This 'n That

By Cindy DeLong
UNL Graduate Student

Marin and Amanda meeting at the Coffee House.

Yesterday we had nothing on the schedule, which was good because it was raining. Later in the day Dr. Crews and Marin were giving lectures at the American Exchange Center at Xi'an Jiaotong University, so they had preparation time this morning. We really couldn't go anywhere because the traffic in Xi'an is so bad that if we did, we might not get back in time.

Traffic. It's something else here. I have seen lots of traffic, but never anything like this, except, of course, in Beijing a week ago. And I have never heard so much honking. At first I thought the cars were honking at each other to express anger or say "get out of my way." That's not the case. They honk to warn other cars that they are there and to watch out for them. Here they also have street cars, buses and lots of people on motorcycles, scooters, bicycles and any other type of vehicle you can imagine. 

There must be some order to how people drive in this city, but heck if I can tell what it is. It is legal, and normal, to turn left from the far right hand lane. Go figure. Cars cut in front of each other constantly. The drivers have some sort of built-in instinct or antennae so they know EXACTLY how close they can get to another car without hitting it. 

These Xi'an streets are the most chaotic I have ever seen. For example, the side street next to our hotel has parking on both sides of the street. But people double-park all day long. The other day, there were almost as many cars double parked as those parked along the curb! In addition to the vehicles and bicycles driving, changing lanes, and turning every-which-way, there are lots of pedestrians crossing the street. Venturing outside anywhere near the street is truly taking your life in your own hands. The odd thing is that we haven't seen any accidents. Very strange.

Since we had some free time this morning, Marin, Amanda and I decided to go to a local coffee house for a cup of brew. It was very good. (The coffee at the hotel is reeeally bad.) We were able to wind down a little and "regroup." We reviewed some of our pictures, which of course sparked conversation and recapping of some of our adventures. We are all charmed by the Chinese children. They are adorable.  

It's a good thing menus have pictures.

There are a few more things about our dining adventures I have to share. First, napkins are optional. Sometimes you simply don't get one and if you do it's more like a cocktail napkin than anything else. I haven't seen a single dinner napkin since we've been here. Instead of ice water, the restaurants serve hot water in a glass they've taken from a thermos. I think it's been boiled so it's safe to drink. I am actually enjoying this new drink and will probably continue with it when I get home. 

Something else a little different is the way they serve the food. In the U.S., restaurants serve the entire order at once. Not here. Food is served as it is prepared in the kitchen. So I might have my food before everyone else. I guess I'm expected to eat it when it arrives, but since food is family-style, everyone just digs in. I'm puzzled. It's a little different.

The other night we went to a place up the street to have noodles. We saw a woman picking up a carry-out order. Yes, it was in a Chinese box just like at home. Well at least something's the same. 

Dumplings and Steamed Buns...ummumm GOOD!

Steamed Buns and Plum Juice.

A very common dish here is a dough that is stuffed with different things -- vegetables, spinach and egg, shrimp, beef, etc. The dumpling is then steamed until it's done. A steamed bun is the same thing except it's pinched at the top instead of folded. These are delicious, just yummy. Yesterday for lunch we had nothing but a variety of different kinds of steamed buns, and a couple of vegetables dishes. It was a great lunch and we had all we could eat. For seven people the bill was 164 RMB -- about $4 each.

That reminds me, we drink bottled water of course. We can buy it is a quick shop for 2 RMB which is about 35 cents. At the grocery store, water is 1 RMB.

Today, we're taking the bus to the Muslim Quarter. Wish us luck!


Cindy DeLong is working on a master's degree in textile history with an emphasis in quilt studies at UNL. She has a bachelor of sciences in home economics (clothing and textiles) and journalism from the University of Missouri. She has worked at the New England Quilt Museum as a curatorial intern and the International Quilt Study Center & Museum as a collections intern.

A Budding Alliance

The ancient history exhibition.

By Cindy DeLong
UNL Graduate Student

One of my favorites from the folk art exhibition.

Last Monday, soon after we arrived, Dr. Crews, Marin, Amanda and I met Professor Li, Vice Director of the Xi'an Jiaotong University Art Museum. He introduced us to some of his graduate students and gave us a tour of the museum.

We finished the tour yesterday. We were all quite impressed. The museum building is new and beautifully done. There is lots of exhibition space and a wide variety of different subjects are on display. 

The upper level of the museum has a large exhibit of calligraphy. Huge displays cover the walls. It is elegant! We toured the permanent exhibit of ancient historic objects including urns, figurines and tools. A very exciting and colorful Chinese Folk Art exhibit is also permanent. It was flat out fun! A new opera exhibit displayed exotic costumes, puppets and head pieces among other objects. Still two other galleries exhibited photographs and ceramics by a well known Chinese artist. 

