Terra Cotta Warriors and Xi’an Concert

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Wow. What a day. We continue to pack in as much as we possibly can each day and today was no exception.

We began with a visit to a factory that creates replicas of the Terra Cotta Warriors as well as other items. While it is called a factory, it is really a place where Chinese artisans create hand crafted items. The terra cotta replicas are made of red clay that is worked by hand, manually pressed into a mold, removed from the mold and left to dry on racks, then stacked into an outdoor brick kiln, and fired. There were warrior replicas of every size, from a few inches tall to life size. At this factory, other craftsmen/women also made lacquer furniture, pottery, and other items. This was a great place for souvenir shopping, and we were given a special discount as part of the tour.

After visiting the factory, we went to the site of the excavation of the Terra Cotta Warriors, now referred to by the Chinese and others as the Eighth Wonder of the World, and we could truly understand why. It’s difficult to explain how huge this site is. There are several “pits” — tremendous excavation areas that are now the “floor” of these large buildings.

“When we walked into Pit Number 2, I felt about it similar to the way I felt when I saw the 9/11 Memorial in New York. I looked over at how far away the people standing on the other side were, and how tiny they looked and I just could not believe the size. I just had no idea it was that huge. It’s mind boggling how large just one pit is, and there were several. And so many warriors!” –Erin Sneller

“I’d always heard about the Terra Cotta Warriors, but what struck me was the sheer immensity of the first pit.  The building that housed it could have easily housed a football field, and other than the walls of the passageways, all of the floorspace was taken up by the stone statues. There must have been hundreds!” –Eric Zittel

Taking all of this in and walking the exhibition helped us to work up an appetite, so after seeing the warriors, there were noodles. Oodles of noodles. Noodles are a specialty of Xi’an and we were served a wonderful noodle lunch at the restaurant right at the museum, where fresh ramen and other noodles were hand made by chefs, right before our eyes. These college students may never be able to eat Top Ramen or Cup o’ Noodles again!

After lunch we headed to the Xi’an Conservatory campus for a very special performance and cultural exchange with an adult community choir. This was something that I think all of us will remember and cherish as a highlight of the trip. First we sang for them. Then they gave each of our singers little gifts and took many photos. Then they sang for us. Then we sang together. Then many more photos were taken with our students. We couldn’t speak to each other, but it didn’t matter. It was a warm and happy exchange. Afterwards we all remained on stage for quite awhile, sharing smiles and laughter and taking photos. The photos and videos really tell it all.

“The choir exchange was one of the most heartfelt ones I’d ever done. After we finished our set, the members of the other choir rushed the stage, giving each of us a small gift. Several older women gave me hugs, held my hand, and spoke to me in Mandarin. I will never know what they said, but I’m certain it was nice because they were smiling the whole time. There’s something remarkable about hugging and holding hands with complete strangers while sharing emotion through music, transcending all language barriers.” –Mariah Waite

“I truly enjoyed singing with the local choir at the Xi’an Conservatory. Though we were separated by such high cultural and generational barriers, our shared enthusiasm for music allowed us to communicate so freely. This is something that we do on a regular basis as artists, but I think that the far-removed setting really enforced how powerful that force of communication is.”    –Mason Cooper

After the performance we had a little bit of down time to freshen up at the hotel before heading out to a theatre/restaurant for a fantastic dumpling dinner and a traditional Chinese performance – The Tang Dynasty Dancing Show. The hand-made, fresh dumplings were amazing and the show was a real treat.

“This day was all around amazing. Everything from the terra cotta soldiers, to the welcoming exchange with the Xi’an choir, as well as the DUMPLINGS, left me in awe of the wonderful culture and people around me. ” –Kristin Finch

Here are some additional reflections on our day from singers:

“The concert yesterday was such a special experience. It was amazing to sing for the Xi’an choir and watch their faces as we sang as well as see the love for their culture and music. The ladies in the front row were mouthing along with us, just watching our vowels and copying them. It was not because they knew the songs we were singing, but because they wanted to engage with us. They also began to clap along to songs that no audience has ever clapped along with. They just wanted to share music with us. It reminded me that music is such  a powerful thing that can truly connect people together.” –Annie Kubitschek

“The whole day was great. I was so amazed by everything. The food especially was a highlight for me. We had lunch at the Terra Cotta museum and I enjoyed every dish, but especially the handmade ramen noodles. I got to watch one of the chefs create the noodles from scratch, from the making of the dough to the stretching and forming of the noodles, to the boiling and making of the broth. Then the waitresses served us various samples of local teas, explaining what the meaning behind each one was. At the dinner, we were served 16 different types of dumplings filled with various veggies and meats and each one was a good as the next. The amazing quality and culture surrounding their food is something that I will always remember.” –Taylor Fahlman

“We had such a full day yesterday, and it is one I will remember forever. I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to visit the Terra Cotta Warriors. That was truly a once in a lifetime experience. Then singing at the Xi’an Conservatory was so special. Our audience was so excited to have us that they clapped for us when we entered the performance hall… before we had even changed into our concert attire or began to sing! After our performance, they sang several traditional Chinese pieces. It was so cool to see and hear this Chinese choir. After their performance we joined them back on stage to sing a traditional Chinese folk song. They did not know the arrangement we knew, and  because of this, it might not have been the most beautiful performance, but it was so meaningful for all to sing this special song together. After the concert, we enjoyed a dumpling feast and Tang Dynasty Dance show. The dinner and show were both so incredible. It was definitely a day to remember.” –Melissa Simpson