yesterday marked the first day of the off-season in Jiuzhaigou. As we were leaving, we saw numerous buses arriving, signaling a significant influx of visitors. The park tickets were sold out, and the number of visitors was expected to be double that of the day before. Adding to this, the weather was cloudy and chilly. How fortunate we were to have enjoyed Jiuzhaigou under ideal conditions the previous day.
We took a direct bus to a different train station for our journey to Xi’an. Typically, only a few passengers with passports need to use the manual checkpoint lane, but yesterday, a large group of 20–30 Korean tourists crowded the lane, significantly slowing down the process. It seemed inevitable that we would miss our train. Fortunately, I approached a station worker who had helped us with ticketing earlier, and she kindly opened a second manual checkpoint lane for us. Thanks to her assistance, we made it onto our train. The ride to Xi’an was smooth, though it was raining when we arrived at the hotel. That evening, we enjoyed a delicious dinner accompanied by live performances.
Today, the rain continued into the morning. Given the weather, we decided to visit the Terracotta Army, as the exhibits are indoors. There are several ways to tour the site, and we opted for a semi-guided tour priced at ¥49 per person, which included round-trip bus transportation and basic museum commentary. Shortly after boarding the bus, the tour guide began promoting additional products, such as headphone rentals for guided interpretation, a 3D movie, and tickets to a live show back in the city. We ended up purchasing all of them.
Perhaps because it was my second visit to the museum, it didn’t leave as deep an impression as before. The large crowds and limited time at each exhibit made it difficult to fully appreciate this masterpiece of ancient Chinese craftsmanship and civilization. Moreover, the museum guide focused more on promoting local jade products than explaining the stories and historical context behind the Terracotta Army. The museum itself appeared unchanged since my last visit 20 years ago. While the Terracotta Army is undeniably unique, this visit felt more routine than unforgettable.
Afterward, we made a brief stop at Lishan Garden, taking in its historical ambiance before returning to the Terracotta site to board a van for “The Eternal Love of Xi’an”, a live performance billed as a must-see.
The show exceeded our expectations, offering a breathtaking and truly unforgettable cultural experience. It was the highlight of the day, leaving us with lasting memories of Xi’an’s rich history and artistry.
2024年11月17日
昨天是九寨沟正式进入淡季的第一天。当我们离开时，看到许多大巴车正涌入景区，意味着游客数量大幅增加。当天门票已经售罄，预计游客数量是前一天的两倍多。而且天气阴冷。我们感到非常幸运，前一天能在理想的天气条件下尽情享受九寨沟的美景。
我们搭乘直达巴士前往松潘站，准备坐火车前往西安。通常情况下，持护照的旅客较少，需要排队走人工检查通道，但昨天却有一个20至30人的韩国旅游团挤满了通道，导致通关速度极为缓慢。眼看着可能错过火车，我找到之前曾帮我们办理车票的工作人员，她非常热心地为我们开启了第二条人工通道。多亏她的帮助，我们顺利赶上了火车。前往西安的旅程非常顺畅，抵达时却正值雨天。晚上，我们享受了一顿美味的晚餐，并欣赏了现场表演，也增添了些许乐趣。
今天早上仍在下雨。考虑到天气原因，我们决定去参观室内的兵马俑展馆。游览兵马俑有许多选择，我们选择了一种半导游服务，每人49元，包含往返巴士接送和博物馆的基本讲解服务。然而，上车不久后，导游便开始推销各种附加项目，如耳机租赁、3D电影和市区的现场演出门票等，最终我们都购买了。
也许是因为这是我第二次参观兵马俑博物馆，这次的体验并没有给我留下深刻印象。拥挤的人群和有限的参观时间使我们难以真正欣赏这件古代中国工艺和文明的杰作。此外，博物馆导游花了更多时间介绍当地的玉器产品，而不是深入讲解兵马俑背后的故事和历史意义。展馆内部看起来与我20年前参观时没有太大变化。虽然兵马俑的独特性毋庸置疑，但这次的参观感受平平，称不上难忘。
随后，我们短暂参观了丽山园，感受其历史氛围后，返回兵马俑景区，搭乘专车前往观看现场演出《西安千古情》。这场号称“必看”的演出果然不负盛名。表演震撼人心，充满艺术感染力，是一场令人难忘的文化盛宴。它成为了今天的亮点，为我们留下了关于西安丰富历史和艺术的美好回忆。
