Xi'an is situated in the central region of China and is the capital of the Shaanxi province. It is one of the oldest cities in China and has a current population of over 8 million people. Xi'an served as the Chinese capital for more than 1100 years and is steeped in cultural heritage. There are 153 museums in and around Xi'an, of which 138 are state owned and the rest privately owned. Xi'an is one hour and fifty minutes by plane from Beijing. We flew from Beijing to Xi'an on one of the domestic Chinese Airlines and were quite impressed with the service (we even got a hot meal on this short flight). The main purpose of our visit to Xi'an, was to visit the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum. We were in Xi'an for 2 days and got to see some of the other interesting attractions that the city has to offer.
Xi'an City Wall
The Xi'an City Wall is one of the most intact and best preserved ancient city walls in China. It was built during the Ming Dynasty in the 14th century. The wall is enormous - it is 40 feet tall, 46 feet wide at the top, 60 feet wide at the bottom and covers an area of 13 kms. It is also surrounded by a wide and deep moat. The wall stretches around the old city and divides the city into an inner part and an outer part. The wall has 4 gates, of which the South gate (Yongning) is the most beautifully decorated. We visited the wall via the South gate one afternoon and stayed until the sun set. We got a great view of the city from the top of the wall. The wall is impressive during the day and at night it is pretty, as the lanterns and watch towers are illuminated.
The Xi'an City Wall is one of the most intact and best preserved ancient city walls in China. It was built during the Ming Dynasty in the 14th century. The wall is enormous - it is 40 feet tall, 46 feet wide at the top, 60 feet wide at the bottom and covers an area of 13 kms. It is also surrounded by a wide and deep moat. The wall stretches around the old city and divides the city into an inner part and an outer part. The wall has 4 gates, of which the South gate (Yongning) is the most beautifully decorated. We visited the wall via the South gate one afternoon and stayed until the sun set. We got a great view of the city from the top of the wall. The wall is impressive during the day and at night it is pretty, as the lanterns and watch towers are illuminated.
Dumpling Banquet Dinner
Dumplings are very popular in Xi'an and we were told that we had to try a dumpling banquet dinner. One of the most popular dumpling banquet restaurants in Xi'an is "De Fa Chang Dumpling Restaurant". This restaurant was established in 1936 and is very popular with the locals and tourists. According to what we had read while doing research for our trip, this restaurant offers different set menus with over 200 varieties of dumplings in various shapes, sizes and colours, and cooked in a variety of ways (steamed, fried, baked and boiled). We decided to go to De Fa Chang Dumpling Restaurant on our first night in Xi'an. We arrived there without making a reservation and fortunately they were able to accommodate us even though the restaurant was busy. We were attended to by a waitress, who unfortunately spoke very little English. To complicate matters, there were no English menus. The waitress brought over a Chinese menu, which we obviously couldn't read, but fortunately there were numbers and prices, which we interpreted as being the different set menus at different prices. All the set menus had 18 different types of dumplings and we later deduced that the more expensive menus must have had dumplings that contained seafood and other delicacies. We pointed to one of the basic set menus and placed our order, not really knowing what we were going to get. The first dishes to arrive were some cold appetizers - cucumber and shrimp salad, celery and black fungus salad, Chinese greens, fish and chicken (we liked the chicken and the cucumber shrimp salad, but didn't eat much of the others). Next came a big plate of boiled dumplings with pork and vegetables, followed by a selection of fried and baked dumplings (the most unusual being the walnut ones, which resembled actual nuts). The waitress then brought over a pot of boiling broth with small coloured vegetable dumplings. The next two rounds of dumplings were the most interesting, as they came in all shapes, sizes and colours (there were dumplings shaped like flowers, chickens, walnuts, pigs and birds). Some were so pretty that we didn't want to eat them ! These dumplings were steamed and served in a bamboo holder. They had a variety of fillings - vegetables, fried rice, pork, chicken, pigeon, duck and egg. Even though we were completely stuffed by the time we left, we can honestly say that we really enjoyed the meal and the experience.
