Xian: The Western Garden

Walled cities instantly transfer the traveler back in time to remote times when giant beasts were the main transport and predators – some of them human – awaited him around every corner. Once, inside the walls the shields could be dropped and a new culture could be studied.

Xian features the most impressive walls I’ve witnessed while having successfully modernized; the blend is irresistible. It is also the most complete city wall in modern China. Moreover, the arch-traveler Marco Polo, visited here.

Chiang Mai – in Thailand – features city walls which complement a visit to Xian walls due to their displaying not restored structures in a similar rectangular setup. Humbler in size, it still features a complete moat, the original corners of the structure and one completely restored gate.

Design

Typical Chinese cities feature a central square and walls surrounding them. Two perpendicular avenues connect the square with the walls, at the center of each axis.

Xian’s wall is twelve meters tall, about thirteen meters wide at the top and up to eighteen meters wide at its base; its length reaches almost fourteen kilometers.

Ninety-eight fortifications extend from the wall every 120 meters; the distance between them was determined according to the distance an arrow could fly. A deep moat surrounds the wall.

Four complex gates were built within the wall, the only vulnerable spots in the structure. Yongning (Eternal Peace) is the name of the southern one which is also the main entrance to the city; it features the most complex decorations and is the grounds for many official ceremonies. The other gates are called Changle (Eternal Joy) in the east, Anding (Harmony Peace) in the west, and in the north is the Anyuan (Forever Harmony) Gate.

Each gate has three defensive towers; the outer one was used for raising and lowering the attached suspension bridge, while an adjacent one provided security to it. The inner one was the entrance itself.

History

The construction of the first wall began in 194 BC; at twenty-six kilometers length, that wall was much longer than the modern one, which was built by the Ming Dynasty in 1370 AC. This last wall was built of dirt; only in 1568 it was rebuilt with bricks. Later it was restored in 1781 and 1983.

Activities

The wall can be climbed through special access points, after paying an entrance fee; it is wide enough for touring it with the help of a bicycle and long enough for providing a couple of hours long entertainment.

During the spring and summer it is open between 8:00AM and 7:00PM, while during the autumn and winter it opens between 8:30AM and 5:00PM

Fishing in the Moat

Incredibly, I have witnessed net-fishing at the surrounding moat. The event took part during the cold days of the Chinese New Year; the fish caught in the snow sprinkled water were tiny and hardly worth the effort. The fisherman was standing within the water and oblivious to the below freezing temperatures.

Attractions near the Walls

With the obvious exception of the Terracotta Warriors, Xian Walls enclose many of the city main attractions. The Bell Tower is at the very center of the walled city and is – like the wall – the finest and best kept example of such structure in China. The wall allows top views of most of the city attractions.

Xian’s Muslim Quarter, is next to the Bell Tower and features the main shopping district in town as well as a pagoda shaped mosque. It main attraction is a classical Central Asian market – reminiscent of the one in Kashgar – and seems to have changed very little since the Silk Road was the main trade rout in the continent.

The Small Wild Goose Pagoda was built in 707AC. Originally its fifteen layers reached 45m height, but after the 1556 earthquake it measures up just 43m. Its counterpart is the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda a Buddhist pagoda located south of the city. It was built in 652 and had five stories, reaching 54m. After its collapse, it was rebuilt with then layers; however, following the 1556 earthquake, left it with only seven stories and a height of 64m.

Near the southern gate is the Stele Forest a museum famous for its numerous historic inscriptions on stone. The Shaanxi History Museum offers an excellent display of local artifacts.

Despite being slightly eastwards from China’s geographical center, and in spite of having ceased being the empire’s capital many centuries ago, Xian is the cultural capital of the country; its ancient soul and root.

The city’s importance during the Ming period is testified by it being blessed with impressive structures; the City Walls and the Bell Tower are the best preserved examples of this past importance.

The Communist Revolution brought a rapid modernization to China. Few cities managed to keep their ancient look and relics in the new reality. Showing an atypical dichotomy, Xian became a modern city while preserving its spectacular treasures.

Being the country’s main crossroads – like Chicago in the USA – forced Xian’s modernization. Being away from the main political and economy centers ensured the preservation of its treasures. Only one city in the country could meet both conditions.

