I went to Xi'an once before, when I came to China with Notre Dame's Concert Band tour, so I had seen all the main attractions of Xi'an before, but I felt it was definitely worth a second trip (plus it was free, so I had to take advantage of that!), and I was definitely correct!
Friday (March 6) night, we had to leave for the train station at around 6 for our 9pm train to Xi'an. Luckily, we had reserved "soft sleeper" compartments that only sleep 4 to a room (as opposed to the hard sleepers that have 6 people), so our compartment wasn't too crowded. Almost the whole car was full of CIEE students too, so we basically turned the train into a tiny little dorm. I definitely felt bad for the one compartment full of non-US college students, but nothing could be done--the damage was done.
The weekend we went happened to be March 7 and 8, which in China are "Women's Day". March 7 celebrates women about my age, while March 8 celebrates older, married women. (The difference in Chinese is "Nu Sheng Jie", meaning student-age girls, as opposed to "Fu Nu Jie", indicating older, most likely married women). What I thought was particularly interesting about this day is that, on the surface, it seems like a great thing that China is making an effort to celebrate its women (given that they are nearly half the population). However, I soon discovered that, although I'm sure the holiday is intended to do some good, it has not exactly served its purpose. The day is called "San Ba Fu Nu Jie". The "San Ba" part indicates the date of the celebration (indicating it is March 8), however, "San Ba" in Chinese slang has evolved to mean b****. Thus, anyone celebrating this holiday is a b****. So, as empowering as this day may seem, even saying the name of the day is offensive, let alone actually celebrating it.
This being the case, my inner feminist had to make an appearance. I made a Tshirt myself and wrote on it (Nu quan zhu yi zhe) "女权主义者", meaning feminist, on the front. I figured what the heck, I'm going to be getting stares, I might as well make a statement while I'm at it. Some of the Chinese people stared at me, some simply said "Nu quan zhu yi zhe...ai ya!(indicating surprise)", and others said "ni hen li hai" meaning tough/awesome (it means both...pick your preferred meaning). My personal favorite response was a man who said "Nu quan zhu yi zhe", followed by a long pause, then something to the effect of "Don't let my wife see that." Well, so much for celebrating women.
We finally arrived in Xi'an around 9 am on Saturday. We walked to our hotel from the train stop (very closeby!), through the Ancient City Wall. The City Wall in Xi'an is one of the very few city fortifications still in decent shape in China. Last time I was in Xi'an, we went up on top of the wall and walked around. They even have little places where you can rent bikes to ride on top of the wall to make a loop around the entire inner city. It has some pretty awesome views!
After we had enough of the mosque, we made the trek out to see the Terracotta Warriors, which are located about an hour and a half outside of the actual city of Xi'an. This was my second time seeing the Terracotta Warriors, so I wasn't impressed as much as I was my first time, but it still is definitely quite a sight. Most of the warriors haven't even been uncovered yet because archaeologists are still working on a way to preserve their original paint colors. Each of them originally was painted very ornately, but since they have been uncovered their paint has gradually oxidized and nearly disappeared. Currently there are 3 pits, Pit 1 being the largest, and I believe Pit 2 is mostly ruins, where as Pit 3 is believed to be the "Command Center" for this underground army. (The warriors were originally built to be guardians for the tomb of the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang 秦始皇， so there are infantry, archers, generals, and everything else a good emperor would potentially need. They even believe they have found the equivalent of court jesters to entertain Qin Shi Huang as he rules his underground empire.)
As we were leaving, I noticed the best "Engrish" ever. Last time I was here, there was a giant sign outside the museum that had the most confusing English on it I've ever seen. This time, I saw a new, fancy sign in its place, with colorful pictures in the background and everything--except it was the same terrible English! (see the picture, it says: "Asks you on own initiative to please walk according to the scenic areaturnover line. Thanks the Cooperation"...Huh?) I couldn't believe that, after going through all the trouble to make a new sign, they couldn't check and make sure that "areaturnover" wasn't a word.
As we were leaving in the bus, I couldn't help but notice certain things about the area. In Xi'an, there are very modern high rises right next to literally heaps of rubble and shells of old, run-down buildings. The stretch marks of China's growth are definitely very apparent in Xi'an--in some of the most developed parts of the city, I saw a woman riding around on horseback. It seems very confusing, having these two things together, but that is one thing I have learned about China. It is a country of rickshaws and BMWs, high rises next to rubble. China is growing, and fast. But not really comprehensively. Or at least that's what I'm seeing.
Thus ends Day 1 in Xi'an.
Day 2:
First, we went to this "theme park" called the Tang Paradise (大唐芙蓉园). Well, it advertises itself as a sort of "theme park," but I'm not sure that's exactly what I would call it. As of today, I'm still unsure of what I would call it. It basically is a massive reconstruction of what a Tang Dynasty garden would have looked like, had it been created to feed a tourism industry. Besides it being beautiful (which it was, in a very stereotypical way), I think my favorite part about the park was that, as you can see in the picture, the park tried to create a very authentic, historical feel, while being surrounded by modern architecture all around. I loved looking at Tang Dynasty-style pagodas with cranes building new high rises in the background. Of course, just about everything in the garden was for sale (it is China, after all), so you could buy "historical relics", a 2 inch clay reconstruction of the Olympic mascots, or a caricature of Mao Zedong. Definitely Tang Dynasty goods sold here.
