11 May 2015

Gentlefolk,

I've finally compiled a post on our trip to Xian over the May Day long-weekend.

As part of our work-contracts, the University arranges a special trip once a year.  Last year we went to Chengdu in Sichuan Province (see post #12 of 8 May 2014); this year to Xian in Shaanxi Province.

Xian, first capital of a united China.

Xian, about 1,200 km west of Qingdao (on the coast of Shandong Province).

Emperor Qin Shi Huang picked off, one-by-one, the other six Kingdoms, and finally ruled an area that became the basis of the Chinese nation. He standardised measurements, money, and most importantly the written language.

Highlights

The food was great - we had many wonderful meals.

Everyone liked cycling on Xian Wall, and also the visit to the Yuan Village.  Isn't it interesting - we were surrounded by so much history yet the things the group enjoyed most were active, modern activities.

All in all, a most enjoyable break from our normal routine.

Lowlights

Our flights there and back were both delayed by more than an hour.  Annoying, but normal for China.  A recent survey found that China had the worst record (30% of flights on time) while Japan had the best (90% on time). Strange, because trains and buses are very punctual here. The root problem seems to be that the Chinese Air Force must approve all flights - a difficult task these days with many hundreds of flights every day.  Recently the government announced that "air corridors" will be designated and only flights outside those corridors will need prior approval - bring it on!

It rarely rains in Xian, but guess what?  On our first day there, it rained steadily from about 8am to 3pm.  Fortunately the Warriors are entombed in three covered "pits", but we had to walk quite a long way to get there and got soaked. (But rain in China also has an up-side: it clears the pollution, so the next day (Saturday) was fresh & bright, with clear blue skies.)

The worst thing that happened was Lina's husband's smartphone was stolen.  They were getting on a local bus, he was carrying their daughter, there was pushing & shoving, and he was pick-pocketed.  He is a lecturer at our university (in satellite communication) and had a lot of work and personal material on his phone.  Nasty experience.

Schedule of trip to Xian

Liu Li Na (Lina) – group leader (from UPC’s International Office). Her husband, Dr Sun Gang Yun, and daughter, Sun Yi, also came along.

Michael Christensen (US); Paul Finkbeiner (US); Steven & Amy McCune (US / China); Alex & Vera Olah (Australia); Lidiya Pescova (Russia); Gautier Plassais (France).

