06 August 2006
Postcard from Xi'an - July 2005
Different eras of Chinese history – so our guide explained – are best viewed from different places: Shenzhen (the once sleepy village next to Hong Kong and now a major manufacturing region) for the last 10 years’ history; Shanghai (with its international quarters in the early C20) for 100 years; Beijing (the capital since C13) for 1,000 years and Xi’an (the ancient capital) for 10,000 years of history.
The emperor Qin Shi Huang united China in 200BC, and built the Great Wall around the perimeter to keep the Mongols out. He was also a great long-term planner, starting work on his own grave when he was just 12. Employing some 700,000 people, the grave is both large – covering several square kilometres – and full of treasures. His actual grave (which you can’t visit) is supposed to have a miniature model of China, with the Yangtze and Yellow rivers filled with mercury so that his coffin could float down them. Most famously, his grave is protected by nearly 10,000 terracotta soldiers – each different and wonderfully detailed – divided into groups of infantry, cavalry and archermen. They all face east, just in case the countries that had been conquered changed their minds about being part of a unified China.
Qin got his comeuppance shortly after his death, with the tomb being sacked in a peasant’s revolt (led by unemployed clay sculptors perhaps?); the warriors were broken and the wooden roof set alight. So it lay, until discovered by a farmer in the mid 1970s (who is still around to sign his autograph for suitable remuneration). China’s marketing skills could still do with a bit of honing, as the Terracotta army is positioned amongst the 7 Wonders of the World… as Number 8. In any event, it’s a pretty impressive place to visit.
Xi’an (which btw has the apostrophe to show it has two syllables, pronounced She-ann, rather than Sharn) is a walled city. Recently restored, it provides a dramatic surrounding for what is otherwise a pretty dull place. In the main city square is a Bell Tower, (with one of the largest swarms of bats I have ever seen) and nearby a Drum Tower and mosque. The presence of the mosque is to do with the Silk Road – which starts in Xi’an – an old trade route with the Middle East. Otherwise it is pretty much made up of wide streets with Cultural Revolution-era shops. An exception is a new shopping centre which is like walking into Hong Kong, with a gleaming selection of small boutiques selling Cartier, Nike, Burberry and the like. Tourism must pay well.
We stay near the South Gate of the city, at the Grand Palace Hotel, which is not particularly to be recommended. Its concrete atrium is rather soulless – with landings which would not look out of place in a prison – even though the rooms are clean and presentable. It is getting cheaper though… less than RMB 600 (£40) a night.
Our first night we eat in a local restaurant, which serves the local speciality of unleavened bread in a mutton broth, accompanied by some slightly bizarre dishes: cold Spätzle in spicy pizza oil, fat glass noodles in vinegar and (yes…) Cornish pasties. China has a lot to thank the Germans for too, as the Tsing Tao beer (a legacy of when Germany annexed Qing Dao province) is excellent. The second night we eat Teppanyaki in the hotel, which is a little surreal.
Most tourists are herded around by officious flag-carrying guides in buses, and do not get out into the town alone. As a result, George and I found we caused a bit of a stir, not just with the omnipresent beggars and street-salesmen, but also with a boy of George’s age who just wanted to practice his English. He walked with us for several minutes talking about anything and everything (global warming is apparently caused by too many trees being cut down to make chopsticks). Without our guides, we ventured into what we thought was a bar, but turned out to be a nightclub. The dancing and singing floor show was followed by the audience dancing, with George winning the prize of the evening: a bunch of plastic flowers. Ever the gentleman, he gave the flowers to the rather glamorous girl who had been his dance partner. Unfortunately she could only speak 3 words of English, none of which was “Thanks”. But she looked grateful.
Next stop: Jiuzhaigou (Nine Villages Valley) in northern Sechuan province, the Lake District of China apparently.
The emperor Qin Shi Huang united China in 200BC, and built the Great Wall around the perimeter to keep the Mongols out. He was also a great long-term planner, starting work on his own grave when he was just 12. Employing some 700,000 people, the grave is both large – covering several square kilometres – and full of treasures. His actual grave (which you can’t visit) is supposed to have a miniature model of China, with the Yangtze and Yellow rivers filled with mercury so that his coffin could float down them. Most famously, his grave is protected by nearly 10,000 terracotta soldiers – each different and wonderfully detailed – divided into groups of infantry, cavalry and archermen. They all face east, just in case the countries that had been conquered changed their minds about being part of a unified China.
Qin got his comeuppance shortly after his death, with the tomb being sacked in a peasant’s revolt (led by unemployed clay sculptors perhaps?); the warriors were broken and the wooden roof set alight. So it lay, until discovered by a farmer in the mid 1970s (who is still around to sign his autograph for suitable remuneration). China’s marketing skills could still do with a bit of honing, as the Terracotta army is positioned amongst the 7 Wonders of the World… as Number 8. In any event, it’s a pretty impressive place to visit.
Xi’an (which btw has the apostrophe to show it has two syllables, pronounced She-ann, rather than Sharn) is a walled city. Recently restored, it provides a dramatic surrounding for what is otherwise a pretty dull place. In the main city square is a Bell Tower, (with one of the largest swarms of bats I have ever seen) and nearby a Drum Tower and mosque. The presence of the mosque is to do with the Silk Road – which starts in Xi’an – an old trade route with the Middle East. Otherwise it is pretty much made up of wide streets with Cultural Revolution-era shops. An exception is a new shopping centre which is like walking into Hong Kong, with a gleaming selection of small boutiques selling Cartier, Nike, Burberry and the like. Tourism must pay well.
We stay near the South Gate of the city, at the Grand Palace Hotel, which is not particularly to be recommended. Its concrete atrium is rather soulless – with landings which would not look out of place in a prison – even though the rooms are clean and presentable. It is getting cheaper though… less than RMB 600 (£40) a night.
Our first night we eat in a local restaurant, which serves the local speciality of unleavened bread in a mutton broth, accompanied by some slightly bizarre dishes: cold Spätzle in spicy pizza oil, fat glass noodles in vinegar and (yes…) Cornish pasties. China has a lot to thank the Germans for too, as the Tsing Tao beer (a legacy of when Germany annexed Qing Dao province) is excellent. The second night we eat Teppanyaki in the hotel, which is a little surreal.
Most tourists are herded around by officious flag-carrying guides in buses, and do not get out into the town alone. As a result, George and I found we caused a bit of a stir, not just with the omnipresent beggars and street-salesmen, but also with a boy of George’s age who just wanted to practice his English. He walked with us for several minutes talking about anything and everything (global warming is apparently caused by too many trees being cut down to make chopsticks). Without our guides, we ventured into what we thought was a bar, but turned out to be a nightclub. The dancing and singing floor show was followed by the audience dancing, with George winning the prize of the evening: a bunch of plastic flowers. Ever the gentleman, he gave the flowers to the rather glamorous girl who had been his dance partner. Unfortunately she could only speak 3 words of English, none of which was “Thanks”. But she looked grateful.
Next stop: Jiuzhaigou (Nine Villages Valley) in northern Sechuan province, the Lake District of China apparently.
# posted by DavidF @ 14:37 
