In October 2003 I travelled to China on business. At the time, my company had recently opened a network of offices in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. As regional director for Asia Pacific, I was travelling to meet some of our new team and pitch for local representation of a new global account in Shanghai. I was also in town to chaperone a US employee who was conducting an initial recognizance trip. At the time, he and his wife were looking to relocate from California to Beijing.
Garry accompanied me on the trip. As it was his first time in China, I tweaked my itinerary to squeeze in a few sightseeing activities along the way. This included a side trip to Xi’an to see the Terracotta Warriors, a tour of the Great Wall, a visit to the Forbidden City and a trip up the iconic Oriental Pearl Tower in Shanghai.
The Xi'an side trip kicked off our two-week stint in China. We flew directly into the city after transiting through Hong Kong, arriving at our hotel shortly before midnight on Saturday 18 October. We then flew to Beijing the following Monday for eight days before moving on to Shanghai for another four days.
Xi’an is an extraordinary place steeped in history. It was the capital of the Chinese Empire at various times over a period of more than 1,100 years. It is situated in the fertile valleys of the Wei and Yellow Rivers, traditionally known as the "cradle of Chinese civilization." The earliest evidence of human habitation dates back more than 6,000 years to the villages of primitive Chinese tribes.
Over 2,000 years ago, Emperor Qin Shi Huang, the first ruler to unify China, built his capital of Xianyang just east of modern-day Xi’an. The terracotta warriors surround Qin Shi Huang's tomb. They depict the emperor's ancient army and were buried with him in 210-209 BC to protect him in the afterlife.
The Han Dynasty that followed also established its capital near Xi’an, calling it Chang'an or "Eternal Peace". During this period, Chang'an was the starting point for the great trade caravans of the Silk Road. In the 5th century, the Sui Dynasty rebuilt Chang'an on the plain where modern Xian now stands.
By the 7th century, the Tang Dynasty reigned over the Golden Age of China, and Chang'an had become the largest and most cosmopolitan city in the world, attracting foreigners from all parts of Asia and beyond. In 1368, the ruler of the Ming Dynasty renamed the city Xi'an, meaning "Western Peace." I must admit that before we went to Xi'an I had very little appreciation for this remarkable history and, beyond the world-famous warriors, I knew nothing of its other ancient landmarks. 
For our stay, my travel agent booked us into the Bell Tower Hotel in the heart of the old city. This proved a sage move. Our room included a full-width wall of windows that looked directly over the old city’s Bell Tower. Imagine this, as we entered our hotel room after a lengthy day of travel, we were greeted by the incredible view you see above. The scene was just as spectacular by day!
The Bell Tower is an impressive structure. It was built in 1384 during the early Ming Dynasty and sits in the very heart of the old city. Including its brick podium, the multi-story wooden tower stands 36 metres high. The podium itself is a perfect square measuring 35.5 metres along each side. For centuries a large internal drum functioned as a daily time reporting and news proclamation service. However, in more recent times, it’s become the symbol of Xi’an and is now considered one of the grandest of its kind in all of China.
We spent our first full day in Xi'an exploring the Bell Tower and other ancient landmarks including the Big Wild Goose Pagoda and Small Wild Goose Pagoda. We even climbed a series of narrow stone stairs inside the Small Wild Goose Pagoda to take in a view of the surrounding area and temple complex below.
We also visited The Stele Forest Museum (also known as the Beilin Museum). This nondescript building houses more than 11,000 relics among which 19 are considered Chinese national treasures. Some are stone steles and some are impressive stone sculptures.
Xi’an is an extraordinary place steeped in history. It was the capital of the Chinese Empire at various times over a period of more than 1,100 years. It is situated in the fertile valleys of the Wei and Yellow Rivers, traditionally known as the "cradle of Chinese civilization." The earliest evidence of human habitation dates back more than 6,000 years to the villages of primitive Chinese tribes.
Over 2,000 years ago, Emperor Qin Shi Huang, the first ruler to unify China, built his capital of Xianyang just east of modern-day Xi’an. The terracotta warriors surround Qin Shi Huang's tomb. They depict the emperor's ancient army and were buried with him in 210-209 BC to protect him in the afterlife.
The Han Dynasty that followed also established its capital near Xi’an, calling it Chang'an or "Eternal Peace". During this period, Chang'an was the starting point for the great trade caravans of the Silk Road. In the 5th century, the Sui Dynasty rebuilt Chang'an on the plain where modern Xian now stands.
By the 7th century, the Tang Dynasty reigned over the Golden Age of China, and Chang'an had become the largest and most cosmopolitan city in the world, attracting foreigners from all parts of Asia and beyond. In 1368, the ruler of the Ming Dynasty renamed the city Xi'an, meaning "Western Peace." I must admit that before we went to Xi'an I had very little appreciation for this remarkable history and, beyond the world-famous warriors, I knew nothing of its other ancient landmarks.
For our stay, my travel agent booked us into the Bell Tower Hotel in the heart of the old city. This proved a sage move. Our room included a full-width wall of windows that looked directly over the old city’s Bell Tower. Imagine this, as we entered our hotel room after a lengthy day of travel, we were greeted by the incredible view you see above. The scene was just as spectacular by day!
The Bell Tower is an impressive structure. It was built in 1384 during the early Ming Dynasty and sits in the very heart of the old city. Including its brick podium, the multi-story wooden tower stands 36 metres high. The podium itself is a perfect square measuring 35.5 metres along each side. For centuries a large internal drum functioned as a daily time reporting and news proclamation service. However, in more recent times, it’s become the symbol of Xi’an and is now considered one of the grandest of its kind in all of China.
Unfortunately, as you can see from the photos we took, Xi'an was covered in a thick haze during our first full day in town. This haze is a combination of desert dust and smog generated by a growing population of more than eight million people. Sadly, in my experience, it's a ubiquitous hallmark of most Chinese cities these days.
The Small Wild Goose Pagoda was built between 707–709 AD, during the Tang dynasty. It was originally 45 metres high. However, an earthquake in 1556 destroyed the tower’s top two tiers. These were never repaired, thus leaving it at its current height of 42 metres. A rather unnerving crack that opened along its length during the quake also remains visible today.
Its priceless artefacts include inscriptions from the Tang and Han dynasties that cover a variety of themes including Confucian teachings and the recounting of historical events. Fortunately for us, many of the more renowned steles included a plaque with a brief English description. We also had a local guide helping to interpret the more precious items.
In the stone sculpture room, one of its most famous exhibits is a pair of Stone Rhinoceros from Xianling Mausoleum. These creatures guarded the tomb of Li Yuan (the first emperor of Tang dynasty who ruled between 618 - 907 AD). Each animal is carved from a ten-ton bluestone and has a life-like expression on its face. The image above was sourced from the Internet as I forgot to take any of our own photos.
Much to our surprise we were also invited to sit on a stone Bixi. This is a mythical dragon with the shell of a turtle. For centuries the Chinese have used Bixi sculptures as decorative plinths for commemorative steles and tablets. The locals often rub them for good luck. Therefore, by straddling this mythical beast, I've supposedly set myself up for life.
Perhaps the most fascinating thing we witnessed during our visit was the copying of some steles. We watched as people wiped ink across the surface of a chosen stele before taking a print of it using enormous sheets of parchment paper. These rubbings are then sold to visitors in the museum's gift shop.
Follow this link to read about our visit to the Terracotta Warriors.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment