Monday 21 December 2015

Self travel to see the world renowned Terracotta Army

Day 5

We woke up in the morning preparing for another exciting day in Xi'an. Today, we would kick off the day with a visit to the world famous Terracotta Army Museum (秦始皇兵马俑博物馆), which is a must visit attraction for visitors to Xi'an. We left the hotel at around 7am and took a taxi to Xi'an Railway Station (西安站). We had a quick breakfast at the MacDonald's located just opposite street of the railway station, before proceeding to the East Square of the railway station. This is where the bus terminal is located. Along the way, we encountered many people asking us whether we want to take their coach or transport to the Terracotta Army Museum (秦始皇兵马俑博物馆) or other tourist attractions, but we ignored and headed straight looking for the Tourist Bus 游 5 (306), which is the official tourist bus operated by the local government. There's no ticket counter, so head to the bus and board it. The ticket would be issued and purchased from the bus conductor. Tourist Bus 游 5 (306) is also the same bus that could bring you to another popular tourist attraction, Hua Qing Hot Springs (华清池). The Terracotta Army Museum (秦始皇兵马俑博物馆) is the terminal station for this bus service.


Terracotta Army Museum (秦始皇兵马俑博物馆)

The collection of terracotta sculptures of warriors, chariots and horses (also known as the Terracotta Army) gained fame worldwide with its first discovery by local farmers in 1974. Thousands of these terracotta figurines have been discovered so far and they are dated back to the Qin dynasty more than 2200 years ago. The Terracotta Army is part of the burial objects in the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang (秦始皇), The First Emperor of China, meant to protect the emperor in his afterlife. Other than the terracotta figurines, other burial items discovered includes bronze chariots, horses, cranes, acrobatic figurines and weaponry.

The bus ride from Xi'an Railway Station (西安站) took around an hour. Once we reached there, we followed the crowd to the ticket office and purchased the entrance tickets. The Terracotta Army Museum (秦始皇兵马俑博物馆) is part of the bigger Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site (秦始皇帝陵博物院), which also comprise of the Emperor's Tomb Mound at the foot of Mount Li (秦始皇帝陵 - 骊山园). The entrance tickets we purchased permits visit to these 2 locations. The Emperor's Tomb Mound is located 2.2 km away from the ticket office and the Terracotta Army Museum (秦始皇兵马俑博物馆). Visitors could take the free shuttle bus services between these 2 locations. As the tomb is not excavated, what visitors could see is only the earth mound covered with vegetation. In addition to time constraints, we won't be visiting the Emperor's Tomb Mound.


qin shi huang terracotta army warrior horse museum
Qin Shi Huang Terracotta Army Museum
qin shi huang terracotta army warrior horse museum tickets
Entrance tickets

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There are many tour guides (licensed), including English speaking, outside the entrance that free and easy visitors could engaged for touring the museum. From the ticket office, it was another 15 minutes walk through the park before we reached the excavation pits. We started exploring Pit 1, which is also the biggest excavation pits, followed by Pit 2 and 3. The entire Pit 1 is enclosed within a mega structure, which protects the site from external weathers. What lay in front of us was the majestic view of columns of terracotta warriors and horses, positioned in an army battle formation. Each of these figurines were handmade, lifelike and having different facial expressions and postures. All these made us admire the great wisdom and the skillful craftsmanship that the ancient Chinese had more than 2200 years ago.


qin shi huang terracotta army warrior horse pit 1
View of Pit 1
qin shi huang terracotta army warrior horse pit 1
Terracotta warriors
qin shi huang terracotta army warrior horse pit 1
Terracotta warriors and horses
qin shi huang terracotta army warrior horse pit 1
Terracotta warriors and horses in battle formation
As we walked down the side, we realised that the entire pit is still not fully excavated. Many broken pieces of the terracotta warriors and horses still lay within the pits, waiting to be restored in the future. All the introductions and explanations here have proper English translation, thus it shouldn't be an issue for international tourists to understand different parts of the pit.