One of the many opportunities to spend your money provided by this place was a booth which let you photograph yourselves in Tang Dynasty clothes (there's a new twist on Olde Tyme Photos, eh?). Of course, we all had to give it a whirl, which you can see in that picture. We had one guy with us, so of course he got to be the Emperor while all of us were apparently his concubines? Chinese people didn't even bother trying to hide their stares. I was already a strange object in this part of the country--not many Westerners make it out to Xi'an. Add Tang Dynasty dress to this already shocking white skin and blonde hair combination, and you've got a complete puzzle. We literally had herds of Chinese people just watching us while we were taking photos. I'm sure the stories they told their relatives about us were just classic. One Chinese added his own special commentary. After jumping into a photo with me, he decided that the best way to communicate his approval of my ensemble was by moving his arms as if he was doing the hula while making a police car siren noise. I don't know how better to describe it, but I'm assuming that that was his interpretation of what a white girl in Tang Dynasty clothes should do? The moral of the story is that if I thought the staring in Beijing was uncomfortable, it was ten times more intense in Xi'an. Especially when I wore a Tang Dynasty dress and headpiece.
First, we went to this "theme park" called the Tang Paradise (大唐芙蓉园). Well, it advertises itself as a sort of "theme park," but I'm not sure that's exactly what I would call it. As of today, I'm still unsure of what I would call it. It basically is a massive reconstruction of what a Tang Dynasty garden would have looked like, had it been created to feed a tourism industry. Besides it being beautiful (which it was, in a very stereotypical way), I think my favorite part about the park was that, as you can see in the picture, the park tried to create a very authentic, historical feel, while being surrounded by modern architecture all around. I loved looking at Tang Dynasty-style pagodas with cranes building new high rises in the background. Of course, just about everything in the garden was for sale (it is China, after all), so you could buy "historical relics", a 2 inch clay reconstruction of the Olympic mascots, or a caricature of Mao Zedong. Definitely Tang Dynasty goods sold here.
One of the many opportunities to spend your money provided by this place was a booth which let you photograph yourselves in Tang Dynasty clothes (there's a new twist on Olde Tyme Photos, eh?). Of course, we all had to give it a whirl, which you can see in that picture. We had one guy with us, so of course he got to be the Emperor while all of us were apparently his concubines? Chinese people didn't even bother trying to hide their stares. I was already a strange object in this part of the country--not many Westerners make it out to Xi'an. Add Tang Dynasty dress to this already shocking white skin and blonde hair combination, and you've got a complete puzzle. We literally had herds of Chinese people just watching us while we were taking photos. I'm sure the stories they told their relatives about us were just classic. One Chinese added his own special commentary. After jumping into a photo with me, he decided that the best way to communicate his approval of my ensemble was by moving his arms as if he was doing the hula while making a police car siren noise. I don't know how better to describe it, but I'm assuming that that was his interpretation of what a white girl in Tang Dynasty clothes should do? The moral of the story is that if I thought the staring in Beijing was uncomfortable, it was ten times more intense in Xi'an. Especially when I wore a Tang Dynasty dress and headpiece.
After we had finished being befuddled by the exact nature of the Tang Paradise, we moved onto the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda （大雁塔），one of the more famous attractions in Xi'an. Basically, if you see a postcard of Xi'an, it most likely has this on it. It is a Buddhist pagoda, with small temples throughout the pagoda grounds. This was the site of the most intense staring in all of Xi'an. I would literally see people walk by, tell their group of friends, and then have like 10 Chinese people turn around at once and stare at me for a bit. My personal favorite was the guy who stared at me for (I'm not exaggerating) 10 minutes straight, and then I guess out of guilt tried to give me the box of chocolates he just bought. Needless to say, I refused. I'm not sure how I feel about accepting chocolates in exchange for 10 minutes of extreme discomfort, but I feel like I would be getting the short end of the stick on that deal.
On the actual pagoda grounds, there were several beautiful little gardens. In one the areas, there were little stones that featured a Chinese poem (pictured). Well, it rhymes in Chinese. It is pronounced "Shou xia liu qing, jiao xia liu qing" (it sounds pretty in Chinese, I promise). Some people decided to climb the 11 or so flights of stairs up to the top of the pagoda, but since it was a cloudy day even by China standards, I decided it wouldn't be worth it. It was lunchtime.
On the actual pagoda grounds, there were several beautiful little gardens. In one the areas, there were little stones that featured a Chinese poem (pictured). Well, it rhymes in Chinese. It is pronounced "Shou xia liu qing, jiao xia liu qing" (it sounds pretty in Chinese, I promise). Some people decided to climb the 11 or so flights of stairs up to the top of the pagoda, but since it was a cloudy day even by China standards, I decided it wouldn't be worth it. It was lunchtime.
For lunch, we decided to have a dumpling feast, since Xi'an is famous for their dumplings ("jiao zi" 饺子). It was a small fortune--88 kuai per person (which is actually about 13 US dollars...but after having dinners for less than 1 US dollar, it seems expensive!). This particular variety of dumplings was very special. They were wrapped according to their contents. For example, if the filling of the dumpling was chicken, the dumpling was shaped like a chicken, complete with a head and everything. The pork looked like a pig, and so on. My dumplings were all vegetable ones, so they weren't too special--but they were delicious! Dumplings are by far my favorite part of Chinese cuisine! At the end, we finished with a dumpling soup. This dumpling soup, according to the Chinese, can tell the future! It all depends on how many dumplings you get in your first bowl--if you get three, I think you will be the most lucky out of the whole table! However, you can't go fishing for them, because that would just be cheating. I only got two dumplings in my bowl, so I'm not the luckiest of all, but still luckier than those who didn't get any dumplings at all! Overall, this lunch was VERY worth it.
We spent the rest of the day walking around Muslim snack street, renowned for its delicious street foods. I definitely saw some things that I would never see in the US, so it was a definite local experience. We didn't have long until we had to be back at the hotel to leave on the train out of Xi'an. Our return trip was much like our trip there, so there's not much to say about that, other than we arrived just in time for me to miss my 8 am class. I'm pretty sure nobody minded.
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