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.
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