The Sightseer’s Xi’an, Shaanxi, Peoples Republic of China
 |
| Emperor Qin in costume (only the emperor can wear yellow) |
Some History – You will have to indulge me, I have become a
teacher.
Xi’an is a city in central China of approximately eight
million people. It was the first ancient capital of the country unified by Qin
Shi Huang (pronounced Chin--thus the name China) in 221 BC. He defeated six
surrounding kingdoms to bring the entire region under his rule. Because there
are good records of the history of China, it is recorded that 500,000 men were
killed in the wars to unify China under Emperor Qin. He was quite the forward
thinker and during his reign he standardized the system of money, writing,
weights and measures and built roads throughout the country. The famous
Terracotta Warriors and Horses were his idea to protect him in the afterlife. He
built the first great wall to separate his empire from the Mongols. Over one
million people died in the construction of the Great Wall and the Chinese
people even today refer to it as the wall of death. He wasn’t fond of
intellectuals and once he ordered 400 Confucian scholars to be killed. Another
time he had 700 scholars buried alive. Not exactly the guy you would like on
your tenure review committee.
Xi’an has had three names through the centuries: Chang’an,
the ancient name, Xijing (western capital) and the modern name of Xi’an
(western peace). Nanjing (southern capital) was the next capital and Beijing
(northern capital) is the current national capital. Xi’an or Chang’an was the
capital of China for over 1100 years. In its day, Chang’an was the largest city in the world. According to the census in 742
AD recorded in the New Book of Tang,
362,921 families and 1,960,188
persons were counted. The large population was in part because Chang’an was the
starting point of the Silk Road to the west. In fact, there were more
foreigners in Chang’an then than now.
The sights.
Along the top of the wall are guard towers every quarter
mile or so. These buildings are now museums showing the history of the city,
Chinese art and music, etc. One could easily spend a full day walking the
circuit and seeing all of the buildings and gates, as well as riding a bike or
taking a rickshaw on the wall.
The Bell Tower and the Drum Tower
Notable buildings inside the wall include the Bell Tower and
the Drum Tower. The Bell Tower is the city’s symbol. It has a monstrous bell
that was rung to announce the beginning of the day and the time of day. The
bell was not hung in the tower as in western culture, but was mounted and hung
on a rack on the deck of the building. The Bell Tower is in the center of the
busiest roundabout of the city. At night it is even more impressive.
 |
| Bell Tower |
 |
| Bell Tower in all its lit-up glory |
 |
| The busiest roundabout in Xi'an |
The Drum Tower is about a quarter of a mile to the west of
the Bell Tower. It is of similar construction to the Bell Tower, and you
guessed it--instead of bells it has drums on it’s deck. The sound of beating
drums told the city folks that day was done, go to bed!
 |
| Drum Tower at night |
 |
DrumTower in the daylight,
it is the entrance to the Muslim Quarter |
We have described our favorite part of town in earlier
blogs, but it is worth repeating. If you have only one sight to see in Xi’an,
forget the Terracotta Warriors and the city wall and go straight to the Muslim
Quarter. It is not a dead sight—it’s alive with sights, sounds, tastes and
smells-- all of them colorful, pleasing, fun and completely different from an
American experience.
Three Wild Goose Pagodas
 |
| Big Wild Goose Pagoda |
 |
| The sound, light and water show |
The Big Wild Goose Pagoda was built during the late 650s AD. However, there were even fewer building
codes then than now in China and it collapsed five decades later. The pagoda was rebuilt with five new stories added
in 704; but, a massive
earthquake in 1556
reduced it by three stories, to its current seven stories. The entire structure
leans several degrees to the west. Some tour guides call it the Leaning Tower
of China. You need to stand in just the right place, hold your head sideways
and squint to see the lean, but it makes a good story. To the north of the
pagoda is a fountain about the size of two football fields. In the evening the
fountains spray and sway to a music and light show. Whenever we are there, the
locals love to have their picture taken with Suzanne. Grandmothers will hand
their grandchildren to her for a photo with the blond American. She is quite
the celebrity.
 |
| Most popular lady in Xi'an |
Its sister
structure, the Small Wild Goose Pagoda was built within a few years of the big one, and
is about three miles away. It only
suffered minor damage in the 1556 earthquake and it is still unrepaired to this
day. This pagoda was part of a Buddhist temple where sacred records and texts
brought from India were stored and translated.
 |
| The Small Wild Goose Pagoda is part of a city park |
The Tiny Wild
Goose Pagoda is the baby sister pagoda that lies just inside the city wall and
marked the entrance to the ancient Shuyuan School for classical learning. This
seven sided, seven storied pagoda was built about 1400 years ago-about the time
of the bigger pagodas (or temple towers). Folks just walk by without notice. It
recently was featured in the city “newsletter” and has enjoyed a new
popularity.
 |
| Tiny Wild Goose Pagoda |
Han Yang Ling Mausoleum
The Yangling Mausoleum of the Han Dynasty (Hanyangling) is
just north of Xian. It is a joint tomb of Liu Qi, a notable emperor of the Han
period (206 BC-24AD), and his empress, Empress Wang. It consists of the
emperor's tomb, empress' tomb, the south and north burial pits, ceremonial
site, and criminals' cemetery. This tomb is only 70 years newer than the famous
Terracotta Warrior tomb complex—three emperors later. This was a time of peace
for the Han Dynasty. The terracotta figures in this tomb are not warriors, but
workers, scholars and other nobles. In addition, instead of larger than life-size
they are about 30” tall. They are composed of terracotta legs, torso and heads.