qin shi huang terracotta army warrior horse pit 1
Terracotta figurines undergoing restoration
qin shi huang terracotta army warrior horse pit 1
View of Pit 1
After touring one round the Pit 1, we proceeded to the Pit 2. Other than the terracotta warriors and horses, we can find war chariots and many bronze weapons here. There's an exhibition here to showcase some of the special discoveries, such as the Kneeling Archer, Standing Archer, Terracotta General, Cavalryman with the Saddled Horse and bronze weapons. At one area of the pit, we could see the excavation work is still on-going.


qin shi huang terracotta army warrior horse pit 2 map
Layout of Pit 2
qin shi huang terracotta army warrior horse pit 2
Original state of remnants in the pit
qin shi huang terracotta army warrior horse pit 2
Terracotta warriors
qin shi huang terracotta army warrior horse pit 2
Wheel of the chariot can be clearly seen
qin shi huang terracotta army warrior horse pit 2 exhibition
Exhibition of the original structure of the burial pit
terracotta kneeling archer
Kneeling Archer
terracotta standing archer
Standing Archer
terracotta general
Terracotta General
terracotta cavalryman saddle horse
Cavalryman with saddled horse
terracotta bronze weapon
Bronze weapons
qin shi huang terracotta army warrior horse excavation
Ongoing excavation work at Pit 2
Next at the Pit 3, it is much smaller, but the terracotta figurines here were better preserved, as the pit was not burned as compared to Pit 1 and 2. Even the original floor tiles can be seen here. It is believed by the experts that Pit 3 was the command centre of the terracotta army.

qin shi huang terracotta army warrior horse museum pit 3
Pit 3 - The Terracotta Army Command Centre
qin shi huang terracotta army warrior horse museum pit 3
View of Pit 3

After the Pits, we visited the Bronze Works Exhibition Hall. Over here, the highlight is the 2 large size bronze chariots, named as Chariot No. 1 and 2. These chariots are the most complete and best preserved ancient bronze works in the world.


qin shi huang terracotta army warrior horse bronze chariots
Introduction of the bronze chariots
qin shi huang terracotta army warrior horse bronze chariot 1
Chariot No. 1
qin shi huang terracotta army warrior horse bronze chariots 2
Chariot No. 2
After this, we exited the museum, which led us to a long wide street. There are souvenir shops along the street, selling items related to the Terracotta Warriors. There's so much competition here that one could bargain for the best price. Almost every shop is selling the similar items. At the end of the street, it brings us back to the ticking office area. We had lunch here at the KFC before we leave.


Da Ci'en Temple (大慈恩寺) and Big Wild Goose Pagoda (大雁塔)

After lunch, we took the Tourist Bus 游 5 (306) back to Xi'an Railway Station (西安站). At the railway station, we then grab a taxi to our next attraction, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda (大雁塔). The Buddhist pagoda is another popular tourist attraction in Xi'an city and was built during the early Tang dynasty, which housed the Buddhist sutras and figurines that Xuanzang (玄奘) brought to China during from his pilgrimage to India. He is a famous figure which the character Tang Sanzang (唐三藏) in the classical Chinese literature (Journey to the West 西游记) is referenced. The pagoda is located within the Da Ci'en Temple (大慈恩寺) complex. Therefore, we need to purchase the entrance tickets to the temple first. The Da Ci'en Temple (大慈恩寺) is one of the best preserved imperial temples of the Tang dynasty, initially built to commemorate Emperor Gaozong's late mother.


xi'an da ci'en temple entrance ticket
Entrance tickets to Da Ci'en Temple
xi'an da ci'en temple
Entrance of Da Ci'en Temple
After the entrance, we could see the Mahavira Hall (大雄寶殿), which enshrined the Buddha statues of Shakyamuni, Vairocana and Mahavairocana. After which, we could see the seven storey high Big Wild Goose Pagoda (大雁塔).


xi da ci'en temple big wild goose pagoda
View inside the Da Ci'en Temple
xi'an da ci'en temple mahavira hall
Mahavira Hall
xi'an big wild goose pagoda
View of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda
We need to purchase another set of tickets to climb the pagoda. Inside the pagoda, we could see some of the original wall inscriptions dated to the Tang dynasty, as well as some small Buddhist relics on display. At the top of the pagoda, we got a good view of the surrounding area.


