I flew here by train!…
I left Beijing and, in just over 4 hours, I traveled more than 1,000 km! The same amount of time it takes us to cover 255 km by train from Bucharest to Mangalia (that’s if nothing goes wrong along the way…).
I am in the heart of China, in Xi’an.
Of course, I wanted to come here for the famous Terracotta Army. But this city, the former imperial capital for over 1,000 years and the starting point of the Silk Road, offered me some extremely pleasant surprises during the two days I spent here.
TOP ATTRACTIONS IN XI’AN
THE XI’AN CITY WALL
I kept walking past it, kept going through it (magic :)), but the coolest thing is to walk ON it!
I already have experience from the Italian city of Lucca, where you can also walk on the city wall, an experience I wrote about here. That’s why I was really curious to see how it would be here.
The Xi’an City Wall is one of the oldest and best-preserved urban defense walls in China, which is why it’s such an important tourist attraction!
Built in the 13th century (Ming dynasty) on the foundations of the fortified city from the Tang dynasty, it stretches 13.7 km in length, is 12 meters high, and has a serious thickness of up to 15 meters. For centuries, it protected the administrative and commercial center of the city.
Between the North Gate and the South Gate there are 3 km, and between the West Gate and the East Gate there are 4 km, so the wall is rectangular.
It has 4 giant gates, one at each cardinal point, and on it there are bastions and watchtowers.
I noticed that some of the paving stones are inscribed in different ways, so I asked my local guide, Selina, why.
During the Cultural Revolution (when comrade Mao Zedong decided to smash tradition and culture to the ground because they were “bad” and didn’t fit with the new communist vision), many people took stones from the Wall for their own use “at home”. A wall patched here, a hole filled there, maybe even a doorstop…
Many years later, in 1984 to be exact, the mayor of Xi’an launched a kind of campaign, explaining to the population the historical value of the city wall and simply asking people to bring the stones back. And guess what? Many of them really were returned.
Thus, today, about 60% of the wall is original! The remaining 40% was rebuilt with stones supplied by various brick factories. And since the city didn’t have money to pay these suppliers, they were allowed to inscribe the factory/company name into the stones. That’s why many stones are “stamped” with names.
We enter through Anyuan (the North Gate). It’s an important spot for newlyweds, who come here for photo sessions dressed in spectacular outfits.
In fact, I discover that the wall is a favorite place for Chinese people who want to take unique photos.
It’s a common custom in China – young people rent traditional costumes, props, get their hair and makeup done, and go out for photo shoots!
Photographers are hired for a session in iconic city locations or, sometimes, specialized photographers simply approach willing clients at those spots.
Since I got caught up behind this girl who had completely blocked the staircase at the North Gate, I decided to interrupt her photo shoot for a moment and take a picture with her myself 🙂
At the West Gate, the craze is even bigger!
Dozens of young Chinese women, dressed in increasingly spectacular traditional costumes, meticulously styled and accessorized, pose with the wall as their backdrop, holding a musical instrument, an umbrella, or even a weapon. Dozens of photographers shout instructions at them about what attitude to take, what pose to strike. It’s a spectacle in itself!
And it’s not just adults who take such pictures at important landmarks, children do as well. (I could’ve made some decent money with my own camera, don’t you think? :))
BIKE RIDE ON THE XI’AN CITY WALL
We climb up onto the wall and my guide rents me a bicycle so I can roll around… Even more, she waves me off, explaining that she herself won’t bike. What?! How come??? Well, she says, the wall has bumpy sections, with protruding stones, missing stones, uneven parts, and she doesn’t want to deal with that. She just leaves me to break my neck on my own 🙂 And it’s my birthday today…
It takes about two hours to cover the wall’s 13.7 km. I set myself the goal of reaching the South Gate or, if my butt doesn’t survive the saddle, at least the first gate, the West Gate.
on the wall
Man, after adjusting my saddle three times, I take off at full speed! Why? Because I figured if I pedal like a maniac, I might just reach the South Gate before the seat eats my backside…
From the wall, I can see both the old city and the new city.