We were given a tour of museum offices, the conservation laboratory, and the photography studio. Then we were treated to a short demonstration of some of the technology they are planning to use for visual presentations. We wore 3D glasses and saw a short movie clip. The basic idea is to take museum visitors to the archeological dig sites through the magic of technology. Although not developed yet, this is an important project to the Jiaotong University Museum.

Aren't we cute in 3D glasses?!?

See why we were impressed? 

After this wonderful tour, Professor Li invited us to a sitting room for an informal meeting. He suggested that his museum and ours form a partnership for research and exhibitions. The idea of trading exhibitions was tossed around and agreed to in general, although many, many details will have to be worked out as well as funding. Supporting and sharing research and possibly hosting scholars was also agreed to in principal, although the details and funding would have to be worked out for that too. 

Professor Li visited our campus in Nebraska in 2007 and toured the International Quilt Study Center then. Now we have visited his museum. Also, Marin has exchanged emails with Jack, Professor Li's assistant for a long time. We've developed a good relationship for many years and now with our visit to Xi'an, it seems everyone is comfortable with each other and would like to build a more formal relationship. It is an exciting and a wonderful outcome from this long-anticipated visit!


Cindy DeLong is working on a master's degree in textile history with an emphasis in quilt studies at UNL. She has a bachelor of sciences in home economics (clothing and textiles) and journalism from the University of Missouri. She has worked at the New England Quilt Museum as a curatorial intern and the International Quilt Study Center & Museum as a collections intern.

Another Wonder of the World?

By Amanda Lensch
UNL Graduate Student

Of course! We saw and conquered the Terra Cotta Warriors, located just outside of Xi’an.

Holy cow, what a sight!

In 221, Qin Shihuangdi (no I can’t say this either) united all of the separate kingdoms of China in 221 BC, declaring himself the emperor. During his reign he demanded that an elaborate tomb be made with plenty of warriors to stand guard after he entered into the afterlife. They were made by craftsmen and slaves of his day.

The site wasn’t discovered until a farmer decided to drill a well in 1974, some two thousand years later!

To date, there are more than 8,000 warriors that have been discovered, and excavation continues. By all appearances, these anthropologists have a lot of job security!

Anyway, the awesome thing about them is every single soldier is unique – as in different faces, different hands, and apparently even different stylized finger nails (or at least this is what our guide said). The craftsmanship on these pieces is unbelievable! The theory is each man is modeled after an actual soldier. I can’t decide if this is really really cool, or creepy… In terms of research, a whole host of things can be examined. Rank can be identified through hair and clothing styles, types of weapons, who was on the ‘front lines’, etc… The list goes on.

Three Fun facts about the Terra Cotta Warriors:

1. The armor of the original/live soldiers was made out of leather, and if you happened to be lucky enough to be of higher rank, you may get multiple layers of armor. Personally, I don’t know just how much good leather would do against an arrow, but it must have been the best option.
2. All of the terra cotta pieces were originally painted! But once excavation started and these pieces were exposed to oxygen, the color disappeared. They had used different minerals to paint the soldiers in vivid colors, but oxidation occurred, eliminating the color. They are trying to determine ways to prevent this from happening to the soldiers who haven’t been uncovered yet.
3. Due to the roof collapsing, among other issues, most of the warriors were found in broken pieces. Sometimes hundreds of pieces, thus providing a giant puzzle to those working on this excavation project.

After hitting two of the eight wonders of the world in one week, I think it’s time to start planning trips to see the other six! Anyone want to join?

Amanda Lensch is working on a master’s in textile history with an emphasis in quilt studies at UNL. She has a bachelor’s degree in apparel merchandising, design and production with an emphasis in museum studies and a minor in entrepreneurial studies from Iowa State University. She is a graduate assistant working in collections at the International Quilt Study Center & Museum and previously interned at the National Quilt Museum in Paducah, Ky., and Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.

Exploring Beijing

Quaint Nan Luogu Xiang Hutong.

By Cindy DeLong
UNL Graduate Student

Spectacular Rooftops in the Forbidden City.

Having only three days in Beijing, we didn't waste a minute.

Friday morning we got up and going, first to the Forbidden City. It was probably two or three miles away and could we walk it? Well of course. So we walked and walked and walked and after a few wrong turns and a wild goose chase a local sent us on through a local neighborhood, we made it. 

The Forbidden City, built during the Ming Dynasty, is enchanting. It took a tiny bit of imagination to see the city without the hordes of tourists, but instead with magnificent gates, imperial courtiers, emperors and empresses, government officials scurrying about and of course many were wearing the spectacular robes, gowns, and head pieces we've all seen in museums, books and other places. The city has a few artifacts (mostly reproductions since during the Chinese Cultural Revolution in the mid-twentieth century, many were destroyed), but of course most impressive are the palaces, temples, and courtyards. 