xi'an big wild goose pagoda entrance tickets
Entrance tickets to Big Wild Goose Pagoda
xi'an big wild goose pagoda inscriptions
Explanation of the inscriptions in the pagoda
xi'an big wild goose pagoda view
View on top of the pagoda
We did not spent too much time at the pagoda, and next we visited the Xuanzang Memorial Hall (玄奘紀念馆) located just behind the pagoda. The hall was built in honour of Xuanzang (玄奘), which we could find a bronze statue of him, as well as many stone and wood carvings on display. After this, we exited the temple.

xi'an xuanzang memorial hall
Xuanzang Memorial Hall
xi'an xuanzang memorial hall statue
Bronze statue of Xuanzang inside the memorial hall
xi'an xuanzang statue big wild goose pagoda
Bronze statue of Xuanzang outside Da Ci'en Temple


Tang Paradise (大唐芙蓉园)

We proceeded to the last attraction of the day, which is the Tang Paradise (大唐芙蓉园). From the Da Ci'en Temple (大慈恩寺), we walked eastwards for around 15 minutes towards the North Gate (春明门) and purchased the entrance tickets, one of the several entrances to the attraction.


xi'an tang paradise
Tang Paradise
xi'an tang paradise tickets
Entrance tickets to Tang Paradise
Tang Paradise (大唐芙蓉园) is a modern theme park displaying the culture and architecture of the Tang dynasty. The park is very big with a lake at the centre, and consists of several scenic regions, focusing on different cultural themes. There are several performances (e.g. lion dance and drum performances) at different sites and schedule, so we had to keep a lookout of them. Along the way, we could also see men on horses dressed like Tang imperial guards strolling around the park. From the entrance, we toured along the west bank of the lake, covering regions like the Apricot Garden (杏园), which displays the Tang dynasty imperial examination system, the Luyu Tea House (陆羽茶社), which focus on the traditional tea art and ceremony, the Children Recreational Area (儿童娱乐区), which has some interesting playground concepts and tells the story of the gifted children of the Tang dynasty and the Purple Cloud Tower (紫云楼) which focus on the culture of the Emperor's imperial life.


xi'an tang paradise apricot garden
Entrance to the Apricot Garden
xi'an tang paradise apricot garden
Interior of Apricot Garden
xi'an tang paradise luyu tea house
Teapot sculpture beside Luyu Tea House
xi'an tang paradise water wheel
Water wheel at the Children Recreational Area
xi'an tang paradise purple cloud tower
View of Purple Cloud Tower across the lake
Near the South Gate, there's a world class theatre called Fengmingjiutian Theatre (凤鸣九天剧院) that housed the grandeur "Dream of Tang Dynasty (梦回大唐)" performance. This performance requires a separate ticket, which we did not watch.


xi'an tang paradise
Display at West Gate
xi'an tang paradise street parade
Street Parade across the bridge
xi'an tang paradise west gate
Bridge near the West Gate
There's not much choice of food in the park, thus we had our dinner at the Imperial Banquet Hall (御宴宫) near the West Gate (御苑门). This is a grand banquet hall and serves only Chinese food. We ordered minced pork wrap, roasted pigeon and spicy Chinese vermicelli with prawns.


xi'an tang paradise imperial banquet hall
Imperial Banquet Hall
xi'an tang paradise imperial banquet hall minced pork wrap
Minced pork wrap
xi'an tang paradise imperial banquet hall roasted pigeon
Roasted pigeon
xi'an tang paradise imperial banquet hall chinese vermicelli
Chinese vermicelli
After dinner, it was already night time and the entire area provided another different experience with the streets and buildings lighted up with different colours.


xi'an tang paradise night view
Night view at Tang Paradise
xi'an tang paradise night view


We then walked to the Purple Cloud Tower (紫云楼) as there will a spectacular water screen show called "Da Tang Zhui Meng (大唐追梦)". The show encompasses the world largest water screen display, coupled with laser and special effects, and the performance that tells the history and culture of the ancient Tang dynasty. Visitors could pay a fee to get a good view sitting at the terrace, otherwise like myself could stand at the side of the terrace to watch it free.