I make a quick stop at the first corner, at a watchtower. But then my attention is caught by something below, at the foot of the wall:
The Golden Temple – I call it…
It’s the Guangren Temple, the only Tibetan temple in Shaanxi province, basically a meeting point between Han and Tibetan culture. The courtyard is full of people, and the scent of burning incense drifts all the way up to where I am.
I hop back on my bike and set off along the western side.
On my way I cross paths with other cyclists, but also with many locals strolling along. The atmosphere is really pleasant!
I actually managed what I set out to do – cycling all the way to the South Gate. It took me 45 minutes with all the stops, even though my guide had estimated an hour and a half. But she didn’t know I was pedaling with the fear that the seven-headed dragon would catch up with me 🙂
BELL TOWER. DRUM TOWER.
For me, the two towers are perfect landmarks when you’re in a city you don’t know: you see them and instantly know the directions.
The Bell Tower is literally right in the middle of the road. Built during the Ming dynasty (1384), it is one of the largest towers of its kind in China. Its original role was to tell the time and to signal dangers – fires, attacks.
Nowadays, it functions as an exhibition space for cultural artifacts, but it’s also the perfect “background” for Chinese people dressed in traditional outfits, out taking pictures…
I was delighted by these two girls and a boy (!), they were delighted by me, and so we ended up taking a picture together:
The Bell Tower is also a kind of “workplace” for live streamers – something I was seeing for the very first time.
Women, either in full costume and makeup or just in casual clothes, sell products or services live, with the Tower behind them.
Some of them (the streamers) have such chatter and such skill in presenting things in front of a smartphone camera that they left me speechless!
And, besides them, there are maaany young women dressed in traditional costumes, with makeup and arranged down to the smallest details, who are having photo sessions also with the Bell Tower in the background. It’s a whole business, man!!! I noticed real work teams here! Look and be amazed:
Just a few steps from the Bell Tower is the Drum Tower, built a little earlier than the first.
Traditionally, the drums inside were beaten in the evening to mark the passage of time and to transmit certain signals.
I didn’t go inside the Drum Tower, but I understand it houses an impressive collection of ancient drums!
For me, it’s the starting point of one of the most vibrant areas of the city, a neighborhood that I liked instantly and that I returned to three times in just two days in Xi’an!
THE MUSLIM QUARTER
This is the culinary and cultural heart of Xi’an.
Here I finally understood why “muslim”, why “Muslim Quarter”. It’s simple: the Silk Road started here and stretched all the way to Istanbul. Back then, many Muslim merchants and travelers came here for business. And eventually settled down.
Today, their descendants live here – the Hui minority.
The place is fascinating, a mix of Muslim tradition and Chinese culture, with narrow streets full of food stalls, souvenir shops, and cafés – most of them run by Muslims.
The atmosphere is amazing, and you can feel it both during the day and at night!
It’s a culinary paradise here, you can find all kinds of traditional delicacies. I’ll admit, I was staring blankly at some of the stalls, not having the faintest idea what I was looking at…
I had read beforehand that you absolutely have to try Roujiamo (“the Chinese hamburger”) – flatbread filled with tender beef or lamb; or Yangrou Paomo – bread soaked in lamb soup; or Biangbiang noodles – very wide, long noodles, typical of the Shaanxi region, served with spicy sauce. And many more!
But look what I came across.
Nope, I didn’t try either of those! I politely declined, even though the vendors definitely noticed the grimace on my face 🙂
On the other hand, my mouth was watering at the sight of grilled squid dripping with juice… Lots of stalls had it. And honestly, it looks spectacular, really eye-catching. So of course, I had to try it.
What a struggle – it was messy to eat, with juice running everywhere, and I didn’t want to stain my good jacket from Iceland, haha.
But it was really, really good! I thought it was huge and I’d never be able to finish it, but before I knew it, I’d eaten the whole thing. (The problem was only realizing that later… on the scale!)
I also wanted something “normal”, so I got some beef/pork skewers.
Tip: don’t buy the ones on metal sticks. I burned my mouth because the iron was scorching hot! Much better to get them on wooden sticks, trust me. Plus, you end up with some nice wooden warrior’s spears, unlike the shiny metal ones, which the vendors want back.
