The oldest walled city in China

If the guide books are correct, then 2,00 years before the birth of Christ, 2,400 years before the birth of Mohammed and 3,956 years before me, Xi'an was a thriving, cultured city with philosophers, doctors, universities and astronomers.  The major city of Shanxi province, Xi'an was also the beginning of the silk road leading to visitors from all over the known world coming to the city and taking part of the culture back with them.  It was also the first capital of a united China.  Xi'an is better known for the close proximity to the terracotta warriors but it is a major tourist attraction in its own right.  There is a wall, 12 miles in circumference, around the city and although it has been destroyed and rebuilt over the millenia, it was always on the same foundations which gives an idea of the size of the original city.  The current wall is over 600 years old, is 30 metres high and allegedly, as we never saw them do it, 30 armed men can march side by side along the top of it. Many people walk the wall but Denise and I decided to ride round it on a bicycle.  To our delight, there was a tandem available and we spent a lovely hour and a half riding gently around the top of the wall, stopping frequently to talk to other riders and walkers and take in the views.  The two main tourist points in the old city are the bell tower and the drum tower.  Dating from the 14th century and situated at the central cross roads in the city, the bell tower holds musical performances several times during the day.  A short walk away is the drum tower and marks the Muslim quarter of Xi'an.  Due to the many Arabs who visited Xi'an during the silk road days, many of whom stayed and married into the local population, the city has a huge Muslim community and it was strange to see Chinese men wearing Muslim clothing.  The Muslim area is full of traders and artisans selling their wares and is also a popular tourist spot.  This area leads to the Great Mosque wh8ich is one of the largest in China, though built in the Chinese style rather than the more familiar middle eastern style.

There are several history museums, temples and buildings of interest but the reason most people come to Xi'an is to see the terracotta warriors, an army of clay soldiers and horses built to protect the first emporo Quin on his journey to the afterlife (the chariots placed behind the horses were made of wood, which had rotted by the time the army was discovered, and metal fittings, many of which have been found in fairly good condition).  The figures are housed in three large hangar type buildings where the temperature and humidity is carefully controlled.  Apparently, when the warriors were first excavated, the colouring of the paint was still visibible though these colours faded from the exposure to the air.  The guide told us that echo sounding equipment has found many more soldiers but they are being left covered up until technology can produce some way of preserving the colours.

One of the museums was holding a display of china and cermaic vases and bowls, some of which were in display cases while others were placed on open plinths.  The value of these objects was almost boundless and security guards were everywhere.  However, in one room, sat beside a priceless vase over 2,000 yers old, was a security guard snoring his head off!  This time I did have a camera handy.

On 21st May we left Xi'an to travel to Chongquin, the city at the start of the 3 Gorges cruise down the Yantse river, by means of the night train.  An experience we are not in a hurry to repeat!