Xi' an: The Historic City

Standing on the Horizon of Timeless History

With over 3,000 years of history, Xian in the Shanxi Province was the
ancient capital of Chang An ( eternal peace) for the Qin, Han, Sui and of course
the Tang Dynasty. With a population about that of Singapore, Xian's history
will overwhelm you coming from a 1819 city state. The bing ma yong ( terra cotta
warriors) is the reason for visiting this charming walled city ( cheng qiang) but you need to see also the Han terracotta warriors in xian yang. The international airport is empty and queueless as few airline fly there. A taxi ride to town will cost you about $20 unless you are hassled by a touting driver with an overactive meter.
Hotels are plentiful around the train station which you can get for $30. Stay in a local hotel and sight see with a local agency. You get the flavour of travelling with the Chinese from all parts of China. There are three tours worth going: the eastern route to the Terracotta warriors and the huaqing chi ( hot springs which the imperial emperors enjoyed). The Western track ( si xian) is very tiring but ends with the spectacular Famen Si ( temple) where the treasures of the Tang Dynasty is kept. The other trip worth taking is the scenic Hua San ( Flower Mountain) which has a cable car jointed built by Singapore. Hua San is so called because the peaks represent the petals
of a flower;there are four peaks: east, west, north south. Be prepared to climb as the steps are challenging every inch of the way. If you are a romantic, you could buy a padlock for $1 with engraving and have it locked in one of the many trail chains leading up the mountain.
The flower on the trees in Spring appear before the leaves -a quantum leap lesson in life? . You can see the pink cherry blossom; like scenery in the peach farms outside the city. As you travel on the eastern route, you see fields and fields of beautiful oil seed flowers. Even the trees lining the road ( tong shu) are covered only with lovely white blooms.
The city itself boasts of many historical sites. The best orientation to the city is Bell Towerwhich is in the centre of the walled city from which the Bei, Nan, Dong and Xi Da jie flow. You can hire a two-seater bicycle and cycle across the wall! Some city visits worth making is to Da Yan Ta ( Great Goose Tower) and Beilin Bowuguan ( museum) where Confucius Analects are kept. The Da Qing Zhen Si ( The Great Mosque) should be visited as the alley leading to it will keep you entertained with bloodsport bargaining. Go for 20% of the price even if it is in an air-condition retail shop. I bought a beautiful calligraphy scroll
for $20 when the published price by the art teacher is $100! ( This actually was not good enough as I got a second for $16!). Don't forget the famous lan tian jade at Xian and the 20% price rule of course!
The xiao chi jie ( snacks lane) near the mosque is unbelievable. You get the local specialities including the yang rou pao mo ( lamb meat) , at less than $2 per meal. I had 16 jiao zi ( dumplings) for $1.60 in an air-conditioned serviced restaurant. The buffet at my local hotel beats it all: it does not serve coffee and tea but have a wide spread of vegetable dishes, bao zi, man tou, some kind of gruel and milk. Eat all you can get for $2.
( Oh yes, dog meat is readily available on the menu.)
But the massage here makes Bangkok's parlour look like overcharged joints. The jiaoti ang mo is open 24 hours! No masseur is older than 25. Dressed in smart uniform and boots, they wash ( xi zao ) your feet in a spa solution and give you the works, before rewashing it.
You are given a free pair of socks, free tea and nuts. For 80 min, you pay $4. And strictly no tipping. A good bet is the body massage which ends with a hot bag of stones rolled all over your body: this is supposed to heal numerous ailments. For 80 minutes, it should not cost you more than
$8! But one xi zao joint really knocked me off. For $4, a man will scrub your disrobed body with a towel for half an hour ; yes literally scrub. And at the end of the day, you feel lighter ;for at the bottom of the table there will be lots and lots of black dirt ( in hokkien!).
Never leave Xi;an without trying the piang piang mian: called so because when the noodles are made in the river, there is a ;; sound. It is hot and absolutely fabulous-only for 70 cents a bowl . If you want wander past the little shops at night, you can get a bowl of street noodles for the same price. The value is to see the cook churn a piece of dough into noodles by flipping up and down before throwing it into boiling water!
You need a week in Xian to fully enjoy this historic city. People are friendly and the streets are safe. But be forewarned if you choose to go local. At breakfast every morning, you will be surrounded by straners at the round dining table. Suddenly, the man besides you will blurb loudly and the other suddenly stretched our his hands to give thunderously yawn. The man opposite you will dig his finger into his mouth to pull out pieces of food stuck between his teeth. If you think this is all, you will hear something yelling at you ;Wei, wei;, only to discover, she was talking on her handphone to someone else.
But this is China, isn' it? And the fun is just to sit there and watch.
(All currency is in Singapore dollars: 1 US$ to 1.6 S$)