We saw the Palace of Heaven and Purity, which was where the emperor and empress lived with their family, the Palace of the Empress which was where her birthday was celebrated, the Palace of Earthly and Tranquility, palaces for the emperors mother and one for his  concubines. After the palaces and courtyard, a fabulous and vast garden seemed to never end. 

To confirm our reservations for a tour of the Great Wall the next day, we went in search of a neighborhood called Nan Luogu Xiang Hutong. Hutongs were built in the early 20th Century, and though most have been torn down to build high-rise apartments, a few, like this one, remain. 

Did we miss our turn?

We walked and walked and walked. Finally we realized we had gone way too far. Thankfully a Westerner on a bicycle saw us pouring over a map and stopped to help. We finally decided we didn't have enough time to walk back and find it so we called a cab who quickly took us where we needed to go.

Thinking ahead, Dr. Crews had printed off a map and directions to Nan Luogu Xiang Hutong (in Chinese) before she left so this cab ride was no problem.

The Hutong was quaint and fun to explore. There were many gardens, hanging lanterns, restaurants, fast food eateries and shops of all kinds -- clothing, handicraft, shawls -- yes several shops that sold only shawls, very expensive shawls. Amanda even tried on a fabulous cashmere shawl that had buttons and was something completely new to us. I think the price was 1,950 RMB. At about 6 RMB to $1 you do the math! 

We had tickets to a Chinese acrobat show that night, so we caught another cab that took us across town and we enjoyed a wonderful show. How do they do one-armed handstands and twirl around on a stack of ten chairs?  I don't know, but it sure felt great to get off our feet. 

Later the three of us all admitted we had trouble staying awake during the show. I myself almost nodded off several times. We had been walking all day long except for our lunch. I think I was asleep that night before my head even hit the pillow!


Cindy DeLong is working on a master's degree in textile history with an emphasis in quilt studies at UNL. She has a bachelor of sciences in home economics (clothing and textiles) and journalism from the University of Missouri. She has worked at the New England Quilt Museum as a curatorial intern and the International Quilt Study Center & Museum as a collections intern.

To the Top of the World and Back

Me at the beginning of our climb! We hiked all the way to the lookout point
at the top of the picture. (Look for the black arrow.) Talk about a hike!

By Amanda Lensch
UNL Graduate Student

I took this picture from the top of a particularly steep set of
steps after Cindy and Dr. Crews had climbed down. Yikes!

On this trip there was one ‘tourist site’ that I had to see. Of course it was the Great Wall of China. (I mean how can you go to China without seeing the Great Wall?)

On Saturday, we were part of a tour that took us two hours by bus outside of Beijing to the Mutianyu section of the wall. All I can say is it was great. Great in size-certainly. Great in beauty – absolutely.

Great in tiring us out – like you wouldn’t believe!

The building of the Great Wall began in the 7th century B.C. when China was comprised of many small kingdoms, and was used as a defense mechanism against warring neighbors. The Mutianyu section of the wall was built about 600 years ago during the Ming Dynasty. At one point, portions of the wall were even used as a means to protect the Silk Road, which was vital to China’s production of silk and their ability to trade globally. To read more about the history of the Great Wall, go here.

Your lovely IQSCM China team (minus Marin)
at the end of our climb!

Upon arriving we took a not so glorified ski lift up to the wall. Our guide recommended that we explore the wall to the right of the lift, as it was typically less crowded, albeit a more challenging hike. So of course, this is what Cindy, Dr. Crews and I decided to do.

The guide wasn’t kidding about it being more challenging. I have the sore muscles to prove it.

I’ve included some pictures of the climb we made to share our great accomplishment with you!

It was a heart racing, muscles burning kind of climb – up and down big steps, little steps, through lookouts, and more. But we did it, and it was so worth it! You feel on top of the world as you take in the breathtaking scenery all around you.

So amazing!

We spent several hours on the wall, before taking, of all things, a toboggan down the mountain! Yes, all three of us took a toboggan down – and we have proof! Topping it all off was a tasty traditional Chinese lunch at the base of the mountain with our tour group.

Simply spectacular.

Successful ride down the mountain! Love having
the opportunity to embrace the inner child!

Amanda Lensch is working on a master’s in textile history with an emphasis in quilt studies at UNL. She has a bachelor’s degree in apparel merchandising, design and production with an emphasis in museum studies and a minor in entrepreneurial studies from Iowa State University. She is a graduate assistant working in collections at the International Quilt Study Center & Museum and previously interned at the National Quilt Museum in Paducah, Ky., and Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.