Here is why you must visit Xi’an, China
Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor, Xi’an, China (ISO 1600, 75 mm, f/5, 1/80s)
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The next logical stop is the ancient chinese capital city of Xi’an. To save time and money (on accomodation), take the night train from Shanghai Railway Station and choose between a seat or a sleeper car. The trip takes anywhere from between 11 and 14 hours, depending on the train you take. You can find a Google map of the places I will discuss at the end of this post.
Xi’an may not have the name recognition of Beijing (see blog post) or Shanghai (see blog post), but this old chinese capital bears great significance as the start of the Silk Road and is the home of the terracotta warriors.
The Xi’an city wall is the most obvious landmark upon arriving and is a product of the Ming and Qing dynasties. Built as a fortification, the entire structure is in consdieration for being branded a UNESCO WHS. The entire wall is 14 kilometers in length and features towers, drawbridges, a moat, and parapets. More information about the walls can be found here.
Xi'an, China (ISO 200, 95 mm, f/4.5, 1/640 s)
No visit to Xi’an is adequate without seeing the Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum and the Museum of Qin Terracotta Warriors and Horses. With him, are buried thousands of life sized terracotta warriors, horses, and chariots. The tomb is composed of a variety of pits, featuring columns with scores of the warriors (archers, musicians, other officials). The figures in the best of conditions were removed and are housed behind glass in the lobby of the site, some of which still have their original color scheme.
The sheer scale and magnitude of the site cannot be overstated, since the sole purpose of the arrangement was to have an army to protect the emperor in the afterlife. Getting here from Xi’an city center is as easy as taking tourism bus no. 5 from the East Square of the Xi’an Railway station and getting off at the Terracotta Warriors station. The buses leave frequently and takes anywhere from 1-1.5 hours.
The Bell and Drum Towers in the Lianhu district are very historically significant to xi’an as well: the bell tower bell woudl be struck at dawn and the drums in teh drum tower would be struck at sunset everyday. The 7 story high buddhist Giant Wild Goose Pagoda was constructed in 704 AD (formerly 10 storey’s tall), and is a main landmark of Xi’an as well.
Next, set aside an entire day to conquer Mt. Hua, one of the five great mountains of China. This mountain is famous for it’s plank walk where you hike on wooden planks fastened to the side of the mountain. Because of this, as well as it’s numerous drops and narrow pathways, it is widely considered one of the most dangerous hikes in the world. You can reach the base of the mountain by taking a train from Xi’an North to Huanshan North, then take a green minibus to the site itself. Buy your ticket at the east gate ticket office and then you’ll be on your way.
There are obviously two ways to get up the mountain, by cable car, or by hiking The ‘Soldier’s path’ (mountain map here). The hike up to the north peak from teh eastern gate takes about two hours with thousands of steps along the way.
Unfortunately it was raining during our trek there (plank walk is not open during when raining), so the breathtaking views that are usually promised, were just clouds of fog.
Nonetheless, the experience in itself was fantastic and worth doing again. It requires a good level of fitness and endurance as well and even though no climbing is required, the trail still requires certain coordination and nimbleness (80 to 90 degree staircases) on parts of the ascent.
Xi’an, China (ISO 640, 5.0 mm, f/3.9, 1/30 s)
Once up at the North peak, you can access many of the temples and navigate through the ridges and passes to the other higher peaks (south peak is the highest at 2160 meters).
There are small shops dispersed along the routes to get water or red bull and even hotels for those who would like to stay overnight and catch the sunrise over the entire area.
After exploring all of the other peaks, you can descend the mountain and exit at the west gate and start your journey back to Xi’an to shower and probably sleep better than you ever have.
As far as provisions go, try to pack light and efficiency bringing only what you need: water, sunscreen, comfortable clothing, a light jacket, food, and the minimal amount of camera equipment you think you would need (camera body w/ 1 standard/wide angle and telephoto lens, tripod maybe).
Happy Hiking!
