Our Saturday excursion to the Han Tomb included the teachers in the photo. In 1990, while workers were building a road found an archeological treasure. It was a 2,100 year old network of underground vaults said to contain tens of thousands of terra-cotta sculptures buried with a Han Dynasty emporer, during one of the greatest civilizations of ancient times.The figures were spread over an area as big as 10 football fields and are belived to be part of the burial site of Jingdi, the emporer who ruled from 157 B.C. to 141 B.C.
The two mounds are covering the tomb of the emporer in the front and the emporess in background.
This is what is left of the wall of one of the gates.
It has a huge building built over the top to preserve the clay.
The two pictures looking down are taken through glass that we were walking on.
You can see the shoe cover shadow in one of the pictures. The glass walkway is built over the top of where they are 
excavating.
The two mounds are covering the tomb of the emporer in the front and the emporess in background.
This is what is left of the wall of one of the gates.
It has a huge building built over the top to preserve the clay.The two pictures looking down are taken through glass that we were walking on.
You can see the shoe cover shadow in one of the pictures. The glass walkway is built over the top of where they are 
excavating.These pictures were taken in the museum and these clay figures have already been excavated and put back together for the display.
Letter #16 (December 7, 2008 – December 13, 2008)
Sunday, December 7, 2008 – Dad – We fasted for little Londyn today. We pray all will be well with her. Both Edith and I bore testimony today. I was asked to take charge and conduct this month and until Jan 11 since we and five other BYU couples will vacate our little branch for vacation time. That will leave just the Britton family and a few singles left during a month period. They plan to retreat to a two hour block and meet in the Brittons home during that time. We had tithing settlement today. We have paid nothing here other than helping out those who need help financially but have not claimed it. We bank online with the Monroe 5th Ward receiving our tithes and offerings. We had Mark Bednall over for dinner. He is our home teacher and a student of Chinese/teacher of English part time. He is single and a returned missionary from the Las Vegas Mission. The rest of the evening was spent in reading, internet and writing. We sent Christmas out to the children yesterday – they will have to wait to see what it is.
Monday, December 8, 2008 – Mom – We did the usual “P” day things, get the apartment cleaned, do laundry, finish preparations for our classes for the week. Then we took an hour long walk and ended up at the grocery store. We have had sunshine for almost a week now and the temperature today was very pleasant, as long as you have on your down coat!! Some things of interest – when you buy eggs here, you buy them fresh and they put them in a plastic bag. I can’t believe that we can carry eggs home in a bag without breaking them while walking and they can break at home while riding in a car and in a carton. I made some zucchini and we bought a sweet potato for our dinner. Dad’s went to the blind massage place today because he has had some issues with his back. He said it was a good massage and he feels very good.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008 – Dad – Today between our two hour classes an administrator collected Edith and I and asked for our final tests. Fortunately we had just completed them and had them with so we could begin explaining what we were going to test them on. We will test for two weeks where each student will stand and give a 5 minute presentation in English concerning a member of their family or some world/national events. It will take approx. four hours to complete the testing or two weeks. After going on a walk, accompanied by a Chinese lady who is going to Georgia University in Athens, Georgia, next year, we walked in a roundabout way to the grocery store. On the way home we went to one of the students’ cafeterias to get fried rice. We order in Chinese telling them what we want and to put no spice in it or any hot vegetables. They put the vegetables on the grill with water added, then oil with steamed rice, and stir it with a cement trowel. Yes, cement trowel. I hope they wash it and decontaminate it daily. But, it is real tasty. A nice late fall day. The sun comes up at 8am and down at 5pm now.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008 – Mom – We have certainly enjoyed the sunshine again today. Most of the time that we have been in China, it has been very polluted here, so the past week has been delightful. Today is pay day. We were advised that we should withdraw as much money as we can because if there ever was a mistake, it would be difficult to document since there is no paperwork – that we see, anyway. So we withdrew the limit today and then tomorrow, we will withdraw the rest. We stash it in the apartment. My final exam is a little different than Dad’s. My students are not as good in English as his, so I will have them dialogue a conversation with a partner. I have given them 6 conversation situations and then next week they will draw a number and that will be the dialogue they will present. It was funny when they realized that they would have to prepare for 6 different conversations because they would not know which one will be theirs. One student said, “this is difficult.” The written semester exams are supposed to be the first two weeks of January and they want the oral exams completed before that. We walked for about an hour. I made some homemade chicken vegetable soup and it hit the spot!!!
