Seeing the Sights At the Ancient City of Xi'an

The importance of the Shaanxi (not Shanxi) region in the annals of Chinese history did not begin during the Tang Dynasty.  It began thousands of years before.  Archaeological digs have found prehistoric settlements in the region.  Twelve years ago, we had visited the Ban Po Museum near one such village outside of Xi'an.  Opened in 1958, this tourist attraction shows the excavation site and artifacts found in this 6,000 year-old neolithic village.  Unfortunately, it is also probably one of the most boring places we have seen in all of China.   If the Ban Po Museum had gotten 100 times better in the last dozen years, it still wouldn't be worth seeing.  Fortunately there is much more to see in Xi'an than caveman pottery.

Xi’an had served as the imperial capital of several Chinese dynasties—Qin, Han, Xin, Western Jin, Wei, Zhou, and Tang.  Consequently, there is so much preserved history within driving distance of this modern city of 8 million people.  Today, there are eleven cities in China larger than Xi'an, but few are visited more by tourists.

*****

On our first full day in Xi'an, we had the mixed Asian/Western buffet breakfast at the hotel.  As another testament to the poor service at our lodgings, the ladies running the restaurant charged The Boy an adult fare and tried to do the same for The Girl even though neither one was even nine years-old.  The food was pretty bad, especially for the high price.  However, we were stuck eating there since it was impractical for us to go elsewhere for breakfast.

It wasn't worth taking pictures of the lackluster breakfast fare.

Bullwhip then picked us up, put on his white gloves, pressed some random buttons, and drove us to the Shaanxi History Museum.  The entry price was only 20 RMB per person.  However, they had a special exhibit of "The Treasures of the Tang Dynasty" for another 120 RMB per person.  For that inflated price, we passed. 

There was a long line outside one of the ticket booth as the museum gives out 4,000 free tickets daily.

The Shanxi History Museum was built to exhibit the cultural artifacts collected from the different eras and dynasties of the province.  Through the different objects on display, the history of China is revealed.

The Paleolithic Era is first represented with fossils of Lantian Man, a Homo erectus subspecies that lived around 1 million years ago.   The displays then move on to the neolithic age with objects discovered from sites such as the Ban Po Village. Even after a dozen years and a different location, these artifacts are still not interesting.

Stone tools from the Stone Age.

This display demonstrates how water
was collected with these amphora.

Although many different societies likely existed in China after the neolithic era, the first recorded dynasty was the Shang that existed around the 13th to 11th century BC.  With the advent of a written language, present day scholars have a good understanding of the history of these people and their kings .

These simple weapons show that the Shang Dynasty was an early bronze-age culture. 

These ceremonial objects demonstrate the expertise in jade carving during the Shang dynasty.

After 30 kings, the Shang Dynasty was eventually weakened to the point where it was defeated at the Battle of Muye in 1046 BC, thus ushering in the Zhou Dynasty.  Lasting from 1045-256 BC, the Zhou would be the longest dynasty in China's history.  During this time, the origins of Chinese philosophy were founded, as Confucius and Laozi (Taoism) both lived during this era.

As evinced by this tripod brazier, bronze
making technology became more
advanced during the Zhou Dynasty.

These remains of a chariot and animal bones found in a nobleman's tomb show the
importance of horses to ancient cultures.  Unfortunately for the Chinese, the
northern barbarians had an overwhelming advantage of these military weapons.

Initially the capital was located around Xi'an in a period known as the "Western Zhou."  Later, it was moved east towards Luoyang.  This era, known as the "Eastern Zhou," saw a gradual collapse in imperial authority and the the fragmentation of China into seven feudal states.  This "Warring States" period was characterized by fluid political alliances, the replacement of bronze with iron, and advances in military philosophy.  Sun Tzu's The Art of War was written during this period.  Eventually, Zhao Zheng (also known as Qin Shi Huang) ascended to the throne of Qin, the western-most of these feudal states.  Over a nine-year period, he would annex or defeat the other six territories.  Instead of proclaiming himself "king" as the Shang and Zhao rulers once did, he called himself "The First Emperor of China."

