The Sightseer’s Xi’an, Shaanxi, Peoples Republic of China

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.



 

South Gate at night and day

 

 

Fun on the wall



Guard house now museum

Emperor Qin left his mark on the city. The city wall of Xi’an is the most complete city wall in the world. It measures 5.6 miles around (a nice hike or bike ride). It is 39 feet high and 60 feet wide. At night it is ablaze with lights and is one of the most impressive sites in China. This was the inner city wall in ancient days that would correspond to the Forbidden City in Beijing where the emperor resided. The city wall is surrounded by a mote, no crocodiles however. The outer city wall was over 16 miles around, but alas, it was cannibalized for other buildings over the centuries. Only a few remnants of the outer wall remain.

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!