Location

Typical Chinese cities have a central square and walls surrounding them. Two perpendicular avenues connect the square with the walls, at the center of each axis.

The avenue running from the central square northwards to the walls is called Bei Dajie or North Avenue, while its southern counterpart is called Nan Dajie or South Avenue. The same is valid to the eastern and western sides of the square, thus the town’s center is at the meeting of Bei Dajie with Nan Dajie and Xi Dajie with Dong Dajie.

At the very center of the walled town was the Bell Tower’s original spot, which is nowadays occupied by the Drum Tower; strangely, the tower was literally moved away from its central position.

History

The original Bell Tower was built in 1384 by Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang as a defensive structure; it provided good views of the flat surroundings.

In 1584 it was relocated a whole kilometer eastwards, determining thus the askew layout of modern Xian. A new base was constructed in the new spot and the original structure was simply moved to its new location in what is described as an easy and rapid event.

In a kind of poetic justice, as Xian is slightly eastwards of China’s center, its Bell Tower was located slightly eastwards of its center; hinting maybe at its symbolizing the heart and soul of this city.

Design

The Bell Tower, is a traditional Chinese building constructed over a grey bricks square base almost thirty-six meters long and almost nine meters high. Atop the base is a wooden structure which is thirty-six meters high and is divided into two stories and three eaves covered with dark green tiles. The doors’ engravings tell popular stories of ancient China.

Few structures in modern China seem to display more faithfully the essence of our traditional Chinese building’s mental picture. Graceful, attractive, tastefully decorated and colored, unobtrusive yet imposing are all adjectives that come to mind while watching this humble wonder.

Jingyun Bell

The tower housed in the past the Tang Dynasty’s Jingyun Bell which still can be seen in Forest of Stone Steles Museum, near the old town’s southern gate.

Access

The Tower Bell is located at the center of an impressive and spacious roundabout. Two modern malls smartly disguised as traditional buildings surround the tower; one is underground and the second is partially so; in such a way the tower is the highest building in the area.

On each of the tower base sides is a six meters high arched door, and below it is a pedestrian subway allowing to cross the busy crossroad. The entrance to the tower is from the subway; the tower is open every day between 8:00am and 6:00pm.

Despite the thin layer of snow covering the ground, the strong wind and the cold – the temperature was well below the freezing point – the huge army stood still and seemed ready to initiate the attack at any second. The horses kept silence and bravely stared at the foreign visitor aiming a camera at them.

The feat is less remarkable once the fact the army was made of burned terracotta was introduced into the equation. However, at that precise instant, the artisans’ feat became evident. Every warrior’s face was unique.

The megalomaniac Great Wall could be partially justified by its defensive value; however, the no less extravagant 8099 Terracotta Warriors – measuring between 1.84m and 1.97m - in Xian were a purely egotistic work: they were buried underground together with its despotic creator.

Getting There

The modern and comfortable bus 306 leaves from the huge parking lot in front of the train station and it is marked Bingmayong, the Chinese name of the site. After leaving Xian, the bus passes through the town of Lintong - 30km east of Xian - and then advances another seven kilometers to the warriors’ site.

The trip costs 5Y and longs 55 minutes if the way is clear; due to the congestion at Xian’s entrance, the way back took ninety minutes the day I visited. Hence, it is a good idea to delay the return until after the working hours; visiting the Tomb of Qin Shihuang, the first emperor, which is just 1.5km before the Terracotta Warriors site, is a good way to solve the problem.

Entrance

Chinese are pragmatic people. The Starbucks branch that operated for seven years within the Purple Forbidden City is a good proof of that – despite coffee being a foreign guest in the Chinese cuisine.

Consequently, the entrance to the complex is a sight by itself; a long market runs along the access road. The improvised shopping mall is barely related to the adjacent attraction. Some guides and souvenirs are available - the site photographs book which at the museum shop costs 130Y and here is being sold at half price by quite aggressive touts - but most stalls specialize on snacks, hot drinks, and products typical of the area – like furs products designed to cope with the harsh climate.

Food

There aren’t any attractive options here, except for the improvised stalls alongside the market by the entrance. Bringing a thermos with hot drinks during the winter is recommended.

History

The site was discovered only in 1974, when a farmer attempted to dig a water-well; the site is near Lishan Hill, from where the terracotta needed for the warriors originates.

