Thorn Tree travel forum

1

Good luck! I don't think you will find an English speaking guide would know more information than what's available in a book.

garyma.com {Wanderlust}

2

hi snullr,i'm a chinese girl who used to be an english guide in the past few years and i understand sometime you have to have a lot of courage to hire a stranger to work for you in short time.i've been to terracotta many times and my suggestion is just hire one when you get there,you'll find a lot of english guide there and talk to them about things you want to know so you can find out how is his or her english....they might know more than other guide who is not work there all year long----like me i travel a lot.....i think the price is about 50rmb or a little higher....you'll be fine,just don't talk to strangers and the people who wants to sale things to you....enjoy yourself

i'm from one of the oldet cities in china which is famous by The Terracotta Army in Qin dynasty.i like travel and communicate with people and know more about different culture.

3

Don't bother with a guide. Even if you never read anything about the warriors, there are huge signs everywhere in English which explain what you are seeing. I thought it was very well done. In fact the guide we had was obnoxious and annoyed that we wanted to read the signs and he contradicted info on the signs. He would try to drag us by signs so that he could have a long conversation in a crowded room where you couldn't hear him. Awful.

4

Totally don't bother with a guide. You'll forget more than half what you are told that day, anyhow. Lots of signs, watch the video and see the museum first and save the largest hangar of them for last.
Don't pay more than 5 rmb for the small box of terracotta warriors!

cheers from Ruth

5

Thanks all. I'll follow my original plan: we'll all hop on the trusty bus and see the site for ourselves. And thanks, Ruth, for the suggest order of events.

Susan