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A full days sight seeing in Xian [also]
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Xian from South Gate
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For our only full day in Xian we had a very full itinerary which started out with a visit to the South Gate. Xian is a walled city with a gate in the middle of each wall. The wall was still almost complete and the best-preserved gate was the southern one. It actually comprised of three gates protected for good measure by a moat. Between the inner and middle gate was an area called a 'Jug City' in which enemy forces could be trapped, should they get that far, and picked off by archers on the wall 'like fish in a jug'. Wide roads stretched south out past the Small Wild Goose Pagoda and to the north to the Bell Tower.
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Then onto a ceramics factory whose main product was replicas of terracotta soldiers in various sizes. After a brief description of the manufacturing process, and an explanation of why their products were so much better than those being sold at a dollar a time by street vendors, it was off to the factory shop.
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On our way out to the Terracotta Army we stopped off at Huaqing Springs, this was a modern reconstruction of what was in effect the winter palace of the Tang Emperors. A pleasant place to stroll but otherwise nothing of any great significance, though one of it's claims to fame was that it is the place where Chiang Kai Shek was captured.
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The final visit of the day and one of the main high points of the tour was the Terracotta Army. After attending a short film giving an historical background to the site we were let loose to wander through the huge hanger like buildings covering the excavations which now seem to have almost stopped and the site given over to tourists. There were signs everywhere saying no photography and people everywhere taking photos! At one point a guard was seen helping a lady in a wheel chair with here camera. Although the sights were fantastic there was very little information to help make sense of it all and we're hoping that a book we bought would help us.
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Terracotta Army
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We had always had the impression that the tomb had not been disturbed and the army found intact, but this wasn't the case. The site was broken into soon after the Emperors death, the figures smashed and the area set alight, the figures have been reconstructed from the pieces.
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The tomb of the Emperor was 1.5km away and that has still to be opened.
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Tang Dynasty Show
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To finish off the day we had diner at the Xian Hotel and then crossed the road to the Tang Dynasty Show, Whilst waiting for the start of the show the orchestra played Irish tunes and Eidlewies. The show was more colourful than authentic, but very enjoyable.
Back at the hotel we planned to stroll out to see the lights on the Bell Tower and Drum Tower, unfortunately, at 22.00, just before we started, the lights were switched off so it was a short walk and off to bed.
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Morning at Xian then transfer to Guilin
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In the Tang Dynasty 600-900AD Xian was the capital of China and with a population of 1M, the largest city in the world at that time. It stood at the eastern end of the Silk Road and supported a large Muslim community.
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As visits to the Drum and Bell Tower were not on the itinerary, we got up before breakfast to take a look at their outsides. Taking our lives in our hands we crossed a street busy with cyclists as well as motor vehicles. For the return journey we found a pedestrian crossing but the traffic didn't take much notice any only stopped reluctantly for a man in a yellow cap and red flag on the fare side of the road. On our side of the road the man only had his yellow hat, and so was ignored,
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The first visit of the morning was to the Small Wild Goose Pagoda around which was clustered many small galleries and gift shops, then off to a jade factory. The usual format applied, a quick talk about the different qualities of jade then off to the factory shop, still very expensive, even at 40% off.
Finished off the morning with a stop at a street market where the locals bought vegetables, meat and spices. Interesting to see the local Chinese going about their normal lives.
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Bell Tower
Xian
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Shopping for spices
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Lunch at the Tang Dynasty Restaurant, they must have the best toilets in China and the equal to any in the world, there's even a doorman to let you in or out.
Then out to the airport for our flight to Guilin. A sign at the airport read ''Path of Love - for the aged, for the sick, for the disabled, for those in urgency emergency'.
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The in-flight meal this time was a large packet of biscuits that were quite tasty, could have done with a bit of cheese with them. A couple of the group tried the canned rice wine with completely opposite reactions, the grains of rice floating in a translucent liquid did not seem very appealing.
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Landed at Guilin and drove straight to the Hotel were after a long wait for the luggage to catch up with us we had diner, a brief stroll along the river and bed.
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