The army was buried by the Qin Emperor Shi Huangdi in 210BC. He reigned from 247BC to 221BC, and is best remembered for having unified China. The construction began as soon as he assumed power and it is believed to have been the result of 700000 artisans.

The site was a replica of his universe in expensive materials, with liquid mercury symbolizing rivers and lakes, gems for stars and real sized warriors. The bodies of many men were found within it; it is believed they were craftsmen working in the site, which were prevented in such a way from telling the site’s secrets.

The emperor’s tomb is nearby, within a seventy-six meters high pyramid which has not been opened until now, due to the lack of technical means to assure a proper job.

The Sites

From ancient times, thousands of real-size terracotta warriors and their horses wait to hordes of backpackers in search of good pictures; despite their battle-formation and angry faces, the first sight of the place is an unforgettable one.

The complex is divided into three sites and a museum, all of them arranged around a central yard. Sites number two and three or the museum sites are the logical start if you prefer keeping the best for the end.

Site number one contains a whole army in formation, and despite that the armament was taken away to the museum, the typical standing of crossbow and longbow bearers and other soldiers with spears and dagger-axes as well as chariots and horses can be easily recognized.

The light entering from the high, narrow windows throws light in soft angles, which manages to get the best from the warriors. Despite the redundant signs, the guards do not care if you take a few pictures, a practice performed by most visitors.

In a positive and surprising step, the place was left to speak for itself; no artificial ornaments spoil the effect caused by the endless lines of warriors. Each with a unique face, sometimes showing traces of ancient colors, the frozen army waits for the princess’ kiss to awake it.

In one well-organized day, it is possible to tour Xian’s Old City by foot. The best place to begin the tour is the Bell Tower because it provides a clear landmark, is close to the main attractions and divides the enclosed city into four quarters.

From Bei to Dong

The next four Chinese words ease the way around: Bei (north), Nan (south), Xi (west) and Dong (east); most of the streets include one of them in their name and create thus a quick reference to the traveller’s location within the town’s grid; "dajie" means avenue.

The Bell Tower

The Bell Tower is the main landmark in the city; the imposing building can be entered from an underpass on its northern side.

The actual building dates from 1739 and owes its name to the bell used in the past to mark the time. Inside there is a wax exhibit of emperors. The roundabout is impressive and the place was kept spacious, two malls are around the tower, (Ginwa and and Parkson - a popular mall belonging to a Malaysian corporation) but one is underground and the second is partially so; in such a fashion traditions are honoured and the Bell Tower is the highest building in the area.

The Drum Tower

Northwest from the Bell Tower is this smaller one. It is across the underground Ginwa Century Mall and marks the entrance to the souvenirs' market and to the Muslim Quarter.

In 1584 the Bell Tower was relocated a whole kilometre eastwards, determining thus the askew layout of modern Xian. The Drum Tower occupies the original spot of the Bell Tower.

Huajue Xiang

A narrow alley between the Drum Tower and the Great Mosque is a great place to pick up souvenirs and antiques. Name chops are a big thing here and they are prepared in a bilingual style, even hybrid Chinese-Hebrew ones. The artisans will help the customer to pick a Chinese name and then will carve it on a soft stone. The shape and size of the chop can be chosen among several models, each featuring different symbols which would be patiently explained by the artisan.

Great Mosque

In the heart of the Muslim Quarter is this surprising building, which does not meet the typical mental picture of a mosque. The building is low and styled as a Chinese pagoda within concentric gardens. The worshippers inside look Chinese and are mostly Hui, i.e. Muslim Hans, contributing thus to the surreal sight.

The City Walls

Xian City Walls around the old city have been tastefully restored; there is no other city in China offering a similar view. It is possible to walk over most of its rectangular, fourteen kilometres long, circumference. The best places to climb its twelve meters, are east of the railway station and near Nanmen (the southern gate).

Temple of Confucius

Better known nowadays as the Shaanxi Provincial Museum, this temple is located close to the southern gate and it offers a collection dedicated to the history of the Silk Road.

The Forest of Steles is a collection of very heavy 2300 books graved in stones and is not to be missed. One of the most interesting ones is the popular Stele of Daiqin Nestorianism, which has a cross at its top and belongs to an early Christian sect. The stele dates back to year 781 and marks the opening of a church in Chinese and Syrian.