At this stall they are selling golden flying saucers 🙂
Basically, they’re huge corn chips. If you like a certain flavor – they have several – the ladies break the discs into pieces, put them all in a bag, and voilà, you’ve got yourself a bag of regular chips.
I bought some! A few with pepper and a few with local spices I couldn’t quite figure out, but they were good.
And I took photos of plenty of other things:
And loads of different skewers drowned in different sauces, served in cups.
Basically, you can find everything you want and everything you don’t want! Except pork.
I would never have guessed what this cake was. It’s sticky rice flavored with a flower called Osmanthus. It’s sold on a stick.
I didn’t buy one. But it looks spectacular, doesn’t it?
Let’s see what there is to drink. What would you like?…
Orange juice, sweet fermented rice drink, sour plum drink? €1.20 a glass.
Sweet pear and goji tea?
Or a fresh pomegranate juice?
There were more options, but these were the ones I stopped at.
Among the food stalls, there are also stands and shops with souvenirs, toys, local products, kitschy trinkets, or clothes. I didn’t even know what to photograph first.
Spices of all kinds.
Tea cigarettes! They don’t contain nicotine. I had no idea such a thing existed.
They’re sold individually and come in many flavors.
And piles of metal objects, some really cool! I couldn’t resist running my hands through them like a kid digging into a toy chest.
THE GREAT MOSQUE
Walking through the narrow streets of the Muslim Quarter, you soon reach the Great Mosque. It is one of the largest and oldest mosques in China, originally built in the 8th century.
It remains an active place of worship for the descendants of merchants and travelers from the Silk Road.
For 25 yuan (€3) you can enter a true oasis of peace, just a few meters away from the hustle and bustle of the quarter.
One of the most important buildings in the complex is the Memorial Hall.
Mounted under its eaves is an imperial plaque given to the mosque by Empress Dowager Cixi (Qing dynasty), who practically ruled the empire at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century.
This place is remarkable for the way it blends Chinese architecture (pavilions, courtyards, pagoda-style roofs) with Islamic practice – the courtyards are aligned east to west, oriented toward Mecca.
In the quiet of the grounds, two young newlyweds pose for their family album:
Beautiful, aren’t they?
I filmed this peaceful place from end to end, all in one breath:
GAO COURTYARD. SHADOW THEATER.
Right off the main street filled with street food, you’ll find the entrance to the memorial house of Mr. Gao, a high-ranking official from the Ming dynasty (16th century).
There’s an entrance fee – 15 yuan, about €1.80.
I came here to see a shadow play performance – a traditional Chinese art form that’s been around for centuries. They run the shows in series because there’s so much interest. So, until my turn comes, I wander leisurely through the man’s estate.
The house is basically a traditional complex of more than 2,000 m², with several inner courtyards. In one of them, I found it amusing that they even had some live poultry wandering around.
Here I also learn why the Chinese build their roofs sloping inward toward the inner courtyard, not outward. Water is extremely important in their feng shui – it’s a symbol of prosperity. So, when it rains, it’s considered good if the water falls into the courtyard, not outside.
Then I enter the “performance hall”. The shadow play is about to begin.
A lady explains what the story is about so that everyone can understand what they are going to see. Everyone except me, since she speaks in Chinese, haha. Luckily, my guide translates for me.
The show is short, less than 15 minutes. Interesting, especially when you think about the puppeteers behind the screen, who have to synchronize all their movements.
After the performance, you can buy special puppets made for this kind of shadow theater. Unfortunately, not many people rushed to do so…
Guess what? They aren’t made of paper or plastic, as I had thought, but of animal hide – thin, transparent, and durable! Donkey hide is the most valued, because it’s smooth and translucent.
Later on, I came across these “shadow puppets” again in souvenir shops, framed in different sizes and turned into beautiful wall decorations. I bought one.
BIG WILD GOOSE PAGODA
There’s a lot of bustle around the Da Ci’en Temple, inside which stands this seven-story pagoda.
Some people are just wandering, others are taking pictures, others go into the courtyard to light incense sticks and pray.
