After lunch we walked through the very impressive Xi'an regional museum. The huge stone lion guarding reminded me of the elephant in the entrance hall of the Natural History Museum, one of my favorite spots in DC.
They had some cool bronze pots, used for food, water, booze and oil.
Yo dawg, I heard you liked Western Zhou bronze wine vessels...
Here are some examples of other terra cotta funeral figures. Though far under life-sized, they serve the same function as the famous terra cotta warriors: these statues are meant to provide for the ruler in his afterlife.
"A Blunderbuss! Not only is it a really cool word, but it also casts some doubt on the old "Chinese invented fireworks, but couldn't figure out how to invent guns" line.
A freaky man-faced beast, a big (10') dragon-headed snake, and a solid gold antelope. I'd like to be a fly on the wall during this conversation.
Ceramic Camel Porn.
Creepy headrest. I don't think I could sleep on this, and not just because it's made from porcelain.
More temple guardians. I get such a kick out of these things. They're three or four feet tall, intricately detailed and fierce-looking.
Here are some stone masks. I forget what they're used for, but I still like 'em.
Bronze doorknockers. They never go out of style.
And a couple dope pots.
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