Statues in Xian
Oct 20th, 2003, 04:49 PM
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Statues in Xian
Visiting China for the first time. Want to purchase a replica soldier statue in Xian. What is a fair price for various sizes. I have resd that some are poorer quality un-fired clay does anyone know how to tell the difference? Is the Xian Pottery Art Factory on Dian Chang Dong Road a good destination or is that the only place to buy rhe statues?
Oct 20th, 2003, 05:23 PM
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we were in Xian two years ago. We usually resist the temptation to bring back "souvenier" art....but the Terra Cotta Warriors were so incredible, we did. We bought 1/2 size figures from the museum in Xian (not at the site, but at the history museum in Xian.) We were assured that this quality would be good. Had them shipped home (be careful when you negotiate price; they say all shipping included, but then you find out that there are shipping costs incurred at port of entry, and more when they land at the dock nearest your home...added about $150 to the price, if not more). Anyway, 6 months later, the warriors began to disintegrate. We e mailed the museum, which asked for picture documentation of the problem....and then they sent us two new warriors. (of course, we again had to pay the shipping once they hit the US.) The second set of warriors we keep inside. They have been fine. More than fine. We love them, and the memory of Xian. Truly one of the highlights of our journey.
p.s. hire a knowledgeable guide...makes all the difference. Go to the site at lunch time...everyone leaves to eat, including the tour buses. We had the place to ourselves. Awesome.
p.s. hire a knowledgeable guide...makes all the difference. Go to the site at lunch time...everyone leaves to eat, including the tour buses. We had the place to ourselves. Awesome.
Oct 20th, 2003, 10:23 PM
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Hi
My wife and I went to China in March in 2003 and we went to Beijing, Xi'an and Hong Kong. In Xi'an we checked out the terracotta warriors of course. I have posted a long trip report with pictures on my personal homepage www.gardkarlsen.com. I think you can get a few good tips there when it comes to buying small terracotta warriors
Have a great trip
Regards
Gard
Stavanger, Norway
My wife and I went to China in March in 2003 and we went to Beijing, Xi'an and Hong Kong. In Xi'an we checked out the terracotta warriors of course. I have posted a long trip report with pictures on my personal homepage www.gardkarlsen.com. I think you can get a few good tips there when it comes to buying small terracotta warriors
Have a great tripRegards
Gard
Stavanger, Norway
May 10th, 2005, 10:24 PM
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Where is the best place to get the statues? By best I mean the cheapest place. Is Xian the only place to buy the statues? What about in Beijing or Shanghai or HK? If other than Xian, which place is the best?
If you can only get them in Xian, is the site of the warriors the only place to get them? I'm more interested in small ones, maybe something 4-6 inches tall.
If you can only get them in Xian, is the site of the warriors the only place to get them? I'm more interested in small ones, maybe something 4-6 inches tall.
May 11th, 2005, 02:54 AM
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You will have no trouble locating replicas of the warriors for sale all over Xian, and can often find them in other places in China. Personally, unless you want a small one, I would buy one in the US and save the time, hassle and cost of lugging it around throughout your trip or shipping one home. There is nothing unique about buying one in Xian, as it is very likely to have been made somewhere else (even outside of China). Of course the only difference is that you can’t tell people “I bought this in Xian”. IMO there are lots of other neat things for sale in Xian that are worth bringing home and that can’t be found as easily here. Be sure to wander around the streets near the Muslim quarter for some great stuff, including “fake” antiques, but still interesting. They have leather Mandarin hat boxes which I just love.
If you do decide to buy one, make sure you have done your homework at home by looking at US prices (see below), bargain hard, be prepared to walk away if you don't get your price. You will undoubtedly find the same thing for sale at the next shop, or the shopkeeper will follow you out to meet yoru price. Unless you are shipping the item, a cash price will always be better than a credit card price.
If you take a group bus tour of the warriors, I would NOT buy a statue at any of the "workshops" that the bus tour will invariably visit, you will pay the highest prices. Buy them at street stalls in Xian afer having compared prices.