xi'an tang paradise purple cloud tower night view
Night view at the Purple Cloud Tower
xi'an tang paradise water screen show
Water Screen Show Performance
xi'an tang paradise water screen show

xi'an tang paradise water screen show

xi'an tang paradise water screen show

xi'an tang paradise water screen show

xi'an tang paradise water screen show


After the show, we exited the theme park via the West Gate (御苑门) and took a taxi back to the hotel.


xi'an tang paradise west gate
Night view outside West Gate





Sunday 20 December 2015

The best attractions in Xi'an City (Muslim Street, Drum and Bell Tower, City Wall)

Day 4

Xi'an (西安)

We woke up very early in the morning to prepare for check-out of the hotel, as we need to catch the High Speed Train to Xi'an departing at 7 am. We would be staying in Xi'an for the next 3 nights. The hotel staff helped us to call a taxi to come into the narrow Hutong, so that we do not need to drag our heavy luggage out to the main road. We took the taxi to Beijing West Railway Station (北京西站), and from there depart for Xi'an. Like the High Speed Train we took to Tianjin, it was travelling at an average speed of 300 km/hr as well. The overall journey was close to 6 hours and will stop at around 10 over stations throughout the journey. We slept for most of the train ride, since we were still tired after waking up so early in the morning.

Xi'an (formerly known as Chang'an (长安) before Ming dynasty), along with Beijing, is one of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China. It was previously the capital of many important ancient Chinese dynasties, such as Zhou, Qin, Han, Sui and Tang. It is also the start point of the famous Silk Road in China. All these have led to the great historical and cultural significance of this city. We reached the Xi'an North Railway Station (西安北站) at around 1pm, from there we collected our pre-booked train tickets to Huashanbei (华山北站) and Beijing for the subsequent days. The Xi'an metro station Bei Kezhan (北客站) is connected to the railway station. As it was built and started operation in 2011, it appears much more modern and spacious than Beijing's subway system. We bought the metro tickets and took the Metro (Line 2) to Zhonglou Zhan (钟楼), where our hotel Bell Tower Hotel (钟楼饭店) is located.


Bell Tower Hotel (钟楼饭店)

The city layout of Xi'an is interesting, as there's a city wall within it. Our hotel Bell Tower Hotel (钟楼饭店) is located approximately the center within the city wall, which is also where many of the commercial activities are located. We had selected Bell Tower Hotel (钟楼饭店) because it is just beside the Zhonglou Zhan (钟楼) metro station and within walking distances to many large shopping malls and other major tourist attractions within the city wall. From the metro station, it was a short walk via the underpass to the hotel. The hotel is located just opposite of the Bell Tower (钟楼), which occupies the center location at the busy roundabout. The room is modern, clean and complete with all basic necessities.

xi'an bell tower hotel
Xi'an Bell Tower Hotel
xi'an bell tower hotel
View of the room
xi'an bell tower hotel
View of the bathroom
By the time we settled down, it was already close to 2pm and we haven't had our lunch yet. We were hungry and left our room for lunch.


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Muslim Street (回民街)

From our hotel, we walked to the famous Muslim Street (回民街). It is a collection of many streets, starting from the Beiyuanman Street (北院门街) located just north of the Drum Tower (鼓楼). This area is known as the Muslim Street (回民街) because majority of the businesses are run by the ethnic Hui people. Since the establishment of the Silk Road, many of the Islamic traders and envoys from Middle East and Central Asia started to visit Xi'an and some eventually settled down here, forming the current Muslim population group here after many generations.

The main Beiyuanman Street (北院门街) consists of 2 rows of shops, mainly selling food, as well as many push carts along the street selling snacks. The popular Xi'an food/snacks that you can find here are the Biang Biang Mian (Biang Biang Noodles), Yang Rou Pao Mo (羊肉泡馍), Rou Jia Mo (肉夹馍), grilled lamb/beef skewers, steamed meat dumplings and dried dates.


