In Xi’an 24-26 September 2008
Our flight was short and the hotel proved excellent, and very central, for our purposes. It’s called the Bell Tower Hotel and is inside the city walls and overlooks the Bell Tower, right in the centre of the city.
And it’s right beside a very large shopping mall!
As you can see from the photos, the atmosphere was very polluted, visibility was limited and unfortunately it rained a lot while we were there. It was hard to see much from the windows of our car and we spent a lot of time under our umbrellas! However, there was nothing to dim our welcome from a friend of Alwyn’s, who put his driver and his good friend, Elfini, at our disposal, which made the visit very memorable.
We did lots of exploring while we were in Xi’an, but we also stopped frequently for fabulous meals and I was introduced to squirrel fish
which was nothing short of divine, and lotus root dessert
both of which I’ll obviously want to find again!
Xi’an is clearly a more historic city than is Beijing. It has a population of 9 million. We spent our first afternoon looking round and relaxing before meeting Alwyn’s friends. Then Elfini took us to an extravaganza at Tang Paradise in the City. We wandered around the spectacular sights in the darkness and then sat and watched a beautiful display which I couldn’t capture on film. I’m sure it told a fascinating story but unfortunately it was all in mandarin with no translation so I just enjoyed the visual effects which were done with lasers shooting lights into the night sky.
The next day, Elfini. Alwyn and I set off with our fabulous driver. No-one in China gives was to anyone on the roads but it seems to work quite well and we only saw a couple of accidents! People seem to turn out of side streets without looking and if you’re on the main road, you just swerve to avoid them! I’m very glad our driver knew what he was doing.
Our destination was the Xiangyang Museum in Lintong County (Emperor Qin’s Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses Museum) 28 kms from Xi’an to see the Tarracotta Army, the Terracotta Warriors and Horses. Emperor Qin Shi Huang was the first Emperor of China.
It is said as a legend that he Terracotta Warriors were real soldiers, buried with Emperor Qin so that they can guard him in the next life. The museum covers an area 230x62metres.
The figures date from 210 BC and were discovered in 1974 by several local farmers while drilling a well, 1.5 km east of the Emperor’s Mausoleum. The figures vary in height (813-195cm) according to their role in the army, the tallest being the generals. The figures include warriors,
chariots, horses,
officials, acrobats, strong men and musicians. It’s estimated that the three pits contain over 8,000 solders, 130 chariots with 520 horses and 150 cavalry horses, and 10,000 bronze weapons, the majority of which are still buried.
The Terracotta Warriors were once exquisitely painted. Today only a handful of statues contain small amounts of paint.
The terracotta figures were manufactured by government labourers and local craftsmen. Their heads, arms, legs and torsos were made separately and then assembled. Studies show that there were probably eight face moulds and then clay was added to provide individual facial features. It’s fascinating to see all the different faces and expressions. When the figures were complete, they were placed in the pits in precise military formation according to their rank. Unfortunately the original weapons were stolen shortly after the army was created and the colouring has faded almost completely. However, their existence shows the amount of labour and skill involved in their construction and also reveals the power of the first Emperor, enabling him to command such a monumental undertaking as this.
The construction of the mausoleum itself began in 246BC and involved 700,000 workers. The tomb remains unopened in the hope that it’ll remain intact.
I was saddened that this outstanding treasure may continue to deteriorate without proper care. It was opened to the public in 1979 and even the breath of the visitors is contributing to its deterioration. Everywhere there were signs forbidding flash photography but although here were heaps of police everywhere, many tourists ignored this request. Elfini told me that America had offered China the latest technology to restore the figures and increase their life in return for a single warrior but, given the relationship between the two nations, China has declined the offer.
Apart from viewing these wondrous sights, we had time for a bit of fun on the way out of the complex. We watched a man beating peanuts with a mallet to make crisp peanut honey (which was delicious),
I had my photo taken as a warrior (although it was hard to look like one!),
and Elfini posed beside one of the beautiful statues outside the museum.
From Xiangyang City, we drove to Huaqing Hot Springs, about 20 km east of Xi’an.
During the Qin Dynasty, a stone pool was built and named Lishan Hot Springs. The site was enlarged into a bigger palace during the Han Dynasty and renamed the Li Palace. During the Tang Dynasty, Emperor Xuan Zong ordered the construction of the Hot Springs Palace a later Emperor built a walled palace around the Lishan Mountain in the year 747AD. It became known as the Huaqing Palace and Hot Springs because of its location over the hot springs. The Lishan Mountain stands 1,256m high and is covered with pines and cypresses. From a distance it looks like a dark green galloping horse.
Emperor Xuan Zong used to spend his winters here with his favourite concubine, Yang. She was recognized as one of the most enchanting ladies in ancient China and was spoiled by the Emperor. Such was his love for her that he spent all day and night with her and neglected the affairs of State. He built the luxurious palaces for their personal pleasure. His behaviour ultimately resulted in a rebellion and some of the palaces on the site were destroyed. His beautiful concubine, Yang, was forced to hang herself to appears the solders’ anger.
Everywhere there were beautiful pools and buildings, with ornate carvings.
like these lions by the hot springs, and dragons by the pool house
The present-day site is only a small part of the original Palace but still covers an area of 85,560 m². The source of the hot springs that flow into the Huaqing Hot Spring are all situated to the east. At this spa there are four hot springs which have a flow of 112 tons an hour and a constant temperature of 43º. This is the bathroom where the Emperor and his concubine would have bathed.
The water comes up from about 1750-2500m underground through faults and cracks in the stratum. The spring water contains lime, sodium carbonate, sodium sulfate and other minerals which make it suitable for bathing and the treatment of such things as rheumatism, arthritis and muscular pain.
The local government entered into a joint venture with a Singaporean company to build a cable car on the side of the mountain with materials imported from Austria. It is apparently comfortable and safe and can carry 1,200 people an hour. Travelling in the cable car provides a panoramic view of the Lishan Mountain and the nearby towns. Unfortunately, the weather made such an expedition out of the question!
The Museum if the Imperial Palace was opened to the public in October 1990.
And so back to the hotel at the end of our second day and another lovely dinner.
Our final full day in Xi’an was something of a disappointment as we travelled to the Famen Temple situated 120km west of the city. The weather closed in totally so we couldn’t really see anything of the countryside, the journey took about three hours each way and it was really rather cold, and it was raining so hard when we got there that it wasn’t much fun to wander around and take in the sights.
The temple is famous for housing the Buddhist relics of Sakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism. The original temple was built in the East Han Dynasty, some 1,700 years ago. In 1987, a treasure was discovered in the temple when renovations were being undertaken. The treasure contains four Buddhist relics, 121 gold and silver artifacts for worshipping Buddha in the temple, 400 pieces of pearls and jade and lots of refined silk fabrics.
On our return to Xi’an, the three of us spent a lovely evening chatting and relaxing. Elfini had been a great companion and we’d miss her.