Dumplings are very popular in Xi'an and we were told that we had to try a dumpling banquet dinner. One of the most popular dumpling banquet restaurants in Xi'an is "De Fa Chang Dumpling Restaurant". This restaurant was established in 1936 and is very popular with the locals and tourists. According to what we had read while doing research for our trip, this restaurant offers different set menus with over 200 varieties of dumplings in various shapes, sizes and colours, and cooked in a variety of ways (steamed, fried, baked and boiled). We decided to go to De Fa Chang Dumpling Restaurant on our first night in Xi'an. We arrived there without making a reservation and fortunately they were able to accommodate us even though the restaurant was busy. We were attended to by a waitress, who unfortunately spoke very little English. To complicate matters, there were no English menus. The waitress brought over a Chinese menu, which we obviously couldn't read, but fortunately there were numbers and prices, which we interpreted as being the different set menus at different prices. All the set menus had 18 different types of dumplings and we later deduced that the more expensive menus must have had dumplings that contained seafood and other delicacies. We pointed to one of the basic set menus and placed our order, not really knowing what we were going to get. The first dishes to arrive were some cold appetizers - cucumber and shrimp salad, celery and black fungus salad, Chinese greens, fish and chicken (we liked the chicken and the cucumber shrimp salad, but didn't eat much of the others). Next came a big plate of boiled dumplings with pork and vegetables, followed by a selection of fried and baked dumplings (the most unusual being the walnut ones, which resembled actual nuts). The waitress then brought over a pot of boiling broth with small coloured vegetable dumplings. The next two rounds of dumplings were the most interesting, as they came in all shapes, sizes and colours (there were dumplings shaped like flowers, chickens, walnuts, pigs and birds). Some were so pretty that we didn't want to eat them ! These dumplings were steamed and served in a bamboo holder. They had a variety of fillings - vegetables, fried rice, pork, chicken, pigeon, duck and egg. Even though we were completely stuffed by the time we left, we can honestly say that we really enjoyed the meal and the experience.
Shuyuanmen Street
Shuyuanmen Street is located near the Xi'an South gate and is within the walls of the inner part of the city. It is commonly known as "The Arts Street" and is laid out like an ancient city street, with stone roads and buildings that resemble those from the Ming and Qing Dynasties. This area contains many shops selling calligraphy, paint brushes, paper, relics, jewellery, antiques and crafts. We had an enjoyable time looking for a souvenier and exploring this area.
Shuyuanmen Street is located near the Xi'an South gate and is within the walls of the inner part of the city. It is commonly known as "The Arts Street" and is laid out like an ancient city street, with stone roads and buildings that resemble those from the Ming and Qing Dynasties. This area contains many shops selling calligraphy, paint brushes, paper, relics, jewellery, antiques and crafts. We had an enjoyable time looking for a souvenier and exploring this area.
Local Xi'an Food
On our second night in Xi'an, we wanted to try a Shaanxi province speciality that we had read about - "Yang Rou Pao Muo", which is shredded pancake in a beef or mutton broth. We had read that a restaurant called 'Xi'an Restaurant" served up some of Xi'an's famous dishes and so we got directions for the Concierge at our hotel and walked there. When we arrived at the restaurant it was busy, but fortunately there was a table available for us. We were seated and after getting settled, we noticed that David was the only Caucasian person in the entire restaurant. The waitress then brought over the menu - again there was no English menu, but fortunately this menu had pictures of everything. The waitress that served us could hardly speak English, so communicating with her was challenging. We tried pointing to the different pictures of the dishes on the menu to get an idea of what each one was, but she couldn't really tell us much except if each dish was sweet or salty. As for the Yang Rou Pao Muo that we wanted to try, fortunately we had the words written in Chinese on the map that we had from the hotel, so we were able to order this. As for the rest of the dishes that we ordered, we used the pictures as a guide and just hoped for the best. As it turns out, all the food was pretty good and we definitely enjoyed the Yang Rou Pao Muo. We were also able to order another Shaanxi favourite called Rou Jia Muo (steamed bread filled with meat - in our case we got pork), and in addition got some lobster balls filled with lobster broth, crispy fried noodles in a ball and some fried dumplings.
As we were half way through with our meal, David spotted another Caucasian man walk into the restaurant with his Asian wife and their teenage son. At this point, David and this other man were the only two Caucasian people in the restaurant. As we were about to finish our meal, this Caucasian man walked up to our table and wanted to know if we spoke English - he needed help with the menu ! It turns out he and his family were from Australia and like us, couldn't converse in Chinese ! It was quite comical, as we tried to explain what certain things on the menu were (the blind leading the blind - well at least we had tasted some of the dishes, so we knew for sure what some of the items were). We left the restaurant glad that we got to eat some local cuisine and happy we could be of help to another tourist.
