Day 9 – Bullet Train to Xi’an

Our Coach to Xi'an

We said farewell to Beijing and took a short cab ride to the West Train Station for our train to Xi’an. They told us to be there two hours early because of the crowds but it wasn’t that crowded so we just sat around for the two hours killing time. Again, no options if you miss the train so it’s much better to be early. The train today was a bullet train but it was older and slightly slower that the one from Shanghai to Beijing. Its maximum speed seems to be around 300 kmh (180 mph) and the seats weren’t quite as nice and no place to plug in your phone to charge it. It was a 5 hour and 42 minute ride to Xi’an.

Battle Scene (Tang Dynasty Show)

Today was the first rainy day we have had in China and it looks like our visit to Xi’an is going to be rainy.  There isn’t much to see from the train. It is overcast and quite hazy as we roll through the countryside. We were headed inland so there were more wooded sections and some mountains with tunnels through. We passed less population, but when you reach a town there is construction everywhere. It seems that China is in the constant process of rebuilding itself.

Empress Wu (Tang Dynasty Show)

We arrived in Xi’an exactly on time and took a cab to the hotel. The ride took maybe 15 minutes and cost 18 yuan which is less than $3 so I just doubled it. Hotel is a Holiday Inn Express which is a step down from the penthouse but decent and very clean.

We rode the metro down to our Tang Dynasty show tonight which may have been the best thing we have seen or done in China so far. It was a combination of singing, dancing and a little bit of martial arts thrown in but fantastically staged. It was just amazing. The production tells the story of Empress Wu who was born in 624 CE and rose from a concubine to become the Empress of in the Tang Dynasty. I believe I read that she was the only Empress in the history of China so that is quite impressive.

Amazing Finale (Tang Dynasty Show)

There was one funny thing that happened to us at the show. It is a large dinner-theater type place with several thousand seats and so we took our seats at a table with some other Chinese. No problem. Before the show, a lady comes up to me and asks if my name is John (we are the only non-Asians in the place so I'm easy to ID) and says to follow her. She took us to the best table in the theater which was reserved for us and gives us free drinks. I have no idea why we were upgraded this time.

Atop the Wall Around Xi'an

I should explain a little about why Xi’an is important to the Chinese. Some of it has to do with historic reason and others are modern reasons. Xi’an was the first capital of China and it was the capital city for 13 Dynasties and 74 Emperors ruled from there. Xi’an was the capital from 1046 BCE to 904 CE, so almost 2000 years. The early Dynasties were actually regional but starting with the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty, most of the rest of the Xi’an dynasties ruled all of China. The second historic reason is that Xi’an was the eastern end of the Silk Road. Because of this, many Muslims traders relocated to Xi’an and there is still a Muslim Quarter there today. Today Xi’an is the 44th largest city in the world, with New York being the only larger US city, and it is considered to be the Chinese equivalent of Seattle because it produces most of the airplanes manufactured in China.  Finally, Xi’an is home to the Terracotta Warriors which makes it a huge tourist destination.