Xian, China - an ancient city of lights

I have a confession to make.  Before booking this trip to China I had never heard of  the city of Xi'an, or if I had it hadn't registered. A bit embarrassing really since not only  is it  the capital city of Shaanxi province, but it also has a very long and fascinating history, is the eastern end of the fabled silk road and  the location of the pits containing the famous Terracotta Army, a sight high on my bucket list.  Xi'an is one of the oldest cities in China. Lantian Man, dating from at least 500,000 years ago, was discovered near the city and so were Neolithic settlements from up to to 6700 years ago. Well, you are never too old to learn and one of the things I find most rewarding about travel is discovering and learning abut new places.

Our arrival in the city was greeted by blue skies and a clear sunny day and my first impression was that it was more traditionally Chinese than the cosmopolitan Shanghai we had just left.  There were many more bicycles and motor scooters on the roads, for a start, and plenty of interesting street life. Xian is a city of 9 million people and although it is ancient the many new, towering apartment blocks give it a fresh look.

View of apartment blocks from my hotel room.  You would need to be sure of your address, wouldn't you?

No words needed - the message is clear!

Before checking into our hotel we stopped  to take a stroll on the city wall.  Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, the first emperor of the Ming dynasty, started construction of the wall in 1370. Today, after much restoration, it is the only complete city wall in China. At 8.7miles long (14ks) and 39 - 46 feet (12 -14 metres) wide it stretches around the old heart of the city and, like all city walls built as protection, includes watch towers at regular intervals. In Xi'an they are 120 yards apart, this is because the most an arrow could travel was 60 yards so that all attacks on the wall could be covered by the archers in adjoining towers. I loved strolling the wide wall in the late afternoon sun, taking in the fine views over the moat, city and surrounding parkland and smiling at the explicit public notices. Not surprisingly it is a very popular walking and exercising spot for the locals.

On the Xi'an city wall

In the evening we set out to view the lights of Xi'an and some of the city's feature landmarks and, my goodness, Xi'an dazzles at night.  There are lights everywhere and it is sparkly and beautiful.  Every lamp post in the city centre is adorned with red lanterns and the city wall and many buildings are outlined in lights.  But nothing can compare with the iconic bell tower at the very heart of the city, it's illuminations turn it into a veritable jewel. Built in 1384 during the Ming Dynasty, for the purpose of broadcasting news, it is reputed to be the largest and best preserved bell tower in China and has become the symbol of the city.  Standing at  130ft (40metres) tall at the convergence of 4 major streets it is a spectacular focal point.

The ancient, beautifully lit  Xi'an bell tower

A highlight for me was stopping to watch the locals dance on a wide pavement outside a shopping area.  Since the Chinese live in tiny apartments they like to get together in any suitable space to exercise. I was transfixed by the group performing an umbrella and scarf dance.  Many were still dressed in their work clothes so had clearly just stopped off on their way home.  Led by a large self-important looking man with a whistle they performed their routines totally unselfconsciously.  This was their normal, it was not put on for tourists.  Beside this group was another group performing a more prosaic exercise class.  I joined in with them briefly and loved it.  I could have spent the evening there, just having fun with the locals in such a happy atmosphere.

(you can see the video of the locals exercising here)

Our final destination that evening was to visit  Hancheng Lake and Park to view a colossal statue of Wu Di, the emperor who reigned for 54

years during the Han dynasty (206BC - 24AD) and a great hero for the Chinese. The evening was crisp and frosty, nevertheless it was very pleasant to walk through the almost deserted park in the darkness with lights shimmering on the water.  Despite the fact that the statue is 70ft (21.5metres) tall, and is accompanied by a full sized chariot and attending warriors, I felt a little underwhelmed.  Yes, it is massive, yes, I should have been astonished but this is a new statue built as part of a Han Dynasty theme park and to me it felt that way. I was much more interested in the locals ballroom dancing in a square off to the side of the park.

Unusual tap suspended from the
ceiling in my hotel room

So that was our first day in Xi'an.  I liked the city and I liked the Buffo Hotel where we were staying.  It is incredibly chic with all sorts of extra details such as electric curtains and windows which can turn from clear to opaque at the touch of a button, however everyone reported a design flaw in the showers which despite all best efforts flooded our bathroom floors. I was a little disconcerted to get out of the lift on the wrong floor  one time and find myself in a fully equipped hospital with nurses in uniform scurrying about.  Handy if you get sick on holiday I guess. 

My next post will be about the phenomenal Terracotta Army.