The “Big Wild Goose Pagoda” was built in the 7th century (Tang dynasty) to house Buddhist texts and relics brought back from India by the Chinese monk Xuanzang, after his epic journey along the Silk Road. To be honest, I was curious where the “goose” in the name came from 🙂
Legend has it that one day, the monks of a monastery in Xi’an had no goose meat left for their meal. One monk prayed, and immediately, from a flock of wild geese flying overhead, one goose broke its own wings and fell to the ground as an offering. The monks took it as a divine sign and from that moment gave up eating meat completely. Of any kind! …So that’s where the pagoda got its name.
You can visit the temple halls, full of Buddhist statues and frescoes.
I realize how important this place is for the Chinese not only from the information I receive, but also because I see Chinese women here too, dressed up from head to toe in traditional attire, posing beautifully with the pagoda as their backdrop.
My goodness, just look at these little girls! They seem so sweet (and probably exhausted from being dressed up and made up like that) that I ask their mothers if I could take a picture with them.
We say goodbye with hand gestures, and then I head to the pagoda.
25 yuan (€3), and up the stairs I go!
On each floor there are old objects on display, like in a small museum.
Of course, the most beautiful view over the city is from the very top – the 7th floor:
From here, I spot a kind of neighborhood with large, spectacular houses, and I ask my guide what it is. I don’t really understand the name :), but she tells me it’s best to come back in the evening to see it lit up. Suddenly I remember a commercial for the city that I saw on the hotel TV, where I thought they had clearly computer-generated an unreal glowing neighborhood just to impress tourists.
Well, imagine my shock when I realize that those images are 100% REAL!!!
GRAND TANG DYNASTY EVER BRIGHT CITY
As I was saying… what a mouthful of a name!
I’m in a pedestrian area that dazzles your eyes, no kidding! Illuminated buildings, illuminated statue ensembles, illuminated fountains, illuminated malls. Everywhere you look – colors and lights.
It was built to showcase the splendor of the Tang dynastyth – the most glorious period in the city’s history – and it has become a trendy pedestrian zone, stretching more than 2 kilometers, full of malls, restaurants, cafés, and even cultural institutions like museums, theaters, and concert halls.
And not to be overlooked, the street food! On both sides you’ve got countless stalls with all kinds of goodies.
Buying something is an adventure in itself, since the vendors don’t speak any other language, and I don’t understand what half the stuff is…
That’s why I stopped for something “normal”: a hot dog coated in cornflakes, and takoyaki – octopus in batter with some toppings sprinkled over it. I wasn’t crazy about them.
The place is packed! Chinese people as far as the eye could see! The whole area is bursting with energy.
Suddenly, I see wave after wave of people heading in the same direction. Everyone is screaming at the top of their lungs! Oh my God, what’s happening? Is someone getting hurt???
Not at all! They are all crowding around a fountain. Which works – get this – only if people scream! :):)
The louder the crowd screams, the higher the water jets shoot up.
And when the water starts to drop back down, nobody wants that, so as more people gather, everyone joins in the collective shouting. Me too, of course.
Man, this would be such good therapy in every city! We’d all let out our stress by yelling at a fountain, and we’d have fun at the same time.
Speaking of fountains: right nearby, behind the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, is another top attraction in Xi’an.
THE MUSICAL FOUNTAINS OF XI’AN
I had seen musical fountains before – in Dubai, in Barcelona, in Bucharest… But since I heard that these here are the largest musical fountains in Asia, I figured I couldn’t miss them.
I rushed over to catch the 9 PM show sharp (start time), even though I would’ve liked to linger longer in the brightly lit district that looked like New Year’s Eve.
No chance of getting close, with so many people gathered, so I climb onto some tree roots just to catch a glimpse.
Here, nobody screams to make the water jets rise 🙂 The colorful fountains are synchronized with the music. Music “made in China” – classical, but also some that sounded like current hits.
It lasted ten minutes, no more. From where I stood, it seemed like an okay show, but not exactly breathtaking.
On the other hand, I was blown away by another show in Xi’an, which my guide had recommended. I’ll write about it soon, you’ll see some really amazing stuff! And of course, I can’t wait to write about the Terracotta Army!
Until then, you can read a short guide about China (internet, innovations, food, control, etc.) here; check out how cool it was at the panda reserve in Chengdu here; and see how I had my ears cleaned in a park (plus other unusual experiences), here.
