The Medical Leader

Laura Ford Hall

Terra Cotta Warriors

The Delegation of Pikeville to China had a very eventful day including historical visits and foreign affairs.  The day began with an hour long trip into the countryside in Shaanxi Province, outside of Xi’an to see the Museum of the Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses.  I was more excited about seeing this “eighth wonder of the world” than any other site in China because my mother, Janice Beeler Ford, who (I will mention again) was an art professor at Pikeville College for 41 years, taught me about the Terra Cotta Warriors since I was a little girl.  My mother studied art all over the world, and more than the Mona Lisa, she first loved Egyptian Art, followed closely by art from the Roman Era, Michelangelo, and then she would talk about Chinese and Asian art.  She talked more of the Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses than she did of any other work of the Chinese, and it is truly an extravagant work of art.  In its sheer magnitude, the over 8,000 visible statues are overwhelming to the eye.  Again, I began to cry as I walked in to see this wonder.

Laura at the Terra Cotta Warriors

The Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses were built in late 3rd Century B.C. for the Tomb of Emperor QinShihuang, the first Emperor in Chinese History.  Emperor Qin (for short , much like the Pharaohs in Egypt, wanted to take all of his belongings with him into their afterlife.  But, Qin wanted to take this practice a step further… he was going to have all of his soldiers, wives, and concubines buried with him, even if he would’ve been burying them alive.  This very terrible, morbid idea was rejected by the Emperor’s people and one artist, a sculptor, came up with the idea of, rather than burying people alive, constructing sculptured statues to protect the Emperor in his after-life.  Over 700,000 artists and other workers worked for over 15 years to build thousands and thousands of statues of warriors, generals, officers, and horses to put in the Emperor’s tomb.  Although there are so many statues, no two are the same… facial features or hairstyles are each different.  The uniform denotes the officer’s rank and the soldiers were flanked as if they were ready for battle.

Greg and Menette May

Although the tomb had been there for thousands of years, it was not found until 1974 by a farmer who was on his land digging a well.  He dug several feet and no water, dug again… still no water, then he began to dig deeper and deeper and then dug into the tomb.  The farmer’s name was Yang Xin Man.  Previous to his find, he was an unknown farmer who could not read or write, but after his discovery, he got a new profession.  For the past 20 years, since the museum has been open, he sits in a special room every day where he charges for autographs and photos.  He learned to write only his name and it is the only thing he can read or write.  With nearly 2 million tourists annually, charging $30 U.S. per autograph and photo… well, he is now rolling in the dough.  Jimmy and Kim Carter had their photo made with Farmer Yang.  I believe Farmer Yang is to the Terra Cotta Warriors Museum what Miss Billie Jean Osborne is to the Mountain Arts Center (the founder and heart at the center of it all).

After leaving the museum, the delegation boarded a bus to travel to our Sister City of Ankang, stopping at a restaurant that only had a “squatty potty…” we elected to pass on the restroom use and pulled over again at a hotel to use the restroom that had three “western toilets” as the Chinese refer to them.  So far, I have not had to use a “squatty potty” which is VERY good!

Ankang Mountains

Our ride to Ankang City was by bus on a new highway that was just opened this past May 28, 2009.  It is 179 miles long… beautiful highway with mountainous scenes that make our mountains look like hills.  Rather than cutting through the entirety of all of the mountains to get to Ankang, the government chose to build tunnels.  We went through 181 tunnels to get to Ankang City… two of the tunnels were over 11 miles long.  Some of them were very short.  The tunnels have solar powered lights with solar panels on top of the mountains that produce light inside the tunnels.  Some of the tunnels have beautiful neon lights and trees that do not need light to grow for decoration.  It is very apparent that the Chinese love neon lights.  They are everywhere, on nearly every building.  It is very pretty at night, and I have petitioned Donovan Blackburn and City Commissioner Jimmy Carter to get lots of neon lights in Pikeville.

Welcome in Ankang

Once we arrived to Ankang City, the welcoming party was glorious.  Our bus first stopped at the City Gate where City Manager Donovan Blackburn and his wife Debbie Blackburn were escorted off the bus and were greeted by two beautiful children holding flowers as well as the Vice Mayor of Ankang and two city officials.  We were then lead into the city by a police escort and went to our hotel.  We had to prepare, in a short time, for a banquet where the Mayor of Ankang City and Pikeville City Manager Donovan Blackburn met and the Mayor delivered a welcome address.

“The city of Ankang welcomes the American Delegation from Pikeville, Kentucky,” Mayor Fang said.  “Our cities are alike in many ways.  They are both located in a valley.  They both have a major river running through them.  They both are making progress.  Our towns are similar and we have much to share and much to learn as Sister Cities.”

Welcome Banquet

The banquet was very special and was the first step to becoming Sister Cities with the city of Ankang in China.  Many toasts were made to the City of Pikeville.

For my final thought today, I would like to say that I feel so proud to be from Pikeville and Pike County and proud to have our city be only one of four Sister Cities with China’s Shaanxi Province.  We have a wonderful city and county that we should all take pride in.  Over the next two days, we will visit the hospitals, schools, and factories.  I am most excited to see the schools.  Former Governor Paul Patton, now President of Pikeville College, will get to meet with the President of Ankang College.  Walter E. and Pam May are very excited to be able to visit the hospitals.  And I have received the privilege of being invited to lecture on American music and perform for all of the music students enrolled in Ankang University.

Laura Ford Hall