Thursday, December 11, 2008 –Dad – This morning on the way to my first class the Department Chair stopped me and handed me a self-evaluation form for Edith and I to accomplish. We were to have it to him by 12 noon. Of course we are teaching from 8 to 12, so I went up to the third floor faculty room, located her, and we filled them out. Then on my way down the stairs to the first floor (where I teach) I ran into the Department Chair and was able to give him the evaluation forms. After class, lunch and a nap we went and finished cleaning out the bank. We got out 2200 yuan today or approximately $310 and left in 85 yuan in each account (both Edith and I have one). We then shopped at the vegetable, fruit and food stand at the Shaanxi Normal University. The lady who sold me the eggs asked in very broken English if I wanted old eggs (over 10 years old – some are even 100 years old and considered a delicacy here – yum, yum!) or eggs that come from a black chicken. I said I wanted fresh eggs – a stamped date on each egg indicated it was laid on November 25th or 17 days old. Of course they do not refrigerate them either. No wonder all flu epidemics come from chickens and birds infected from China.
Friday, December 12, 2008 – Mom – Dad rode the “bucket of bolts” (it would be easier and quicker to say “bus.”) home after his class. I teach two classes on Friday and he teaches one class. He was already napping and had fixed a tuna sandwich for me. Later we went for a long walk, had dinner at KFC, and went to the supermarket for yogurt, paper towels and water.
Saturday, December 13, 2008 – Dad – Today we took a little trip with some of the foreign teachers to the tomb’s of a King and Queen of the Han Dynasty time period (200 BC). They were discovered when a road was being built. The pottery, small pottery animals and small pottery people were unearthed about 20 years ago. Since then the archeologist have been digging and discovering. The emperor ruled for 30 years and it took 28 years to prepare his tomb and that of his empress. They believed that by burying animal figures, food, wine, soldiers, women in figure form that in the life hereafter they would be safe, fed well, and have their concubines in that life. We ate lunch at a restaurant on the 4th floor of a building. At each place was a hot pot or a pot with a small fire under it to heat the soup which in turn cooked the meat and or vegetables that you put into it. After eating the meat and vegetables, then you drank the soup. It was very delicious and unique. Walked to Metro to purchase some comfort foods such as popcorn, hot chocolate and cold cereal. Sunny day.
Sunday, December 7, 2008 – Dad – We fasted for little Londyn today. We pray all will be well with her. Both Edith and I bore testimony today. I was asked to take charge and conduct this month and until Jan 11 since we and five other BYU couples will vacate our little branch for vacation time. That will leave just the Britton family and a few singles left during a month period. They plan to retreat to a two hour block and meet in the Brittons home during that time. We had tithing settlement today. We have paid nothing here other than helping out those who need help financially but have not claimed it. We bank online with the Monroe 5th Ward receiving our tithes and offerings. We had Mark Bednall over for dinner. He is our home teacher and a student of Chinese/teacher of English part time. He is single and a returned missionary from the Las Vegas Mission. The rest of the evening was spent in reading, internet and writing. We sent Christmas out to the children yesterday – they will have to wait to see what it is.
