Imperial China Day 11

OAT Day 2-07 - Wednesday, April 16, 2008 - Arrive in Xi’an-Tai Chi Demonstration-Explore Shaanxi History Museum-Explore Muslim Quarter-Water-Light Show - Xi’an, China

Morning came later here in Central China. The sun came up at 6:12 as we were traveling west. China for all of its expansive land mass only has one time zone. The USA which is slightly smaller than China has only 4 time zones in the 48 states.

Our wake up call was a knock on the door and a pleasant “Good Morning” as Matt went by to welcome us to the new day. We used the relatively clean rest room and the separate washroom so we were halfway presentable.

I started taking pictures of the steep ravines, the tiny fields, and the beautiful flowering trees we were passing at about 50 miles an hour. The small villages were shades of pink and rose in the hazy sunrise.

Many farmers were doing their morning Tai Chi exercises in the fields to limber up and stretch for the hard work ahead. The small plots of grains appear to be thriving although the soil is a light tan sandy color similar to what we saw in the Cappadocia Region of Turkey. Some garden areas have obviously been enriched and are darker in color and more fertile.

In the occasional towns there were many billowing smoke stacks, their gray coal dust filling the skies. Open burning is also the norm and contributes to the air quality or lack there of!

Entering the outskirts of Xian, the landscape became much more level and the fields more fertile. The houses looked much more prosperous. We arrived at the train station at 8:30 AM then went directly to our hotel.

We had to wait for our luggage to arrive, so we had a generous buffet breakfast. We went to our rooms to settle in and to take a shower. Our big bags were brought to our room so we could get a little hand laundry done.

Located in the fertile Wei River valley, Xi’an was once the largest city in the world during the Tang Dynasty (618-907), the capital of eleven dynasties, a major trading hub along the Silk Route, and a center of Chinese civilization.

Though its glory days are long over, it is still a cultural and intellectual capital, boasting some eleven universities, a thriving artist's community, and a burgeoning film industry. The highlight of the city is the well preserved wall that separates the inner city from the outer city.

There are over 8 million people living here. Our driver, Mr. Fan had to be very aggressive as he negotiated the morning rush traffic. The temperature was 74˚ and we had 48% humidity - much warmer and drier than our previous stops.

We met Matt at 12:30 for a walk around the hotel neighborhood. At 1 we returned to the hotel courtyard for a lesson in Tai Chi. Mr. Kang, the master, showed us his whole routine and then we were all able to try this exercise, a derivative of the Kung Fu martial arts.

Our teacher would show us a position and then work with us to correct our style. We thanked Mr. Kang and then got into our bus and drove to the history museum.

In the Shaanxi History Museum, Matt was our guide pointing out the most significant treasures. We began in the #1 Gallery of Ancient Civilizations of early man.

The collection is considered one of China's most exceptional museums, the Shaanxi's exhibits range from ancient bronze tools to Ming and Qing Dynasty artifacts. The museum is very well designed but was also very crowded as it is now free so many of the local people took advantage to see their country’s most valued artifacts.

We met together again at 4:00 to walk through the city’s Muslim Quarter. In the Han Dynasty, 2100 years ago, trade on the Silk Road brought these people to China.

Shop after shop sold nuts, dried fruits, candied vegetables similar to the delicacies we loved in Turkey. We were surprised not to see the shaved meat Kabobs or Turkish Delight candies.

Our meal tonight was a special Mongolian Hot Pot dinner. This traditional group meal originated in the Mongolian city of Hothot and was prepared with a variety of savory ingredients, including beef, lamb, tofu, and vegetables. We each had our own pot of boiling water and chose the foods we wanted to cook.

We returned to the hotel at dusk and Matt told us that if we wished, he would take us to the Light and Water Show by the Big Wild Goose Pagoda that we will visit on Friday. At 8:15 we met in the lobby and walked to the park where we would see the show.

As we arrived, we saw thousands of people surrounding the water platforms. Two young Chinese allowed me to squeeze in between them and I had a ring side seat to do my photography. The show lasted 20 minutes and then I had the opportunity to photograph other sites in the area.

We returned to our room at 9:30, finished the journal, worked on the new pictures and then retired for the night.

Accommodations: Xian Garden Hotel - - - Meal: B, D

Picture 1 - Countryside East of Xi’an - Terraced fields

Picture 2 - Tai Chi Master- Mr. Kang

Picture 3 - Shaanxi History Museum

Picture 4 - Xi’an Inner City - Old and New

Picture 5 - Water and Light Show

If you wish to travel with OAT Click Here.

To receive $50 per person off your first reservation with OAT, mention the following information when reserving your Overseas Adventure Travel Trip: Mr. Victor Garcia Customer #673062

Mr Garcia, Please let Connie Loerch know that we are following your trip on this web site. Thank you for your beautifully written and informative journal and the opportunity to enjoy your trip with you.

Vic; each day i am enjoying your triplog. I wish I was there with you guys. I visited China in 2000. Keep up the good work.

Day 9: Mediterranean Navigation

Kasbah Cuties

Ramadan Sweets

Trash pickup in the Kasbah

Furniture Maker

Wedding Dresses

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Day 09 - Monday, March 10, 2025 – Day at Sea, Plan D

Our night was quite rough, so the Captain stayed relatively close to the safety of the shore making it possible to see lights of the shoreline cities during the night.

After breakfast,...

Continue Reading Day 9