Little and Big Goose Pagodas

The first of these can be reached easily by foot from the southern gate, but the second is better approached using bus 41 from the railway station. Both of them are impressive buildings from far away times. East from the one is the Tang Dynasty Arts Museum, which is well worth a visit.

The Small Wild Goose Pagoda was built in 707AC. Originally its fifteen layers reached 45m height, but after the 1556 earthquake it measures up just 43m. Its counterpart is the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda a Buddhist pagoda located south of the city. It was built in 652 and had five stories, reaching 54m. After its collapse, it was rebuilt with then layers; however, following the 1556 earthquake, left it with only seven stories and a height of 64m.

Temple of Eight Immortals

This temple, outside the eastern wall, is the best place in China to see a Taoist temple. The place is an active worshipping centre and it has many scenes of the Taoist mythology painted in its courtyard. Next to it is a great flea market with anything from old coins to old newspapers.

Downtown Xian

Xian’s central sights are around the Bell Tower; Dong Dajie, eastwards from it, hosts many restaurants, hotels, Internet cafes and other recreation opportunities. However, the local crowds gather a bit north from there along the Xixin Jie – Dongxin Xie – Renmin Lu axis, especially around the junction with Jiefang Lu. An awesome Chinese market awaits there for visitors, but beyond the shopping opportunities, the place is recommended due to its marvellous blend between traditional Chinese architecture and newer buildings, which were constructed in such a fashion they honour traditional lines and allowing their older neighbours to be properly appreciated.

Xian’s cuisine is a Central Asian one; gone are the rice, the ultra hot spices and the weird animal parts. Wheat still enjoys a golden era in this part of the world and potatoes, the neighborhood’s newcomer, are on the rise. Thick soups wash them down, and then the way is open to the fantastic desserts, all of them approaching infinity of calories per gram. The food here is clean and safe.

Breads

A hot loaf of bread can make wonders in this cold city. There are several kinds; however, the most popular are the flat round ones with a heightened rim around them. They come in several sizes, from mini-personal to familiar, have a beautiful golden hue and are marked with dots creating circular patterns on their center. They are sold in stalls all around the city, but it is better to buy them where they are kept hot. Another popular option is the pita bread. It is possible to eat it barbecued in any of the stalls specializing on that style of food, or to search the filled option. Around the train station, there are women with buckets selling hot pitas filled with mutton meat and vegetables. Other options are the molasses or oil filled pitas, aimed for the most exigent customers.

Potato Dishes

Potatoes acclimatized well here, and became popular as a quick, hot snack. Chopped and fried, with a delicate seasoning, they are great for nibbling and are sold from shops with huge, wide frying pans in their exterior; however, in most of them you can seat inside.

Soups

Thick soups make the best meal in town. The most famous dish is the Yangrou Paomo, a soup made of thin rice noodles, mutton meat, oil, some vegetables and a big pita, added into the soup in small pieces. The tick layer of oil may look frightening, but the body needs those extra calories to fight the cold. The best place to find it is in the Muslim Quarter, though many places sell it everywhere. A variation is served when the bread is already added to the soup. It is essential to manage chopsticks to eat this dish.

Spicing
Most dishes are served with little or no spicing at all, an oddity in China. Pickled garlic with a bit of pickled, not-hot chilies, is the main seasoning to all foods and appears on the tables in little bowls.

Desserts

Xianers like to walk eating one of their fine desserts. They understand the health risk of eating such an amount of sweet without exercising it out. Sugared fruits on sticks are shiny and popular; strawberries, kiwis, grapes and apples are the stars. Nuts and raisins in solid blocks held together with molasses or honey are sold by weight and fatten you by the minute. Soft hot cakes on sticks and little colored rice cookies on sticks appear almost on every corner. Dry fruits, nuts of every kind and sweets elaborated in a variety of shapes and colors watch at you from the most unexpected places.

Coffee

Coffee is a painful topic in most of the country, but Xian offers a decent option in the Ginwa Century Mall, an underground mall, by the Bell Tower. A branch of Delifrance offers here, at the exorbitant price of 15Y, what may be the best coffee in China. It is prepared in a shiny, sophisticated glass machine, and a personal attendant intensely looks at the preparation process, doesn’t letting the machine escape her gaze even for one second. Worth every yuan.