Monday, December 8, 2008 – Mom – We did the usual “P” day things, get the apartment cleaned, do laundry, finish preparations for our classes for the week. Then we took an hour long walk and ended up at the grocery store. We have had sunshine for almost a week now and the temperature today was very pleasant, as long as you have on your down coat!! Some things of interest – when you buy eggs here, you buy them fresh and they put them in a plastic bag. I can’t believe that we can carry eggs home in a bag without breaking them while walking and they can break at home while riding in a car and in a carton. I made some zucchini and we bought a sweet potato for our dinner. Dad’s went to the blind massage place today because he has had some issues with his back. He said it was a good massage and he feels very good.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008 – Dad – Today between our two hour classes an administrator collected Edith and I and asked for our final tests. Fortunately we had just completed them and had them with so we could begin explaining what we were going to test them on. We will test for two weeks where each student will stand and give a 5 minute presentation in English concerning a member of their family or some world/national events. It will take approx. four hours to complete the testing or two weeks. After going on a walk, accompanied by a Chinese lady who is going to Georgia University in Athens, Georgia, next year, we walked in a roundabout way to the grocery store. On the way home we went to one of the students’ cafeterias to get fried rice. We order in Chinese telling them what we want and to put no spice in it or any hot vegetables. They put the vegetables on the grill with water added, then oil with steamed rice, and stir it with a cement trowel. Yes, cement trowel. I hope they wash it and decontaminate it daily. But, it is real tasty. A nice late fall day. The sun comes up at 8am and down at 5pm now.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008 – Mom – We have certainly enjoyed the sunshine again today. Most of the time that we have been in China, it has been very polluted here, so the past week has been delightful. Today is pay day. We were advised that we should withdraw as much money as we can because if there ever was a mistake, it would be difficult to document since there is no paperwork – that we see, anyway. So we withdrew the limit today and then tomorrow, we will withdraw the rest. We stash it in the apartment. My final exam is a little different than Dad’s. My students are not as good in English as his, so I will have them dialogue a conversation with a partner. I have given them 6 conversation situations and then next week they will draw a number and that will be the dialogue they will present. It was funny when they realized that they would have to prepare for 6 different conversations because they would not know which one will be theirs. One student said, “this is difficult.” The written semester exams are supposed to be the first two weeks of January and they want the oral exams completed before that. We walked for about an hour. I made some homemade chicken vegetable soup and it hit the spot!!!
Thursday, December 11, 2008 –Dad – This morning on the way to my first class the Department Chair stopped me and handed me a self-evaluation form for Edith and I to accomplish. We were to have it to him by 12 noon. Of course we are teaching from 8 to 12, so I went up to the third floor faculty room, located her, and we filled them out. Then on my way down the stairs to the first floor (where I teach) I ran into the Department Chair and was able to give him the evaluation forms. After class, lunch and a nap we went and finished cleaning out the bank. We got out 2200 yuan today or approximately $310 and left in 85 yuan in each account (both Edith and I have one). We then shopped at the vegetable, fruit and food stand at the Shaanxi Normal University. The lady who sold me the eggs asked in very broken English if I wanted old eggs (over 10 years old – some are even 100 years old and considered a delicacy here – yum, yum!) or eggs that come from a black chicken. I said I wanted fresh eggs – a stamped date on each egg indicated it was laid on November 25th or 17 days old. Of course they do not refrigerate them either. No wonder all flu epidemics come from chickens and birds infected from China.
Friday, December 12, 2008 – Mom – Dad rode the “bucket of bolts” (it would be easier and quicker to say “bus.”) home after his class. I teach two classes on Friday and he teaches one class. He was already napping and had fixed a tuna sandwich for me. Later we went for a long walk, had dinner at KFC, and went to the supermarket for yogurt, paper towels and water.
Saturday, December 13, 2008 – Dad – Today we took a little trip with some of the foreign teachers to the tomb’s of a King and Queen of the Han Dynasty time period (200 BC). They were discovered when a road was being built. The pottery, small pottery animals and small pottery people were unearthed about 20 years ago. Since then the archeologist have been digging and discovering. The emperor ruled for 30 years and it took 28 years to prepare his tomb and that of his empress. They believed that by burying animal figures, food, wine, soldiers, women in figure form that in the life hereafter they would be safe, fed well, and have their concubines in that life. We ate lunch at a restaurant on the 4th floor of a building. At each place was a hot pot or a pot with a small fire under it to heat the soup which in turn cooked the meat and or vegetables that you put into it. After eating the meat and vegetables, then you drank the soup. It was very delicious and unique. Walked to Metro to purchase some comfort foods such as popcorn, hot chocolate and cold cereal. Sunny day.
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