First Impressions of Xi'an

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The day in Shanghai and train trip here was quite the adventure. I will have to describe that in another post. But It has been a fascinating few weeks. I have been getting to know the city with two German students. We have met several Chinese students studying English. They have been very exited to meet me, a native speaker. Most Chinese people stare, at my hair. Xi'an is a crowded city compared to what I am used to. The buses are often packed. It's a city desperately in need the metro system, still under construction. At the same time the large parts of the city seems to be under construction night and day.
My classes are challenging. Few if any English is used by the teachers. Even in the second beginners class we have moved directly to the Hanzi only using pinying when necessary. My classmates are from Japan, Korea, Kazakhstan, Kurdistan, England, Indonesia, America, India, Iran, Italy. About half of us understand English. Thats just my class. Living close to us are students from twenty other countries.
The city has more universities than I though it was possible to have in the same city. Then there is the shopping. shopping centers here are enormous and they will be build next to another gigantic shopping center. Close to our apartment is a crowded series of narrow streets that are just as common as the shopping centers. These are filled with loads of tiny shops that can be noodle restaurants, China Mobile offices, vegetable stands, clothes shops or convenience stores. These open air markets will be just a few blocks down the street from a huge supermarket and a McDonald's.
Xi'an has a history as rich as Rome or Athens. Obviously the Terracotta Warriors that its is known for, but every corner of the city has something that is older than anything in America. The Great Mosque, city walls, the Wild Goose Pagoda which was built in 652, the Muslim Quarter, many of the old buildings are living monuments to the centuries of heritage here. I heard that one reason the metro is so far behind its construction deadline is that every time they dig another archeological site is discovered. Residents appear to be embracing the historical reputation of the city, perhaps for the tourism that it brings. An entire district of the city is being rebuild in the Tang dynasty style architecture. I don't have pictures of that yet but it was a fantastic run.

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