Two years ago I visited Xi’an, the capital of Shaanxi Province. That time I was sick and I didn’t get to see everything, so I’m back for 2009.
Han Yanling Museum
I missed the tomb of Emperor JingDi (188BC-141BC) last time since it was a little too complicated to get to. I’m glad I went because it was impressive. When arriving, one sees two large pyramid shaped tombs. One is believed to be for the emperor and the other for his wife. JingDi’s tomb is surrounded by over 100 pits filled with models of animals and people. The famous Terracotta Army has life-size versions, but these are scaled down to around 1:3 scale. Only a handful of the pits are excavated and on public view, but it is quite unique how it is presented. There are glass walls and floors that go past the pits allowing you to walk right over and along all the treasures. The center of the Emperor’s tomb has not been excavated. (photos)
Shaanxi Provincial Museum
I did visit here last time, but the entire museum has been through a renovation since then. I enjoyed learning about the Tang Dynasty’s Da Ming Palace, which is the counterpart of the famous Forbidden City in Beijing. The Da Ming Palace, built over 1000 years ago, was about 5??? times the size as the palace in Beijing. Unfortunately, it is all gone today. It is also interesting how the capital city here during the Tang Dynasty had a city wall larger than any other Chinese capital in history. That’s why this city is interesting since it was home to the golden age of China. (photos)
Water Fountain Show
I was reading my old log and I mentioned a water show that I would have to save for next time. This time I got to see it. The free show started at 9PM and lasted about 20 minutes. It combined music, water, and colored lights. It was not just one area of fountains, but about ten. In order for so many people to view the show, it was designed so people could walk in between each section and see the fountains on all sides. (photos)
Mt. Hua
Known locally as Hua Shan, this mountain is in the list as one of the five famous mountains in China. The few days prior to the mountain there has been so much rain and fog, but I was lucky to get a clear day on Mt. Hua. It is over an hour by bus from Xi’an. I had hoped to climb up and down, but I only had time for one way. I took the cable car to the top for the amazing views. There are many stairs and chains guard rails around the five peaks (highest is 2160m). The stairs get very steep here. There is one section they label the most dangerous, but I decided to skip that (I don’t have any insurance after all). There was a local Shaanxi Television crew on the mountain. They decided to interview me and now it is the second time I’ve been on Chinese Television. After the whole day of walking the peaks, I descended the mountain all the way back to the village and made it back to Xi’an at night exhausted. (photos)