China Days 5 and 6 - A lot of culture!

Great Acrobatics show Tuesday Evening - some amazing video below. Wednesday we paid a cultural visit to Tienanmen Square and the Forbidden City in Beijing. Then we went to the market and purchased some goods. The Pearl Street Market is capitalism on steroids. Merchants push their wares, shirts, jewelry, toys, you name it. Nothing has a price tag. They tell you a price on a calculator, in Yuan, and you put your price on the calculator as a negotiation. Supply, demand, behavioural economics, utility, all of the economic theories are tested in each transaction. In one, I made an offer, and was turned down, so I walked away. I came back a half hour later and offered the same price. The saleswoman said "don't you think I would have taken that offer when you said it the first time. why do you think I would take it now"? These merchants are real merchants who know how to sell, and maximize profit.

The forbidden city was amazing - over 500 years old, housing emperors until the early 1900's. Tienanmen Square is a fascinating place - home of the central government of China, and the mausoleum of Chairman Mao.

We ended the night at the Ritz Carlton, where we listened to Clifford play Jazz and Blues...

Today we flew from Beijing to Xian, and saw the eighth wonder of the world, the Terra Cotta Warriors. Made to protect Emperor Qin Shi Huang over 2200 years ago, these large figures were made by over 720,000 slaves and buried with Qin to protect him in the after life. Discovered in 1974, this find would represent one of the most significant archaeological finds in history. The pictures tell all. Each figure represents an actual warrior who lived during Qin's time. We then saw a show which depicted traditional dance and music from the Tang dynasty circa 618 AD - 907 AD. All very fascinating. More to come... pics are latest from recent adventures..