We began our second day in Xi’an with a 7:30 wake-up call. After eating some breakfast at the hotel, we departed for our first stop: The Big Wild Goose Pagoda. This iconic structure stands 64 meters high, and is arguably one of the most famous structures in Xi’an- a city rich with ancient Chinese history. The pagoda has two primary functions: Buddhist book storage and relic storage and preservation. Ancient Buddhist works are preserved in the temples surrounding the structure, as well as in the structure itself. The pagoda was constructed in the Shang dynasty, and continued to flourish in the Tang dynasty. The story behind the name of the pagoda involves an ancient monk named Xuen Zang, who was a renowned scholar of the time. Buddhist legend maintains that during a religious pilgrimage to India, Xuen Zang ran out of food. Out of nowhere, a goose fell down from the sky. Thus, Xuen Zang survived and continued to spread Buddhism throughout China. We walked around the pagoda, viewing the surrounding temples. The most interesting building we saw was a Buddhist shrine dedicated to Xuen Zang. There were several sacred Buddhist texts next to the shrine that Xuen Zang had translated from Sunshrit (Indian dialect) to Chinese; in total he translated over 1,130 texts. We also received our individual zodiac stamps on our tickets in order to commemorate the day.
After we had finished circling the pagoda, we headed for the “Tang Paradise Garden,” a newly created complex celebrating the prosperous and innovative Tang dynasty period. Immediately after entering the park, we were greeted by a drum troupe dressed in traditional Chinese attire. The performers utilized a wide variety of drums and symbols. I was a little apprehensive when the leader of the troupe pulled me down with the performers, but luckily he just wanted to take a picture! In one of the main buildings of the compound, we listened to Chinese musicians playing traditional Tang instruments (primarily stringed). It was strange to see that we were the only “foreigners” in the entire park; usually there are at least a few other foreigners in the main tourist attractions. I discovered that this was because non-Chinese people are not usually allowed to enter the park. After the musical performance, we enjoyed a traditional “lion dance,” where two acrobats move in synch with one another to mimic the movements of a lion. It was amazing to see one of the acrobats on the shoulders of another, balancing precariously on narrow metal beams. It was definitely the highlight of the garden trip!
After our stay at the garden, we went to eat lunch at a very “foreign-oriented” hotel. Camryn, Kim, and I were ecstatic to find a bathroom with actual toilets, toilet paper, and soap! The food was buffet-style, and was similar to American-Chinese food- something that now seems very strange! We also enjoyed using forks- something that is now very hard to find.
Our next stop was the famous “peasant farmers gallery.” Modern Chinese artwork depicting rural lifestyles became a true genre of art in 1958. The genre was particularly prevalent during the Chinese Cultural Revolution, when a rural lifestyle was revered. We viewed many pieces, including shadow puppets, paper cutting art, historic postage stamps, and oil paintings. The gallery employees then let us try our hand at calligraphy. It was apparent that some of us were more artistically gifted than others, but the experience was very fun.
After we left the gallery, we began yet another 2 hour bus ride to get to the Fa-men temple. This temple is famous in China because it contains the finger bone of Buddha. It was originally constructed 1,400 years ago, during the Eastern Han dynasty. The temple was re-built in 1988, after the discovery of holy relics underneath the temple in 1978. The most significant discovery was the finger bone of Buddha. After viewing the holy relics that had been found in what is referred to as the underground “palace,” we browsed the grounds for about 20 minutes. On the way back to the bus, an elderly woman approached us asking for empty bottles. Ever since we arrived in China, it’s become clear that there is a large disparity between the very wealthy and very poor. We have come across several beggars, mostly small children and elderly people. Because we have been drinking a lot of bottled water, we have all been saving our bottles to give to these unfortunate people. The woman was certainly pleasantly surprised when we gave her a giant trash bag full of empty bottles!
After arriving back in the city, we ate dinner at a vegetarian restaurant. The food was very different from Shanghai cuisine, but we all enjoyed the meal. Tomorrow we head for Zhengzhou to stay with our host families. Wish us luck!
-Julie
After we had finished circling the pagoda, we headed for the “Tang Paradise Garden,” a newly created complex celebrating the prosperous and innovative Tang dynasty period. Immediately after entering the park, we were greeted by a drum troupe dressed in traditional Chinese attire. The performers utilized a wide variety of drums and symbols. I was a little apprehensive when the leader of the troupe pulled me down with the performers, but luckily he just wanted to take a picture! In one of the main buildings of the compound, we listened to Chinese musicians playing traditional Tang instruments (primarily stringed). It was strange to see that we were the only “foreigners” in the entire park; usually there are at least a few other foreigners in the main tourist attractions. I discovered that this was because non-Chinese people are not usually allowed to enter the park. After the musical performance, we enjoyed a traditional “lion dance,” where two acrobats move in synch with one another to mimic the movements of a lion. It was amazing to see one of the acrobats on the shoulders of another, balancing precariously on narrow metal beams. It was definitely the highlight of the garden trip!
After our stay at the garden, we went to eat lunch at a very “foreign-oriented” hotel. Camryn, Kim, and I were ecstatic to find a bathroom with actual toilets, toilet paper, and soap! The food was buffet-style, and was similar to American-Chinese food- something that now seems very strange! We also enjoyed using forks- something that is now very hard to find.
Our next stop was the famous “peasant farmers gallery.” Modern Chinese artwork depicting rural lifestyles became a true genre of art in 1958. The genre was particularly prevalent during the Chinese Cultural Revolution, when a rural lifestyle was revered. We viewed many pieces, including shadow puppets, paper cutting art, historic postage stamps, and oil paintings. The gallery employees then let us try our hand at calligraphy. It was apparent that some of us were more artistically gifted than others, but the experience was very fun.
After we left the gallery, we began yet another 2 hour bus ride to get to the Fa-men temple. This temple is famous in China because it contains the finger bone of Buddha. It was originally constructed 1,400 years ago, during the Eastern Han dynasty. The temple was re-built in 1988, after the discovery of holy relics underneath the temple in 1978. The most significant discovery was the finger bone of Buddha. After viewing the holy relics that had been found in what is referred to as the underground “palace,” we browsed the grounds for about 20 minutes. On the way back to the bus, an elderly woman approached us asking for empty bottles. Ever since we arrived in China, it’s become clear that there is a large disparity between the very wealthy and very poor. We have come across several beggars, mostly small children and elderly people. Because we have been drinking a lot of bottled water, we have all been saving our bottles to give to these unfortunate people. The woman was certainly pleasantly surprised when we gave her a giant trash bag full of empty bottles!
After arriving back in the city, we ate dinner at a vegetarian restaurant. The food was very different from Shanghai cuisine, but we all enjoyed the meal. Tomorrow we head for Zhengzhou to stay with our host families. Wish us luck!
-Julie
