Photo-Essay: Xi'an, China's First Dynasty Capital
Photo-Essay: Xi'an, China's First Dynasty Capital
Xi'an was previously known as Chang'an, the starting point of the original ancient Silk Road. Note the tower shown as the symbol of Chang'an at the far right end of the Silk Road as shown on this map.
You will see my photograph of that tower below. This is where the famous Terra Cotta Warriors were discovered. From Wikipedia:
The Terracotta Army is a collection of terracotta sculptures depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang , the first Emperor of China . It is a form of funerary art buried with the emperor in 210–209 BCE and whose purpose was to protect the emperor in his afterlife. The figures, dating from approximately the late third century BCE, were discovered in 1974 by local farmers in Lintong District , Xi'an , People's Republic of China , Shaanxi province. The figures vary in height according to their roles, with the tallest being the generals. The figures include warriors, chariots and horses. Estimates from 2007 were that the three pits containing the Terracotta Army held more than 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses and 150 cavalry horses, the majority of which remained buried in the pits nearby Qin Shi Huang's mausoleum . Other terracotta non-military figures were found in other pits, including officials , acrobats , strongmen , and musicians.
Because of the Terra Cotta Warriors, Xi'an is one of the "must-see" tourist destinations in China. I was there about 11 years ago, and took many photos. Hope you enjoy seeing them, allowing you to take a vicarious trip to ancient China.
1. To enter into the centre of the city, one must go through a gate in the ancient walls of the city. This is a photo of a part of the wall.
2. Other than the preserved ancient structures, Xi'an is a typical modern metropolis. However, many of the new buildings are still adorned with traditional roofs. The pagoda on the right is known as the Drum tower. I was standing on the upper terrace of the Bell Tower pagoda when I took this photo. They are both quite ancient and are not to be missed by tourists.
3. This famous street is called Beiyuanmen Islamic Street, and has been turned into a pedestrian mall. You will note a direction sign on the right pointing to the "Great Mosque". The big sign over the street says "Welcome to Beiyuanmen Islamic Street".
4. The street is very commercial. The sign on the right says "Bell and Drum Tower Tea House", and the store next to it is called "Mary Shop". I suppose if one's name is Mary, they would look at what's for sale there.
5. The base of the Drum Tower. Above is a drum museum.
6. The museum contains, of all things.....drums.
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8. On the terrace outside the museum there is a collection of Bonsai trees. Mr. Minagi would be interested (I can't resist making movie references).
9. I can't remember if these embossed doors were on this pagoda or the other one.
10. The sign on the door describes the image.
11. Buzz trying to be Ringo Starr in a really BIG way.
12. Across the road to the Bell Tower. The museum in this pagoda contained works of art.
13. First of all, shadow puppets.
14. I couldn't make this sign from the above photo clearer, but I think you can still read it.
15. The first time I saw a shadow puppet play, and they used traditional puppets like these, was at the Fox Hollow Folk Festival in upstate New York. It was a small but very authentic traditional folk festival run by the Beers Family. I have great stories to tell of the times I spent there.
16. These painted sculptures were magnificent.
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19. This is the artist.
20. About the artworks
21. This is the ancient tower pagoda shown on the map of the Silk Road above. It was a misty day, and I didn't feel like walking all the way to the tower.
22. Xi'an is famous for many reasons, and this is certainly one of them.
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26. This is looking down into the pit, to illustrate what the archeologists found and had to reconstruct.
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Hope you enjoyed the show.
First run through was great Buzz. No time to stop to go through them more carefully, though. Will check back later with Levi.
I found the ceramic figures to be very impressive. Levi was more interested in the fact that he's probably within a day of being able to ride his bike without training wheels (he is five after all; his priorities work great....for him).
When I saw picture #11, I first thought of the opening scene in Back to the Future , where Marty sets the enormous speakers to High and strums the guitar. In my mind, I can see you tapping the drum and flying backward about 20 feet. At the same time, I can hear a voice saying, "Oh crap, I should have gone to the airport and bought flight insurance before I tried this."
LOL
Very nice-it's amazing the amoutn of time, money and craftmanship went intot he terra cotta warriors and all the other figurines. Do you think they might unearth the rest at some point?
BTW, it's Miyagi...LOL
I've seen that it's a work in progress.
I've not watched The Karate Kid for a long time - at least I was close. LOL
Amazing photos Buzz. You really capture the feeling of the city.
The city looks amazing. It has been one of those places that I have always wanted to see. The terracotta army has been one of those sites on my bucket list.
Thanks for the tour.
The Terra Cotta Warriors is a sight to behold. One of the most fascinating sights I've ever seen in my life.
"Welcome to Beiyuanmen Islamic Street".
Kavika jumping up and down waving like crazy...I've been there and I have a photo almost exactly like the one you posted Buzz....
Can you post it here?
It's the old fashioned camera (pre digital) so the photos are packed away. I've threatened to do the conversion on hundreds of these photos but have yet to follow through...
A lot of my older photos (before China) you've seen on my posts were from my Canon F1 film camera, but I have an all-in-one HP printer/copier/scanner so I could scan them to my computer. It's a chore, but worth it. I could in most cases place a number of photos on the scanner plate, saving time, and with my editing software crop them individually. They come out pretty clear.
I'll bet you're not allowing us to see some great photography.
Well done! Great theme, excellent presentation and information!