Xi'an

The last stop on theour "grand tour" of China is Xi'an. This city was the capital of China in ancient times, and is now a big bustling city with historical sites in the middle of modern developments. A city wall surrounds what was once the old city, and recently parts have been reconstructed to make a complete circuit. In the morning we rented a tourist tandem and rode the 13.74km (according to the sign) around the wall.


City Wall


You can ride around the city wall


Modern City from Old City Walls

The most impressive place we visited in Xi'an was the Forest of Steles. This is a collection of large stones (many maybe 8ft by 2ft) inscribed with historical texts such as the "Four Books" and edicts of emperors - a large and very heavy library of Chinese writings. One stone that emphasized for me the incredibly long history of China was a stone describing transferring a tablets to the museum - over a thousand years ago!


Making an Ink Copy of a Tablet
The Big Goose Pagoda is another of the sites to see. There is a good view from the top, including the Musical Fountain that just started as we arrived.


Big Goose Pagoda


Candle Offerings


Musical Fountain