Xian and Hua Shan

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This past trip to Xian was during our last 3 day weekend and also means that I am more than halfway through my summer program. After visiting the Shanghai Museum on Thursday afternoon we caught a 7:00 sleeper train to Xian. The train ride took 14 hrs and we arrived around 10:30am on Friday in Xian. After dropping bags off at the hotel we took a bus to see the famous Terracotta warriors. Over 2,200 years old, the life-size pottery figures were made to guard the tomb of Qin Shi Huangdi, the first Emperor to unify China. He enlisted over 70,000 workers over 36 years but their is no written historical record and all the workers were buried alive so the the Terracotta Warriors were unknown until they were discovered in 1974 by peasants digging a well. Since then two more pits have been found and excavations are still ongoing. Friday night, after seeing the warriors, we briefly walked the city wall and then attended a spectacular musical water fountain show in front of the Big Goose Pagoda.

Saturday we left the hotel at 6:30am to climb mount Hua Shan. The highest of China's five Daoist peaks, it was definitely more challenging than Huangshan. Luckily we were able to leave our packs at our hotel since we were not spending the night on the mountain. We hiked up from the bottom but had to take a cable car down in order to make the last bus back to Xian. The entire trek took about 9 hours. The best part was the "West Plank Walk" a part of the mountain that can only be crossed by a series of wooden planks. Originally there was only some chain links to hold onto but they have since added some basic safety gear. It offered jaw dropping but terrifying views.

We spent the last day exploring the city of Xian. Those with some energy left (including me) decided to bike around the Xian City Wall while the other 3 went to the Xian Museum. Unlike most city walls, Xian's walls are completely intact forming a 9 mile rectangle around the city center. After biking we visited the Muslim Quarter where we did some souvenir shopping, tried some local snacks, and saw the Great Mosque. Build in 742, when Islam was still a young religion, the mosque is one of the largest in China. After exploring the Quarter we headed back to Hotel to pick up our bags to catch our 5pm sleeper train back to Shanghai. We arrived back in Shanghai at 7:15am Monday morning, just in time for 8am classes.

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Photos

Big Goose Pagoda at night
The water fountains are all in the area in front of the Pagoda

Dont slip!!
Rock footholds on the plank walk