Greetings from Xi’an! We’ve seen and done so much in the last two days that it feels much longer! Our last day in Beijing began with a visit to the Temple of Heaven. Built in 1420, this temple complex served as the location for Ming and Qing Dynasty emperors to make annual sacrifices for a good harvest. While enjoying the beauty of the temple and the surrounding park, our group had the opportunity to learn Tai Chi. We learned several moves and the philosophical ideas behind Tai Chi, which is actually a type of Kung Fu. Ask someone from the group to show you some moves when we get back!
After a hearty szechuan style lunch we visited the Tsinghua International School. We took a tour, then students had a chance to learn calligraphy and teachers met with their Tsinghua counterparts to chat about what it’s like teaching at an international school. We found it very enlightening and came away with a few new ideas to try at home. Instead of yet another gigantic meal for supper, we opted to find our own food to bring on the train. Shopping at WuMart Hypermarket was a fun challenge, and nothing like grocery stores at home. Everyone managed to find something and we made it to the train station on time to board the night train. Our group took up almost an entire train car. Each little (and I mean LITTLE) berth slept four people in bunkbeds. We had to get really creative stowing all our luggage in these tiny spaces. It was a unique ride, and everybody managed to sleep at least a little bit.
Disembarking the train, we met our new tour guide, then joined the throngs streaming out of the station into the city of Xi’an. We had to walk a good 10 minutes to where the bus was parked, and got to experience morning rush hour in full force. Xi’an was once called Chang An and was the capitol of China during the Tang Dynasty, a good 1,300 years ago. Our first stop exemplified the nature of China during the Tang. We visited the Great Mosque. The Tang had strong economic ties with Persia which led to Islam establishing itself here. One particular ethnic minority, the Hui, are muslims to this day and the Great Mosque is where they worship. The mosque was very Chinese in style, and the streets surrounding it have an interesting vibe that is both Chinese and Middle Eastern. The kids tried some street vendor food from the bazaar, and we bought a few souvenirs from shops in tiny alleyways.
Another hearty lunch, and we visited the Wild Goose Pagoda. The monk who brought the teachings of Buddha to China built the pagoda to house the Chinese translations he made of the original sanskrit buddhist texts. The place still functions as a temple, and we saw plenty of people burning incense there. Kelly Marchand and Katie Herter were not satisfied with all the steps they climbed on the Great Wall, so they went ahead and climbed the seven story pagoda as well! They were rewarded with some lovely views and it warmed them up for our next activity. Xi’an’s city wall is still completely intact. The city has outgrown its original borders, but the wall still stands proudly, and is a great place to take a stroll. Or better yet – ride a bike! We rented bikes and bumped along the cobblestones. The entire trip around the wall is about 7 miles, and a group of teachers, plus one intrepid student – Luke, made the whole circuit! Not suprisingly, biking around the top of an entire wall works up an appetite, so everyone was ready for dinner and a show. We feasted on an assortment of over 25 different types of dumplings, then watched a music and dance stage show of traditional the Tang Dynasty arts. The dancers were fantastic, and the musicians played on instruments that defied description. What do you call something the looks like a set of pipes from a pipe organ, but has a mouthpiece like a horn?
Tomorrow we visit the famous Terracotta warriors, then fly to Shanghai! Due to the ever present technical difficulties of the Great Firewall, no pictures for now. I promise if I can’t get them in here during the trip, once we’re back stateside I’ll load pictures galore.