Advances in military technology...

...conquer their neighboring states. 

...helped the Qin...

The different feudal states of China each had their own written language.  Once
China was unified by Qin Shi Huang, he implemented one standard language.

These statues from the Qin Dynasty were a preview of things to come later that afternoon.

The Qin Dynasty only lasted 15 years due to Qin Shi Huang's inept descendants.  Liu Bang, a lowly patrol officer from the peasant class, led a rebellion that toppled the Qin and established the Han Dynasty in 206 BC.  For the next 400 years, the country would go through an age of prosperity so great that the Chinese would now be known ethically as "Han" people. One of the most important inventions during this dynasty was the process to make paper.  It was initially used to wrap delicate items.  It would take 200 more years before paper was commonly used for writing, and another 500 before it was used as toilet paper.  During the Han Dynasty, China expanded to the west by defeating the Xiongnu tribes, thus establishing trade with the Roman and Parthian Empires.

With increased trade came economic prosperity.  Each of these gold discs
(a total of 219) which date to the Han Dynasty weighs around 220 grams.

Like all dynasties, the Han finally collapsed from poor leadership and infighting in 220 AD.  For the next 400 years, China was beset by short-lived fragmented governments including the "Three Kingdoms" period, the "Northern and Southern Kingdoms", and the Jin and Sui Dynasties.  Due to war, famine, and disease, China's population plummeted from 50 million during the Han Dynasty down to 16 million during the Jin Dynasty.

Eventually, the population bounced back and increased to 80 million with the establishment of the Tang Dynasty in 618 AD.  With the added manpower, the Tang Dynasty could raise a national army to defend its borders.  This created the stability to allow the Chinese culture to thrive and spread thoughout all of Asia.  Buddhism reached the height of its popularity in China during The Tang Dynasty.

With the help from state support, Buddhist shrines and temples spread throughout the country.

Use of the Silk Road for trade peaked during the Tang Dynasty.

There are only a few artifacts in the museum that date from after the Tang Dynasty.  The capital of China permanently shifted eastwards towards Beijing making the Shaanxi province less important in imperial affairs.

This chart showed how women fashioned their eyebrows and wore their makeup during the different dynasties.

Supposedly, the museum is limited to 6,000 people per day to avoid overcrowding.  It seemed like all 6,000 were there at the same time.  The place was packed.  People were lined up shoulder to shoulder next to each other in front of the glass cases.

We cursed the fact that it was a national holiday in China making everything so crowded.

It was difficult for the kids to see, especially when adults would just rudely cut in front of them blocking their view.  The Girl lost interest pretty quickly as she has not reached the maturity to appreciate history.  If there are no princesses or puppies involved, then it doesn't matter to her.  The Boy at least tried to feign interest.  But in fairness, looking at hundreds of pottery vases without fully understanding their relevance can be monotonous.  Overall, the Shaanxi History Museum does a good job displaying and describing their artifacts.  But it lacks the impressive, definitive pieces (i.e. the gold Tutankhamen death mask) that give some places that “wow” factor.  Altogether, we spent less than two hours at the museum, most of the time wasted jostling with other museum patrons.

A man flies a really long kite outside the museum.

After our futile pursuit at intellectual stimulation, we went back to the hotel for a brief interlude.  Since we were still stuffed from our previous day’s gustatory adventures, we had a light lunch.

Tofu with black bean and soy sauce

Noodles in soy sauce with cucumbers and mustard

Lotus root with stir-fried greens

Thick and chewy biangbiang noodles are served in a spicy sauce

After a short rest at the hotel, Bullwhip picked us up early in the afternoon.  After doing his regular glove and button routine, he drove us about an hour east of the city to the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor.  This attraction is the main reason why tourists visit Xi’an.  Tickets were 150 RMB per person.

