Our First Days in Xi'an

  Xi'an, China
Tuesday, July 15, 2008

As I mentioned in my last blog, we arrived to Xi'an on Saturday.  It was a 3 hour flight from Hong Kong and it had been a very early morning, and the effects (especially mood effects) of this tiring day started to become visible when we were deciding on a place to eat. It had to happen sometime. Eventually, Yi and Yufei took us to Islamic street in the city center for a traditional Chinese meal of beef and mutton with bread. It doesn't sound like much, but it was delicious and we all felt much better after good food and a chance to relax for a bit.
We had taken a taxi to the city center, and this turned out to be another adventure. I was somewhat prepared to be scared a little bit in the cab, but nothing could prepare me for the way that drivers make their own lanes or just pull out in front of cars expecting that they will stop. The scariest moment was when we went under the ancient wall that surrounds the city center. Needless to say, it was built before the age of cars and the arches that now stretch over narrow highways are not exactly wide enough for rush hour traffic. I had to close my eyes when our taxi decided to create his own lane, a common road practice, and squeeze between two buses to get under the arch way. Jaydee was slightly more used to it (slightly), because she said that it was just like that in the Philippines. Yufei explained that people just get used to cutting in front of other cars when the opportunity presents itself. They may be used to it, but I think my life flashed before my eyes. If my eyes hadn't been closed, I would have gotten a picture. I was able to get a picture on the way back to the hotel (will try to show it in the album), even though that experience was somewhat less life threatening. This brings me to another scary thing in Xi'an - crossing the street. Just like cars crossing the road, pedestrians are more or less expected to cross the street as quickly as possible and hope that cars stop. This is a common obstacle for us as we cross the highway to get to a local supermarket for bread and coffee. As Jaydee put it, "There's nothing quite like risking your life to get a muffin".
After the meal we spent some time wondering around Islamic Street with the vendors shouting what they had for sale. Two thousand years ago this was an area along the Silk Road where vendors from Arabia would stop to set up shop and sell their goods while they took the opportunity to rest. As Xi'an grew into a massive city center (it has been the ancient capital of 10 dynasties), this became the area that Muslims congregated and today it is known as Islamic street. In a way it seems that these vendors that first set up shop here thousands of years ago never left. This is one of those areas of Xi'an that is reconstructed to look more historical, with some modern touches thrown in while just steps away the city center is full of business entrepreneurs, international chains peppered with KFC or Starbucks, skyscrapers, and massive traffic. The result is that you feel that you are in a world somewhere between ancient China and the growing Chinese superpower of the new millennium.

Islamic Street

There are many places that feel as if the country is straddling these two identities. In a way it makes me sad to see so many skyscrapers take over Chinese cities as I learn more about the rich history. The rich and decadent detail of the traditional buildings, that are now replaced by the bland and cold office skyscrapers that seem to all look the same whether you are in New York, Rome, Hong Kong, and now increasingly Xi'an. I'm told that Xi'an is the most historical of Chinese cities, but most buildings in Beijing have been completely modernized.

As we were wondering through Islamic street (Yi made sure to give us the inside scoop of whether or not vendors were trying to rip off us foreigners with exorbitant prices), we stumbled upon the Great Mosque. This is a magnificent tribute to Islamic culture in China. I tried to capture it on film for awhile, until I decided that my time there would be better spent just enjoying the beauty and tranquility of one of these great tributes to ancient wonders. Again, I will try to upload these pictures, but my internet connection is extremely touchy with that kind of thing right now. In any case, I don't think pictures can really recapture the experience. We wondered through the courtyards for awhile until we came to the prayer hall, which we could not enter. Many men in traditional robes were running into the prayer hall as it was time for one of the five prayers of the day. Outside, we listened to the prayers being chanted over the loud speakers and Yi translated a little bit for me. It occurred to me that the men worshipping there might have been annoyed by tourists loitering outside, although I suppose it is not much different than those church goers who decide to go to places like Saint Paul's Cathedral. They must be used to it. By the way, I am aware that I keep referring to men worshipping there, and not women. Yi asked one of the men outside the mosque why there were no women there and he replied that in Islam, men and women must worship at separate places. Men and women are not actually supposed to touch or speak to each other unless they are married or related.
After this we were truly exhausted and decided to head back to the hotel to rest. The next day would be another full day of sightseeing, as we were to visit the Terracotta Warriors. This is one China's most famous attractions, probably ranking up there with the Great Wall or Forbidden City. As I have to go meet for a group presentation (yes we actually have class work to do here), I will try and write on this later. It looks like as my travels continue it will be increasingly difficult to keep up with this blog as the internet and time become increasingly scarce resources. I will do my best though.