The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2007

J U LY- A U G U S T 2 0 0 7 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 67 the terracotta warriors, is about 250 miles upstream. The second capital of the Han (25-220) was on the Yellow River, in Luoyang, just 50 miles upstream from the site of the massive heads. The immense rock faces gaze sternly north across the Huanghe and over the vast grain fields in the direction of their ances- tors’ home, Anyang, capital of the Shang Dynasty (1700-1100 B.C.): one of the four great civilizations of the ancient world. The international train passes through this cradle of Chinese civi- lization 100 miles north of the Yellow River, where Chinese script first appeared on inscribed oracle bones around 1300 B.C. Over 100,000 pieces of bone and tortoise shell have been unearthed — his- toric and linguistic resources that will last generations. Ancestors were consulted through the bones, mostly shoulder blades of cattle and water buffalo or turtle shells. The bones were heated until they cracked; then the cracks were interpreted. The entire process of divination — the question asked, the answers given and, occasionally, the verification of the answer in events that unfolded — was inscribed on the bone. This has left an invaluable record of the geographical and political orga- nization of the Shang state as well as the evolution of Chinese script. Also excavated in Anyang were the famous Shang bronzes. With their distinctive anamist “taotie” motifs, they are among the oldest and finest bronze vessels in the world. At Journey’s End The landscape north of the Yellow River is mostly flat, with the jagged, bone-dry Taihang Mountains filling the western horizon until obscured by the horrific pollution of the capital. Arriving in Beijing after such a jour- ney, one feels a mixture of relief and anxiety: relief that the cramped con- fines of the train will soon be history, but anxiety about whether the pain- staking preparation of each diplomat- ic pouch and its associated paperwork will ensure the success of the mission. If the authorities in Beijing find any discrepancies with either the paper- work or the diplomatic pouches, they will deny the entire classified load entrance into China. So far, the Seoul Regional Diplo- matic Courier Hub has a 100-percent success rate delivering top-secret material to the Beijing mission. After two nights in the capital, the diplo- matic couriers reboard the train with the post’s dispatch for the 1,400-mile return trip to Hong Kong. Trips along this classified lifeline will no doubt increase in frequency in support of the fast-approaching Beijing Olympic Games of summer 2008. * per night, single or double occupancy subject to availability Y our search is over, choose a hotel where the federal per diem rate is available year-round. * Luxurious Suites All rooms with full size kitchen & stove tops Fitness center Complimentary in-room coffee Full service restaurant Parking available Across fromMain State White House, The Mall, and Metro Foggy Bottom station (blue & orange lines) within walking distance Accommodations State Plaza Hotel 2117 E. St. NW Washington, DC 20037 Telephone: (800) 424-2859 (202) 861-8200 Parking Available Rated 1 / 2 by AAA www.stateplaza.com E-mail: reservations@stateplaza.com