For 5 RMB, visitors can ride from the ticket booth to the museum.

However, it's easier just to walk about 100 yards  for free.

In 1974, a group of farmers stumbled onto several clay shards while digging a well.  Since then, a concentrated effort by the Chinese government to excavate the site has produced one of the most wondrous finds—an entire army composed of life-sized terracotta soldiers.  Even before he had ended the Warring States Period and united China in 220 BC, Qin Shi Huang had begun erecting a great mausoleum for himself.  Over the next several years, thousands of workers created elaborate burial pits in the ground, with walls and ceilings supported with wooden beams.  Artisans then crafted full-sized armored soldiers out of clay.  So much effort was expended on this army because Emperor Qin Shi Huang believed that they would protect him in the Afterlife.

There are a total of four pits, three of them occupied with these life-sized figures.

The Mausoleum consists of several buildings that contain a theater, the excavated pits, and a museum about the history of this museum.

Pit one is the biggest by far. It contains rows and rows of infantrymen.

Although a limited number of molds were used for the faces, 

changes in facial hair allowed each one to be unique.

The diversity of their hairstyles and
headwear represented the different
regions where the soldiers came from.

In the past, the tombs had been looted and the soldiers smashed.

The wooden beams and ceiling had also been set afire.

Pit two contains formations of chariots and cavalry...

...as well as of archers and crossbowmen.

The excavation of pit three revealed the headquarters unit.  Unfortunately, most of the
warriors had their heads removed by looters and vandals over the last 2,000 years.

In addition to the three excavated pits, another building contains two rebuilt chariots.

Over the last 40 years, the Chinese have painstakingly excavated and reconstructed these terracotta warriors.

An on-site facility has been set up to help the excavators reconstruct the fragments back to their original form.

After piecing the fragments of each statue

together, they are covered in plastic wrap

until the glue fully dries.

Just like Michael Jackson, some warriors suffer from vitiligo.

Sometimes the soldiers get tired of standing all day long.

Not on display in the pits are some of the 

weapons found buried along the soldiers.

Many swords remained rust free and had actually been
used previously during the Qin army’s conquests.

The Wife and I had seen the terracotta warriors a dozen years ago and nothing drastically new has been excavated.  Nevertheless, it is still hard not to be amazed at the sight of hundreds of these terracotta warriors staring back at you.  Even the kids who were bored by the museum earlier that morning were excited at the spectacle.

One thing though has changed.  The surrounding area is much more organized, cleaner, and touristy than it was 12 years ago.  Previously, cars and buses were able to drop people off near the entrance to the Mausoleum.  Dirty shops, aggressive vendors, and even kilns that create the souvenir terracotta warriors encroached on the museum grounds.  Now, there is a giant parking lot to accommodate the mass of tourist buses.  Visitors will then need to walk 15 minutes up a paved path lined with air-conditioned souvenir shops, fountains, and ornate carvings to get to the entrance.

Compared to 2002, the Mausoleum is now cleaner and more appealing for foreign tourists.

In 2002, the crowds were thin enough that we had room to move.

In 2014, the terracotta soldiers were so popular that we had
to squeeze in between people just to get up to the railing.

But some things at the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor haven't changed.

The gift shop prices are outrageous compared to outside souvenir shops.  A figure that is $100 inside
can be haggled down to about $3-4 outside.  In 2002, we were able to get them for about 80 cents.

Additionally, there are still booths where tourists can buy books written on the discovery of the terracotta army.  Several “discoverers” of the tombs were available to sign these books.

Time has been good to these men as they look even younger than they were twelve
years ago.  The Wife thought it was a scam back then, and even more now.

Once we had our fill of these full-sized clay soldiers, we met back up with Bullwhip for dinner.  He recommended a simple restaurant called Guan Zhong Lao Wan  that specializes in noodle dishes.

Condiments were provided at each table.

Jujubes stuffed with glutinous rice

Green persimmons and peppers

Hu lu ji (Xi'an gourd chicken)

We also tried four dishes with different types of noodles and sauces.

