Banpo

Here are a few more shots of the Terracotta army:

Alison and Tatyana toured Banpo, a neolithic site near Xi an:

Banpo (半坡) is an archaeological site first discovered in 1953 and located in the Yellow River Valley just east of Xi'an, China. It contains the remains of several well organised Neolithic settlements dating from approximately 4500 BCE. It is a large area of sixty square kilometers and surrounded by a ditch, probably a defensive moat, five or six meters wide. The houses were circular, build of mud and wood with overhanging thatched roofs. They sat on low foundations. There appears to be communal burial areas.^[1] --Wikipedia

Alison photographed a gravity pot. It's placed in the water on its side. As it fills, the base is shaped such that it rights itself when full:

 

In addition to touring Banpo, they also visited a silk factory, where they saw how silk was made from cocoons. They later saw a beautiful stage show. The evening's meal was a traditional dumpling dinner. The dumplings were shaped like flowers and animals, had various fillings, and were served with a variety of sauces. Like many of their other meals, the food was served on lazy susans that magically refilled themselves.

In an earlier call, Al mentioned traffic and crowds. Here's some visual evidence:

Here are a few pictures of Tatyana, including one where's she enjoying some nontraditional Chinese food:

 

They are back in Beijing now, and Alison returns the day after the Inauguration.