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Including the Terra Cotta Warriors Exhibit at the National Geographic Museum
The ancient terra-cotta warriors of China are making a rare visit to the United States. Not the entire army of statues that was buried almost 2,000 years ago, of course, but we will see 15 of them at the National Geographic museum as part of our tour of Chinese treasures in Washington.
We begin with insights into modern China—from its towering skyscrapers and busy factories to smart-phonetoting youth—provided by our guide, Mei Zhang. Next are a guided tour of the Smithsonian’s Arthur M. Sackler Gallery permanent collection of Chinese art—which includes jade objects from 5,000 years ago, early Buddhist sculpture, and paintings from the 10th century— and a hands-on session designed to give us a taste of Chinese calligraphy. Then we discuss the many flavors of Chinese cuisine over a lunch served at Asia Nine. We proceed to the Terra Cotta Warriors: Guardians of China’s First Emperor exhibit at the National Geographic Museum and close the day with an insider visit to the Chinese Embassy, designed by the architectural firm headed by I.M. Pei’s sons.
Born to an impoverished workers’ family in southwest China, Zhang earned her master’s degree from Harvard Business School and has traveled to the farflung corners of China.
9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., beginning and ending at the Ripley Center, Room 3035, 1100 Jefferson Dr., S.W.
Ticket and photo ID required.