Instead of going back to the hotel after dinner, we had plans to catch an outdoor performance of the "Song of Unending Sorrow," based on a poem written around 900 AD.  This romantic tragedy is based on the true story of the Tang Emperor Xuanzong (685-762 AD) and his passionate love for one of his concubines, Yang Guifei, considered one of the four greatest beauties in Chinese history.

What better place to see this performance than at the Huaqing Palace, the real life setting for
most of the show.  It was also the location of the Xi'an Incident in 1936 that forced a temporary
truce between the Chinese Communists and the Kuomintang against the Japanese.

As evinced by these statues outside, the "Song of Unending Sorrow" involves lots of music and dancing.

After seeing the expensive price (268 RMB per person) for a show that involves dancing, I was leery that such a performance could be worthwhile.  I was also concerned that the stifling heat would be so distracting to the kids and I. Fortunately, once the sun set, the weather cooled down tremendously.

If I thought our seats were expensive, these VIP seats (the black chairs) cost 988 RMB per person.

The actual performance takes place at the base of Mount Lishan...once the sun goes down.

Once the show started, lights placed far away on Mt Lishan mimicked the stars in the night sky.

The "Song of Unending Sorrow" is well-known to most Chinese, but The Wife had to explain it to me and The Kids.

Emperor Xuanzong first meets Concubine Yang and falls passionately in love with
her.  He spends much of his time with her discussing literature, poetry, and art.

The pair spends a lot of time dancing...a really inordinate amount of time dancing.

In this scene where Concubine Yang bathes in the Huaqing Hot
Springs, these performers had to dance in about a foot of water.

The Emperor meets with An Lu Shang, one of his court ministers.  We know
that he is the bad guy because he is accompanied by Tartar soldiers.   

One of the most famous scenes from this story occurs when
Concubine Yang gets wasted after being dissed by the Emperor.

Due to the emperor's inattentiveness to state affairs, An Lu Shang leads a rebellion forcing the
imperial court to flee.  Xuanzong's own army threatens him as they blame Concubine Yang
and her brother, another high-ranking minister, for the decline of the empire.

The soldiers demand the death of
Concubine Yang and her family.

In order to save his own neck, the Emperor reluctantly orders Concubine Yang to be hanged.

Although Xuanzong saves himself and the rebellion is suppressed, he is just a shell of the man
he was before.  He abdicates his throne to his son, and dies depressed and broken 7 years later.

For a happy Hollywood ending, Emperor Xuanzong is reunited with his lost love...in his dreams.

The show did not disappoint.  Although I couldn't understand the occasional narration, I could appreciate the great production value.  It was like a cross between the Bolshoi Ballet and Medieval Times.  The Girl especially loved it and begged us to purchase a DVD copy of the show afterwards.  While the performance led to it being a long day, it was well worth it.

*****

Still tired from the previous day, we planned on taking it easy.  After a late breakfast, Bullwhip drove us to the Yongning Gate, the southern entrance of the Xi’an city walls.  

After purchasing tickets, we climbed
up these stairs to the city wall.

Just like in Pingyao, these walls are well preserved and stretch for miles around part of the city.

There are 24 two-story watchtowers atop the Xi'an city walls.

Unlike in Pingyao, the moat that surrounds
the walls is still filled with plenty of water.

Inside a watchtower near the Yongning Gate is a small homage to bicycles.

The primitive celerifere was the world's first bicycle.

This bicycle from 1818 was the first to add bars for steering.

Visitors have an option of walking, renting a bicycle (or a tandem bike), or taking a motorized
vehicle.  For 180 RMB total, we chose the hour-long ride around the walls in a cart.

Large archery towers guard the north, east, and west gates

Unlike the typical Chinese police officer
who only carries a walkie-talkie...

...these members of the “city guard” came armed.

Near the exit back at the Yongning Gate are some fun things for tourists to interact with.

The Boy failed repeatedly while
playing with this old- fashioned toy.

