The President begins his trip in the Xiahe Village near Xian where he
will participate in a roundtable discussion with a cross-section
of Chinese citizens. The forum will address the opportunities
and challenges of the new China that has emerged during the past
decade. Specifically, the President will engage the roundtable
attendees in a discussion of how the transformations in China
over the past two decades have changed their day-to-day lives,
and discuss what new ideas, techniques, lessons, and innovations
are being developed to master the new challenges of present day
China. The President will make brief remarks to the people of
the Xiahe village upon completion of the roundtable discussion.
Later that day, the President will tour the most famous
attraction in Xian, the Terra Cotta Warriors. Peasants digging
a well first discovered these pottery soldiers in 1974, which
are regarded as one of the most spectacular archaeological finds
of the 20th century. The soldiers, representing Emperor Qin Shi
Huang's imperial guards, are located 1500 meters from the
emperor's Imperial Tomb. The warriors have unique facial
features and an array of weapons, poses, and heights. Over
three thousand soldiers, 96 horses, and 11 chariots have been
unearthed so far. Experts believe thousands more will be
discovered.
The Terra Cotta Warriors represent the imperial guard of Emperor
Qin Shi Huang, which during his lifetime was actually stationed
to the east of Xian as a defense against rebellion from one or
more of six kingdoms he had conquered. The burial of the Terra
Cotta figures replaced the earlier practice of human sacrifice.