xi'an drum tower
Xi'an Drum Tower
xi'an muslim street
Bustling Xi'an Muslim Street (Beiyuanmen Street)
xi'an muslim street biang biang mian noodle
Look at the complex character of "Biang" in red
xi'an muslim street handmade candy
Making of handmade candy
We went to one of restaurant along the street and ordered the Biang Biang Mian and Yang Rou Pao Mo (羊肉泡馍). The Chinese character of "Biang" has so many strokes and is so complex that it is currently not available in the computer. The character "Biang" has no meaning to it, and based on one of the theory, it is associated to the sound made when the chef slaps the noodle dough against the table. The Biang Biang Mian consist of handmade thick noodles, served with meat (which I had ordered lamb), cabbage and tomato, which is tasty and appetising. The Yang Rou Pao Mo (羊肉泡馍) is soup based, served with cellophane noodles, lamb and topped with small pieces of bread.


biang biang mian noodle
Biang Biang Mian
yang rou pao mo
Yang Rou Pao Mo
After lunch, we continued to walk around the area. We turned into the Huajue Alley (化觉巷), which runs adjacent and parallel to the Beiyuanman Street (北院门街). Over here, the street is narrower and less crowded, with most of the shops here selling souvenirs, handicrafts, clothing and decorations. If anyone wants to buy any souvenirs in Xi'an, it is recommended to buy here, as it is cheaper than other tourist areas. Along the way, we also passed by the Great Mosque of Xi'an (西安大清真寺). This is the oldest mosque in China, built during the Tang dynasty. The mosque looks very different from those you would see in the Arab and South East Asian countries, as it is architectural style looks very much like typical ancient Chinese constructions. The visit to the mosque was not in my itinerary due to time constraint, but is recommended for others to visit if time permits.


great mosque of xi'an
Entrance to the Great Mosque of Xi'an
great mosque of xi'an
Introduction to the Great Mosque of Xi'an


Drum Tower (鼓楼)

We turned out from Huajue Alley (化觉巷) and headed to the Drum Tower (鼓楼). We bought the joint tickets that allowed us to visit both Drum Tower (鼓楼) and Bell Tower (钟楼) on the same day. The Drum Tower (鼓楼) and Bell Tower (钟楼) are two iconic historical structures in the city.


xi'an drum bell tower tickets
Joint tickets to Xi'an Drum and Bell Tower
xi'an drum tower
View of street around the Xi'an Drum Tower
Both built during the Ming dynasty, they were used to indicate time in the ancient days. On the second level of the Drum Tower (鼓楼), we could see 24 drums which represent the 24 weather periods used by the ancient Chinese. Within the building, there's a Chinese percussion performance on-going, which we stopped our steps to watch. There's also an exhibition on the different types of Chinese drums from different era and ethnic groups.


xian drum tower introdution
Intro of Xi'an Drum Tower
xi'an drum tower
Rows of drums on display
xi'an drum tower performance
Chinese percussion performance at Xi'an Drum Tower
On the third level, there's another exhibition on the traditional Chinese furniture. We walked out to the balcony corridor, which offered a great view of the surrounding streets and the nearby Drum Tower (鼓楼). After this we made our way to the Bell Tower (钟楼).


xi'an bell tower view from drum tower
View of Bell Tower from the Drum Tower
xi'an drum tower balcony corridor
Balcony corridor at Xi'an Drum Tower


Bell Tower (楼)

There's only one way to access the Bell Tower (钟楼), which is via the underpass around the attraction. Once on the second level, we could see the prominent Jingyun Bell (景雲钟), which is the replica of the actual Tang dynasty era bell that once hung inside the tower.


xi'an bell tower
Xi'an Bell Tower
xi'an yongning gate city wall view from bell tower
View of the Yongning Gate (Xi'an City Wall) at the end of the South Street
xi'an drum tower view from the bell tower
View of the Drum Tower from the Bell Tower
Inside the building, there's a stage for the Bells performance, but we had missed the timing of the performance. Other than this, there's an exhibition showcasing some of the ancient artifacts unearthed in the region dated back to the Han and Tang dynasties. The visit here was relatively shorter than the Drum Tower (鼓楼), which we mainly spent time taking photographs around the tower.


xi'an bell tower performance
Stage for the Bells performance
xi'an bell tower exhibition
An ancient light candle holder on exhibition


Xi'an City Wall (西安城墙)

After we exited the Bell Tower (钟楼), we walked south along the South Street (南大街) towards our next attraction, Xi'an City Wall (西安城墙). The city wall is built during the Ming dynasty, mainly for defense purpose. The wall is around 13.7 km long in total, surrounded by a deep moat. At the end of the South Street (南大街), we crossed the road via the underpass and reached the Yongning Gate (永宁门) of the city wall. We bought the tickets at the ticket office and started climbing up the wall.