On our second night in Xi'an, we wanted to try a Shaanxi province speciality that we had read about - "Yang Rou Pao Muo", which is shredded pancake in a beef or mutton broth. We had read that a restaurant called 'Xi'an Restaurant" served up some of Xi'an's famous dishes and so we got directions for the Concierge at our hotel and walked there. When we arrived at the restaurant it was busy, but fortunately there was a table available for us. We were seated and after getting settled, we noticed that David was the only Caucasian person in the entire restaurant. The waitress then brought over the menu - again there was no English menu, but fortunately this menu had pictures of everything. The waitress that served us could hardly speak English, so communicating with her was challenging. We tried pointing to the different pictures of the dishes on the menu to get an idea of what each one was, but she couldn't really tell us much except if each dish was sweet or salty. As for the Yang Rou Pao Muo that we wanted to try, fortunately we had the words written in Chinese on the map that we had from the hotel, so we were able to order this. As for the rest of the dishes that we ordered, we used the pictures as a guide and just hoped for the best. As it turns out, all the food was pretty good and we definitely enjoyed the Yang Rou Pao Muo. We were also able to order another Shaanxi favourite called Rou Jia Muo (steamed bread filled with meat - in our case we got pork), and in addition got some lobster balls filled with lobster broth, crispy fried noodles in a ball and some fried dumplings.
As we were half way through with our meal, David spotted another Caucasian man walk into the restaurant with his Asian wife and their teenage son. At this point, David and this other man were the only two Caucasian people in the restaurant. As we were about to finish our meal, this Caucasian man walked up to our table and wanted to know if we spoke English - he needed help with the menu ! It turns out he and his family were from Australia and like us, couldn't converse in Chinese ! It was quite comical, as we tried to explain what certain things on the menu were (the blind leading the blind - well at least we had tasted some of the dishes, so we knew for sure what some of the items were). We left the restaurant glad that we got to eat some local cuisine and happy we could be of help to another tourist.
Drum Tower
The Drum Tower was built in 1380 during the Ming Dynasty and the drums were originally used to signal the end of the day. The Drum Tower was renovated twice during the Qing Dynasty that followed. Today there is a Drum Museum in the Drum Tower and visitors can visit the tower for views of the city. Unfortunately we ran out of time and only got an outside view.
Beiyuanmen Street
Beiyuanmen Street is also known as Muslim Street. There is a strong Muslim influence in Xi'an, hence the presence of a Muslim quarter in the city. The Muslim community in Xi'an traces its history to Middle Eastern merchants who came to China to trade goods and ended up settling down here. Beiyuanmen Street is situated north of the Drum Tower and this street is famous for local snacks and food, especially Muslim food like kebabs and flat bread. We explored this street one evening and were amazed at the number of people out and about, and all the different types of food that we saw.
Beiyuanmen Street is also known as Muslim Street. There is a strong Muslim influence in Xi'an, hence the presence of a Muslim quarter in the city. The Muslim community in Xi'an traces its history to Middle Eastern merchants who came to China to trade goods and ended up settling down here. Beiyuanmen Street is situated north of the Drum Tower and this street is famous for local snacks and food, especially Muslim food like kebabs and flat bread. We explored this street one evening and were amazed at the number of people out and about, and all the different types of food that we saw.
Big Wild Goose Pagoda (Dayanta)
The Big Wild Goose Pagoda was originally built in 652 during the Tang Dynasty. It is situated in the Da Ci'en monestary, an ancient monestary south of Xi'an's city centre. It is considered a very holy place for Buddhists and is one of the most famous Buddhist Pagodas in China. This Pagoda was the vision of a monk called Xuan Zang (a statue of him stands in front of the entrance), whose idea it was to use this pagoda to house the Buddhist scriptures, statues and relics brought back from India. Monk Xuan Zang was a prominent Buddhist traveler, scholar and translator. He is famous for his 17 year overland trip to India and back. Upon his return to China, he dedicated his life to translating the Buddhist scriptures. Today there are over 200 monks living in the monastery.
No comments:
Post a Comment