Their arms were of wood and could be positioned, hair was spun silk, and they
were wearing silk clothing, which has now decomposed.
Guanzhong Folk
Museum One of the most
interesting museums that we have visited is the Guanzhong Folk Museum. A
wealthy (and I mean really wealthy) Chinese fellow recently went around Shaanxi
Provence and bought up abandoned Chinese estates from the Ming (1368-1644) and
Qing (1644-1912) periods. He had the
“big house” (the Chinese equivalent of the plantation house) disassembled and
brought to the museum site and reconstructed. The bricks were even numbered to enable
reconstruction on the new site. In one location you can now tour “typical”
Chinese homes of the wealthy covering approximately a 600 year span of
history. The homes of the average worker
are long gone. Mr. Wang has invested over 250,000,000 RMB (~$42 million) in
this museum. It is the first private museum in China.
For an overview
of a Chinese mansion, first there is the entry or gateway. This is what
everyone sees from the outside and must reflect the grandeur of the interior.
Often it is the grandest part since it is to be seen. At the rear of the entry
will be a screen (usually stone or wood) to prevent viewing directly through
the gateway into the courtyard. After entering the gateway and passing around
the screen you enter the courtyard. It may have a fountain, a pool, fruit
trees, gardens, sculptures or all of the above. Surrounding the courtyard are
buildings for living spaces, assembly rooms, bedrooms, large formal dining
rooms and smaller dining rooms, kitchens, etc. Because these are homes of the
rich and famous, the walls, roofs, floors are all covered with art, carvings,
paintings, and mosaics - you get the picture. It displays a wonderful laid back
lifestyle that you would expect in an Albuquerque, NM artist colony! If you had
to live in China, one of these homes would do quite nicely.
  |
| The front door and some interior decorations |
  |
| Courtyards and more interior decorations |
 |
| I could live here! |
Terracotta
Warriors & Horses Museum
We had to save
this one for last. It is one of the most famous archaeological finds in the
world. Seven farmers were digging a well in 1974. They dug up a pottery head
and there you have it – an archaeological treasure unearthed. Emperor Qin Shi Huang, (remember him
from the beginning of the post), wanted to create an army to protect him in the afterlife from evil spirits.
The soldiers were created with a series of mix-and-match clay molds and then
further individualized by the artists' hands to create unique heads for each
figure. There are around 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses, 150
cavalry horses and 40,000 real bronze weapons. For their contribution to China,
the farmers were given the day off. They have since retired and hangout in the
gift shop signing books.
The site is truly
amazing. The main exhibit hall containing Pit 1 is 230mx62m (~yards). The
warriors, horses and chariots are standing in 11 columns ready to battle any
spirits they come in contact with. Each warrior is different. Soldiers probably
were models for their own likeness that went into the monument. Originally the
figures were brightly colored, but upon exposure to the air, the color quickly
disintegrates and they assume the terracotta hue. At least half of the soldiers
are unexcavated, awaiting a process to preserve the color. One study showed that once
exposed, the lacquer underneath the paint begins to curl after 15 seconds and
flake off in just four minutes—vibrant pieces of history lost in the time it
takes to boil an egg.
 |
| Pit 1- 65 yards x 230 yards: holds 11 columns of warriors and horses |
 |
| A hint of color is visable |
The main tomb containing the emperor has yet to be opened
and there is evidence suggesting that it remains relatively intact. The notable Chinese historian, Sima Qian's description of the tomb includes replicas of palaces and scenic towers,
"rare utensils and wonderful objects", 100 rivers made with mercury, representations of "the heavenly bodies",
and crossbows rigged to shoot anyone who tries to break in.
Modern archaeologists have located the tomb adjacent to the Terracotta Warrior
Museum and have inserted probes deep into it. The probes revealed abnormally
high quantities of mercury, some 100 times the naturally occurring rate,
suggesting that some parts of the legend are credible. Emperor Qin’s secrets
were maintained, as most of the workmen who built the tomb were killed, and
even today some believe it would not be safe to uncover these riches.
Hopefully, you didn’t
nod off during this lengthy entry. If you did, wake up! There will be a test on this when we get
home!