xi'an city wall ticket office
Xi'an City Wall ticket office
xi'an city wall entrance tickets
Xi'an City Wall entrance tickets
xi'an city wall yongning gate
Yongning Gate
On top of the wall, one would realised that the width of wall is very wide, so wide that it could allow visitors to tour around the wall by electric car or bicycle. The bicycles can be rented near the Yongning Gate (永宁门), which technically allows visitors to cycle around the entire perimeter if they have the time. On top of the wall, it offers another good view of the city, blended with a mix of ancient Chinese architectures and modern city skyscrapers.


xi'an city wall yongning gate
On top of the city wall (Yongning Gate)
xi'an city wall
View on top of the city wall
xi'an city wall yongning gate
Inner view from the city wall
xi'an city wall yongning gate
Outer view from the city wall, which the moat can be seen
We did not take the electric car nor rented the bicycles, just simply stroll along the wall. Along the way, we could see many different defense features of the wall such as the battlements and watch towers, all with proper Mandarin and English explanations. We rested for a while and enjoyed the sunset view.


xi'an city wall battlement
Explanation of the battlements
xi'an city wall watch tower
Explanation of the watch tower
xi'an city wall sunset
Sunset view on top of the city wall
By the time we returned back to the Yongning Gate (永宁门), it's getting dark and the wall lighted up. The night view of the lighted city wall is beautiful and provides another different experience looking at it. At the gate, there's also a model of the ancient Tang city layout superimposed with the current city layout.


xi'an city wall yongning gate night view
Night view of Yongning Gate
xi'an bell tower view from city wall yongning gate
View of Bell Tower at the end of South Street
xi'an city wall night view
Night time inner view from the city wall
xi'an city wall night view
Night time outer view from the city wall
tang xi'an chang'an city layout
Model of Tang dynasty Xi'an city layout


Defu Alley (德福巷)

It had been a very tiring day, so we decided to end the day by having dinner at the nearby Defu Alley (德福巷), before returning to the hotel. From the main road outside Yongning Gate (永宁门), we had to walk quite deep into the Defu Alley (德福巷) before we could see the rows of pubs and restaurants. This area is very popular among the youngsters for its nightlife. We went into a place called De Fu Lou Coffee & Bar (德福楼) to have our dinner. The whole place is very cozy and well decorated based on European-styled theme.


xi'an defu alley de fu lou coffee & bar
Decorations in De Fu Lou Coffee & Bar
xi'an defu alley de fu lou coffee & bar

xi'an defu alley de fu lou coffee & bar


We ordered Pizza and Pork Cordon Bleu, along with Tsingtao beer and soft drink.


xi'an defu alley de fu lou coffee & bar beverage
Our beverage
xi'an defu alley de fu lou coffee & bar pizza
Pizza
xi'an defu alley de fu lou coffee & bar pork cordon bleu
Pork Cordon Bleu
After the hearty meal, we slowly made our way back to the hotel. Just as we reached the hotel, the brightly decorated Bell Tower (钟楼) caught our attention.


xi'an bell tower night view
Night view of Xi'an Bell Tower



Follow the links below to the other days of my China tour:

Day 1: Beijing (Yonghe Lama Temple, Shizhahai, Prince Gong Mansion, Behai Park, Gui Jie)

Day 2: Beijing (Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Old Summer Palace, Wangfujing)

Day 3: Tianjin (Italian Style Town, Nanshi Food Street, Drum Tower, Ancient Cultural Street, Quanjude Peking Roast Duck)

Day 4: Xi'an (Muslim Street, Drum Tower, Bell Tower, Xi'an City Wall, Defu Alley)

Day 5: Xi'an (Terracotta Army Museum, Da Ci'en Temple, Big Wild Goose Pagoda, Tang Paradise)

Day 6: Huashan

Day 7: Beijing (Temple of Heaven, Silk Street)

Day 8: Beijing (Great Wall - Badaling, Ming 13 Tombs - Ding Ling, Shizhahai)

Day 9: Beijing (Summer Palace)