Afterwards visiting the city walls, we walked around the neighboring Shu Yuan Men (Anceint Culture Street).

Vendors sold all sorts of art supplies...

...and finished works of calligraphy.

Even without a hand, this man's penmanship looked better than my chicken-scratch.

We finished at the Xi’an Beilin Museum (aka the "Forest of Stone Steles").  Once the site of a Confucius shrine, now over 3,000 large stone tablets are on display there.

Some steles have beautiful pictures or
famous poems carved into the stone.

Others detail historic events such as this one recounting
a massacre of "oppressive" foreign missionaries in 1903.

This tablet from the Qing Dynasty depicts a South Indian
prince who founded a Buddhist sect in the 6th century AD.

Ink rubbings of the same stone (and many others as well)
are sold at different locations throughout the museum.

The kids weren't too impressed by the steles.  They were happier playing with their decorative bases.

For a late lunch, Bullwhip took us to a restaurant that specialized in yang rou pao mo, a signature Muslim dish of the Shaanxi region.

Diners are given a bowl with two discs of thick chewy bread.

The bread is then torn into pieces as small as possible.

Mutton or beef soup containing broth, meat, and noodles is poured into the bowls.

Pickled garlic, cilantro, and chili sauce are served with the soup.

The pieces of bread soak up the broth creating a tasty, chunky stew.

After lunch, we went to the Xian Drum Tower built in 1380.

In the past, the nearby Bell Tower would sound at dawn while the drums were beat at sunset.

The drums were also used by the night
watch to mark the time every two hours.

Inside the first floor of the tower is a museum containing a collection of drums.

There were multiple signs in Chinese and English telling people not to touch the drums.  A large Russian tour group apparently couldn't read either language, so they repeatedly beat those drums.  The museum staff lethargically ignored their transgressions, so we figured "what the heck" and starting beating them too.

The second floor has a very forgettable furniture museum.  It's
still worth walking up the stairs for the nice views of the city.

The Bell Tower did not seem to be too far away, but we were too lazy to visit it.

There is a 10 minute drum performance several times a day.  It wasn't bad and it didn't cost any extra.

After leaving the Drum Tower, we walked to the nearby Huimin
street, where all the shops and stalls are operated by Muslims.

With the recent terrorist attack in Kunming, it's probably not a good idea
for Chinese Muslims to dress all in black while carrying large knives.

Several shops sold dried persimmons and jujubes...

...which are specialties of the Shaanxi province.

Although it seemed interesting, we passed on the dried fruit that was pickled with different spices.

We also said no to the roasted "walnuts."

Many meaty options such as yangrou chuan (lamb kebabs)...

...and lamb feet can be found. But we were still full from lunch.

At several stalls, the thick, unleavened bread is stuffed...

...with lamb meat to make rou jia mo, the "Chinese hamburger."

The Wife and kids were interested in only the sweet options being sold by the street vendors.  We tried the following:

Shi zi bing (deep-fried persimmon buns stuffed with osmanthus, rose paste, dried kiwis, etc.)

Jing gao (glutinous rice lollipops with a sweet paste)

Fengmi liang gao (yellow cake made with glutinous rice flour soaked in honey)

Zeng gao (a steamed cake of glutinous rice stuffed with jujubes)

There are plenty of side streets where inexpensive souvenirs and knock-off North Face bags and sports jerseys can be purchased.  The Wife did buy some painted terracotta warriors at one shop (5 for $20).  She would have gotten them a little cheaper ($3 a piece) outside the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor the day before, but one of the vendors had so infuriated her during the haggling process that she didn't want to give them any business.

While The Wife shopped, the kids amused themselves with some of the statues found along the street.

The Girl hugs her new friend.

For the rest of the afternoon and evening, we just rested and packed as we would be flying to Wuhan the following day.  Overall, Xi’an justifiably should be one of the top locations for tourists to visit when travelling in China.  There is too much culture and history not to miss.