There was a similar thread on this, and I will repeat my response from a bit of it:
Do a LOT of comparison shopping at home before you make a purchase that requires shipping. I just “terra cotta warrior replicas” and found lots of sites where you can buy them in the US. Even if you have them shipped within the US, this is much cheaper and easier than international shipping, plus you are about 100% sure that the item will be delivered and/or you can use a credit card and therefore don’t have to pay for a failed delivery. I have had some bad experiences with shipping internationally, including occasions when items simply never arrive.
Finding Asian products in the US is so easy now, and stores buy and ship in bulk and so get better prices. If buying in China or elsewhere in SE Asia, you have to figure paying at least as much as you paid for an item to ship it. I saw a website that quoted US$190 per cubic meter (and charged a minimum of one cubic meter no matter the actual size), which may be a good starting point for comparison. Don’t forget about customs duties, as items you do not carry with you are NOT included in your duty-free allowance of US$800 per trip. Be very sure that shipping is to your door, and not to the nearest port or airport, or consider the time, trouble and possible extra cost of a port or airport pick up when tallying up shipping costs. Pay by credit card so you will have the credit card company’s assistance if the item does not show up.
If you do decide to buy one, make sure you have done your homework at home by looking at US prices (see below), bargain hard, be prepared to walk away if you don't get your price. You will undoubtedly find the same thing for sale at the next shop, or the shopkeeper will follow you out to meet yoru price. Unless you are shipping the item, a cash price will always be better than a credit card price.
If you take a group bus tour of the warriors, I would NOT buy a statue at any of the "workshops" that the bus tour will invariably visit, you will pay the highest prices. Buy them at street stalls in Xian afer having compared prices.
There was a similar thread on this, and I will repeat my response from a bit of it:
Do a LOT of comparison shopping at home before you make a purchase that requires shipping. I just “terra cotta warrior replicas” and found lots of sites where you can buy them in the US. Even if you have them shipped within the US, this is much cheaper and easier than international shipping, plus you are about 100% sure that the item will be delivered and/or you can use a credit card and therefore don’t have to pay for a failed delivery. I have had some bad experiences with shipping internationally, including occasions when items simply never arrive.
Finding Asian products in the US is so easy now, and stores buy and ship in bulk and so get better prices. If buying in China or elsewhere in SE Asia, you have to figure paying at least as much as you paid for an item to ship it. I saw a website that quoted US$190 per cubic meter (and charged a minimum of one cubic meter no matter the actual size), which may be a good starting point for comparison. Don’t forget about customs duties, as items you do not carry with you are NOT included in your duty-free allowance of US$800 per trip. Be very sure that shipping is to your door, and not to the nearest port or airport, or consider the time, trouble and possible extra cost of a port or airport pick up when tallying up shipping costs. Pay by credit card so you will have the credit card company’s assistance if the item does not show up.
May 18th, 2005, 06:30 PM
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BigJim,
Just outside the Warriors site there will be a horde of vendors trying to sell you sets of 5 ~4 inch warriors for $1US. HOWEVER, these people are so persistent and grabbing at you that I would not recommend taking out any money at that place! I got the slightly larger size ~6 inches in the town near the Forest of Stelae from a street vendor for 9 RMB. They are black and the black does rub off a little, so I assume they aren't really high quality (of course, since I only paid about $1US for them, I was pretty sure of that anyway
. In that same area, we also found shops with beautiful paper cuts.
Just outside the Warriors site there will be a horde of vendors trying to sell you sets of 5 ~4 inch warriors for $1US. HOWEVER, these people are so persistent and grabbing at you that I would not recommend taking out any money at that place! I got the slightly larger size ~6 inches in the town near the Forest of Stelae from a street vendor for 9 RMB. They are black and the black does rub off a little, so I assume they aren't really high quality (of course, since I only paid about $1US for them, I was pretty sure of that anyway
. In that same area, we also found shops with beautiful paper cuts.