30 April 2015 (Thursday)	Afternoon Fly from Qingdao to Xian; 2 hours; flight late, arrived at 7pm. Met at Xian Airport by Verno, our local guide.  Transfer to hotel (3 star) near Old Train Station. Xian was the capital of China for 1,100 years, during which 73 Emperors reigned in 6 Dynasties, including the Tang Dynasty (618 – 907 AD).
1 May 2015 (Friday)	Morning Terracotta Warriors The Army of Terracotta Warriors which guard the Tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huang (秦始皇). His actual tomb, 2km away, has not been excavated - the official line is that the tomb is booby-trapped and dangerous, but rumour has it that grave-robbers got in years ago and cleaned the place out. Emperor Qin ruled 247 – 210 BC.  He is honored as the “First Emperor” because he conquered six rival Kingdoms to create the crux of what became China. He was obsessed by power, both in this life and the next.  He was a man of ambition and big ideas – as shown by the construction of the Great Wall and the creation of the Terracotta Army to continue his conquests in After-life. Qin’s paranoia grew with age.  To stop people pining for “the good old days” he had many traditional scholars killed, and books burnt ... his would be the only truth/reality known to his subjects! The Emperor of the next Dynasty (Liu Bang, first emperor of the Han Dynasty) wanted to deny Qin access to his celestial army, so he had all the Terracotta Warriors smashed.  The ones on display now have been painstakingly re-assembled over years since the discovery of the site in 1974. Afternoon Hua Qing Palace (aka Hua Qing Hot Springs). Said to have been built by Tang Dynasty Emperor Xuan Zong (reigned 712 – 756 AD) for his favourite concubine, Yang Gui Fei (aka Yang Yu Huan, lived 719 – 756 AD). When she was 14 Yang married the Emperor’s son.  The Emperor became infatuated and was determined to make her his own.  He arranged for her to become a Taoist nun and found a replacement wife for his son.  After a suitable interlude Yang left the monastery and joined the Emperor’s court (she was 26, he 56).  Emperor Xuan Zong reputedly had thousands of concubines (he fathered at least 23 sons and 29 daughters), so Yang must have been very special to be #1.  Her beauty was said to be such that even flowers wilted in her presence. But she came to a bitter end. In 1756 the An Lu Shan revolt forced the Emperor to flee the capital.  His military commanders accused relatives of Yang Gui Fei for causing the unrest, and insisted that the whole family be killed.  The Emperor had to acquiesce, and his trusted eunuch, Gao Li Shi, is said to have strangled her. Yang is the source of several idioms, such as “Hongyag huoshui = a beautiful face that causes catastrophe”. Their tragic love story has inspired many poems, ballads, films and TV series. Hua Qing Palace was the site of a more recent historical event.  On 12 December 1936 President Generalissimo Chiang Kai Shek (pinyin: Jiang Jie Shi) was staying there when he was “kidnapped” by some of his own supporters in what is known as “The Xian Incident”.  He was held captive for 12 days, until he agreed to cease pursuing Mao’s Communists and instead form a united front with them against the Japanese invaders.
2 May 2015 (Saturday)	Morning Yuan Village. This was a “re-created Old Village”, about an hour’s drive north of Xian.  A maze of narrow alleys, mainly lined with food stalls.  Many local dishes on offer, and local souvenirs/handicrafts. It was a lovely clear day after yesterday’s rain, and we sent an enjoyable 2 hours wandering around and sampling local snacks.  Afternoon Famen Buddhist Temple. A long drive from the Yuan Village.  We had lunch in a small restaurant out in the countryside – delicious food. The focal point of the original Famen Temple was a 12- storey pagoda said to be about 800 years old.  The basement of the pagoda houses sacred objects, including a finger bone believed to Buddha’s, and was crowded with visitors. About 5 years ago a huge modern section was added and the whole complex now seems to be an active Buddhist monastery.  Our guide explained that the site actually belongs to the local government, which decided to undertake this massive development to make it a more prominent tourist attraction. Evening Dinner & show at the extravagantly-named Grand Opera House (Y300 each).  The 18-course dinner of different dumplings was disappointing, but the wonderful cultural performance (Tang Dynasty music, dances) made up for it.
3 May 2015 (Sunday)	Morning Tour of the impressive Shaanxi History Museum. Viewed the musical fountain show near Big Goose Pagoda. Afternoon Xian City Wall. Xian is one of the few cities whose walls remain intact. Actually, the original Tang walls enclosed a much larger area.  The current walls, restored or rebuilt, date from 1370 (Ming Dynasty). This magnificent structure is 12 meters high and 14 km long. We all hired bicycles, and spent a most enjoyable time riding around the walls.  For most of us, this was the highlight of our time in Xian. Muslim Quarter. Xian was the beginning (or end?) of the so-called Silk Road, which was a trading route linking ancient China with the Middle East and Europe.  Islam was introduced to China and many people in the western regions (particularly Xinjiang, Qinghai, Gansu, Ningxia) are Muslims (they are called "Hui").  Xian has always had a significant Hui community; these days all large cities in China have Hui residents. It was fascinating to walk around the Muslim Quarter and look at all the street food stalls and shops.
4 May 2015 (Monday)	Morning We visited a re-created Old Town in Xian.  Variety of snacks and also many small stalls selling ‘antiques’. Afternoon Flight back to Qingdao.  We got back to the campus at about 7.30pm. And so ended a most enjoyable trip to the ancient capital of Xian.

Here are some photos of our trip.

Going from the university to Qingdao Airport the bus went via the Jiaozhou Bay Bridge - the longest cross-water bridge in the world (40 km).  There's something wonderful (& crazy) about such a large bridge. Always a thrill.

A birds-eye view of Pit #1.  What an army, to continue the Emperor's conquests in the After-life..

Huge "Pit #1" at the Terracotta Warriors site.

Silent sentenials.

A close-up of some to the life-size Warriors, in the Museum shop.  Emperor Qin is in the center (rotund, longer beard). Amazing that craftsmen could achieve such fine detail 2,000 years ago.

A fountain at Hua Qing Palace featuring the alluring Yang Gui Fei. By all accounts she was a buxom wench!

This enormous Mao statue at the entrance to Yuan Village made us wonder what we had let ourselves in for, but it just got better and better from here.

Crowds in Yuan Village.  Good fun, delicious snacks.

The main walk-way in the new section of the Famen Buddhist Temple.  

The Famen Temple is now a vast Buddhist complex.

The original pagoda in the Famen Temple, featuring Buddha's finger bone in the basement. Lots of visitors and pilgrims.

Our group in front of the Shaanxi Historical Museum.  From left: Gautier, Alex, Vera, Michael, Steven, Feny (friend of Gautier, who joined us for the day), Paul, Lidiya, Lina. 

Xian's magnificent City Wall. This photo shows the moat around the outside of the Wall.

Another photo of the Xian City Wall, this time from inside the Old City.

Vera & Lidiya on the magnificent Xian City Wall.  The highlight of our trip was cycling around the Wall (14 km). 

Gautier and Paul riding bikes on the Xian City Wall.  The Wall is 12 meters high, and very broad at the top. 

...

Well, that's it for this post.

We are off to Nanjing next weekend.  As much as I don't want to turn this blog into a travelogue, I guess I have to record the special places we visit in China.

Best wishes, and keep smiling.

Alex & Vera Olah

English teachers at the China University of Petroleum, Qingdao

www.upc.edu.cn

Monday, 11 May 2015